Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Introduction of intercultural communication barriers
The Development of Cross-cultural Communication
Investigating cultural varieties of non-verbal communication
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Introduction of intercultural communication barriers
Cross cultural communication is a very important factor for businesses in these days because of the rapid economic development hence globalisation.
Therefore, knowledge and understanding of a cultural diversity are a must, especially for businesses operated worldwide, to correctly react to body language, symbols, gestures or situations that can be easily misunderstood due to cultural differences and can lead to the unsuccessful transactions, contracts or a business as a whole. For example, Americans or Brits use the gesture 'thumb up ' to express that everything going well, while in Bangladesh it means rude or awful. Living or doing a business in different country does not only mean knowing their food, music or clothing, but mainly to understand
…show more content…
For example, kissing on each cheek is not appropriate in the UK, whereas in Paris it is an acceptable greeting. Or, a handshake which is a common greeting in the UK or US is not acceptable in different countries. Cultural diversity
According to Lavaty and Kleiner (2011) the most crucial term affecting workforce in the 21st century is an increase in cultural diversity and therefore it never should be ignored.
The modern technology and primarily due to the internet connection, the boundaries for business are no longer confined and have allowed to expand businesses to new countries with a vastly different culture. Given that, every firm wants to be successful, the cross-cultural communication is one of the most important parts of the every international business.
After all, if communication is not face-to-face but electronic, a language and translation can be a big issue. Even though English is considered as an international language, speakers in different countries can be more limited. Personally, once I have witnessed the incomprehension that arises from communication and gestures between people from different English-speaking countries (English-speakers from the U.S and English-speakers in the UK) but furthermore, between an English speaking people from different
…show more content…
They may even cancel the contracts if there is a lack of trust. Non-verbal communication is more preferred. People tend to have a close connection built over a long period of time; they know what to do even without saying a word and therefore, a high context culture can be a very difficult to enter for an
Justin Matos Reasoning and Analysis Paper When you come from a different country do you have trouble communicating with others? Is it hard to adapt to the new culture or stay within your own culture? Around the world, many people are rewarded for been direct and independent. Been able to take care of yourself and work well with others who are not in your culture can help you achieve great things.
As companies began to offer workplace principles of independence, out of the box thinking and open-door policies; wouldn't it be even more important to have a cultured workplace. Workplace diversity is the here & now and also the wave of the future as markets expand into global territories. Setting the legal obligations asides a company should want to maximize its potential by reaching out beyond its current marketable persons and into other bodies of people. The cause of having such a diverse foundation shows growth and understanding to support the "changing of the times" of the modern workforce. The effects are how diversity impacts the company's personnel, economy, and global markets.
A person 's height is shown by putting the fingers together with them pointing upward. The height of an animal is shown with a flat hand and palm facing downward. When one receives something, he should receive it with both hands especially if person is superior This shows respect and thankfulness. One should give something to someone with his right hand, because the left hand is considered the dirty hand. This is not strongly observed though. Lesotho people have a special hand shake. They shake someone’s hand and then go up and lock thumbs and then they go back to the hand shake position. Bro Gault does not know the significance of it. He said that there is one person here who will on do that way of hand shaking. Also here the people are less likely to make eye contact then we would be, but it is not a culture where they won 't make eye contact. They have some special way of counting with their fingers. They start with their pinky for number one. When they get to six, number six is the thumb on other hand. The word for six (ts 'elela) means to cross over. You cross over to the other hands. The words seven (supa) means to point. One 's index finger or the seventh finger is the pointer finger. Number eight means two (two fingers down) while number nine means one broken (one finger down). If someone holds up just their thumb and two fingers people know that means eight, because the second hand when counting is the one that starts with the thumb. They also have ways of showing bigger
The first point I would like to illustrate is the way body language can have different effects on people. For example, in England the use of hands when you are speaking is quite rare, the odd movement of the hand may be seen but the most common use of hand signals or motions is when someone is making an insult. I will use the Italians as an example of at times exaggerated and frequent use of hands. The Italians often use their hands as a way of secondary communication. As they speak they dramatise their conversations which can be mistakenly perceived by some people as confrontation when in fact they are having a simple conversation. This is where the lack of knowledge of a culture can cause a misunderstanding. Another example of communication which can cause raised eyebrows is the way the French acknowledge one another is doing something called the “bises.” This is where they give a kiss on each cheek. (Depending on the region this could be two, three even four kisses.) It is considered rude to just verbally greet someone so the “bises” is the norm for them. However when they are out of their country they could receive strange looks because people don’t understand their reasons and therefore could be perceived that French m...
Although we are now entering globalisation era, there are many hindrances especially multiculturalism and communication between countries. This paper analyses on the differences and similarities between Indonesia and US from different aspects like language, paralinguistic, non-verbal communication, cultural dimensions and communication styles; that emerge from contextual factors like politic, economic, social and culture; as well as the system that they use and their effectiveness. Recommendation will be made based on the analysis to define a strategy towards an effective cross-cultural communication process.
The differences in other cultures vary from beliefs to ways of life, or norms, of the different societies. The importance of understanding and sensitivity to other countries’ differences is crucial to a business’ success. “Lack of familiarity with the business practices, social customs, and etiquette of a country can weaken a co...
Have you ever had a really awkward handshake where you just did not get a good grip on their hand? A hand shake can tell you a lot about a person by their approach and how they handle the hand shake. Whether it’s just a causal handshake with someone you know or if it’s with the manager that is about to interview you, your handshake can make quite an impression. Some say a handshake is just an empty politeness and others say it is an essential action that helps each person learn more about one another. In my English class here at Appalachian State University, we were sent out to observe the way students here greeted one another. Rarely did I ever see students shake hands with one another. Only one instance in all of the data I recorded did I see a hand shake take place. There are many characteristics that a hand shake shows you and it is an important action to help you make a good impression.
