Intercultural Communication

Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication is commonly explained as an interaction between people of 'different cultures whether defined in terms of racial, ethnic or socioeconomic differences.' Human communication consists of verbal and nonverbal messages (language and gestures) which are shaped by gender, social class or culture. Thus, what perimeters define the intercultural exchange and what primary messages do we need or try to convey?

Our communication process or the way we attribute symbolic meanings to words and gestures, in order to express ourselves is shaped by the society in which we evolve. This shared use of codes within a given group of persons, also leads to a common philosophy of life, ideas or morals. Therefore, culture to a certain extent, shapes our thoughts in different fashions in spite of the fact that we have common biological or emotional needs and therefore, common responses to certain stimuli. In addition, various societies are now stratified in classes inside which, groups create and develop other codes. Each subgroup sustains its values and tradition through language and rites creating multicultural interactions. Hence, the human communication process cannot be held for homogenous, even inside the same society because factors like race, gender or social class will slightly modify this pattern.

Last summer, I spent one month in Quito, Ecuador and one week on the island Anaconda in the Amazonian Forest. This was my first experience in Latin America and I have been able to see two very different part of the Ecuadorian culture. In Quito, people speak Spanish, live in the capital and are from mixed descent (Spanish- Indian) while Anaconda?s population is mainly Indian, speaks ...

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...terlocutor?s, we will express ourselves differently. The fact that a common structure, for example college, is shared with someone helps to erase communication obstacles. Furthermore, criteria like manners are also defined according to classes and this shared meaning of codes often transcends cultural differences. However, words and the meaning they stand for are intrinsic to a language and this is always subjective. In spite of the arbitrary definition of a word in a given language, human feelings remain the common denominator of most exchanges. This is the basis on which messages can be exchanged and understood between people from different cultures, gender or race. In addition, tangible things or situations are easier to discuss with someone from a completely different