A business handshake should have two actions to be successful the firm grip and a relaxed up and down motion. The firm grip shows attention to the situation and the relaxed movement up and down is sign of willingness to be a team player. If not properly done the grip and movement will imply any number of unwanted suggestions.
The language barrier, which is also a difficult hurdle to encompass, serves as one of the most obvious cultural differences. A manager can delegate a task to be accomplished within a US based division and reap the expected results immediately. On the other hand, if an international manager is not familiar with the English language or culture, the same task may yield a different result. Language is the transmitter of both information and ideas. "The key to global competency is to develop the skills to cope, and that means integrating into the dominant culture and realizing how to properly interpret and analyze behavior" (Hayes, 1996). Being bilingual increases the advantage that foreign business partners have in interacting together. It nullifies the need of a third party translator. Business partners tend to be more open and receiving when communicating with bilingual personnel who speak there native language. "An understanding of the language allows the manager to pick up particular points of view, implied meanings, and other information that is not literal" (Moreno, 2006).
Therefore, it is essential to study nonverbal and verbal communication Nonverbal communication is all forms of communication other than words themselves, which includes “body motions; vocal qualities; and the use of time, space, and even smell” (Neuliep, 2011, p. 269). On the other hand verbal communication or language “consists of symbols in the form of spoken or written words (Wood, 2014, p. 67). Thus cultures have different representations of symbols and what one culture interprets another may define or view differently. Communication is closely related to culture because communication expresses and alters culture. In a culture you learn behaviors and acceptable ideologies. This can be seen in verbal and nonverbal communication. For example, the tone of your voice is based on culture. Without communication you are unable to establish cultural differences. Your own culture directly shapes how one communicates, such as when it is appropriate to make eye contact. We are not born knowing when and how we should speak; this is a learned behavior that is taught by interaction with others. This is not an easy task because nonverbal signals differ from culture to culture. Charles Braithwaite stated, “One of the fundamental components of cultural and linguistic competence is knowing how and when to use silence as a communication tactic” (Neuliep, 2011, p. 64). Before one can communicate effectively one must understand the context in which the culture exchanges information. One must have a working awareness of how each society conveys meaning, hence high vs. low context cultures. According to the Central Michigan University text, organizational dynamics and human behavior (2009), to become a successful international manager one must develop “cross-cultural skills”. One part of the skill set involves the comprehension of the difference between high-context and low-context
Language is the main way to communicate with others, and when a foreigner comes to a new country, the communication is the major thing he has to deal with. According to the text, “the first is so obvious it hardly needs mentioning-language. Vocabulary, syntax, idioms, slang, dialects, and so on, all cause difficulties, but the person struggling with a different language is at least aware when he is in this kind of trouble” (p. 69). Language is an obvious blockade in a cross-culture communication, because of the different grammar, words, slang, and so on. If a person knew the language of that country, at least he could know when he is in the trouble and what kind of the trouble, and I perceive this as the most important thing, to be able to understand. The difficulty of learning a language, is not only know the vocabulary and syntax, but the actual meaning of the sentences. I totally agree with this stumbling block of cross- culture communication, due to my experience of being an international student who studies in another country. When I wanted to come to the
The way people communicate varies widely between, and even within, cultures. One aspect of communication style is language usage. Language has always been perceived as a link between people but it can also constitute a barrier. Across cultures, some words and phrases are used in different ways. For example, even in countries that share the English language, the meaning of "yes" varies from "maybe, I'll consider it" to "definitely so," with many shades in between . Furthermore, communication between cultures which do not share the same language is considerably more difficult . Each culture, has its distinct syntax, expressions and structure which causes confusion in intercultural communication. For example , in Asian countries the word “no” is rarely used, so that “yea” can mean “no” or “perhaps”. Therefore, an American traveling to Japan might be considered impolite if he ignores this rule. Furthermore, individuals who are not comfortable with a certain language may not be taken seriously. Such is the case in the classroom, where a student who has a perfect knowledge of the subject in question may have difficulty expressing his idea due to his inability to write properly and therefore he would not receive the grade he truly deserves. Similarly intercultural communication is dominant in the workplace. In the past, many companies and organizations could operate entirely within their country of origin and conduct their activities exclusively in their own native language. But now, due...
With the rapid growth in globalization there are a number of firms who have taken their businesses abroad. Their challenge, cross cultural management and communication. An effective communication strategy begins first with understanding who the sender of the message is and who the receiver of the message is. Many companies have realized this and offer training in the different cultures to help better facilitate communication between leaders (Cross-Cultural Communication, mindtools.com). Without this basic understand between sender and receiver it can be very difficult for companies of multicultural to even begin to communicate. The second important understanding is that leaders must demand a cultural tolerance of acceptable behavior between cultures to facilitate effective communication (Cross-Cultural Communication, mindtools.com).
Abstract: Globalization has made intercultural communication inevitable. Communicating with other cultures characterizes today’s business, classroom, and community. Technology, especially the internet, has increased the probability that whatever is documented online will be read by someone from another culture. Intercultural communication is of importance in any career field, thus the art of knowing how to communicate with other cultures should be a workplace skill that is emphasized. This is a conceptual paper whose purpose is twofold.
These days the world has become one village (Atcham, 1962). It is easy to communicate with any person, company no matter where their locality is and at any time in the many linguistic and it can be relating financials, politics, and culture. For instance, make directly contact to others through internet using international language.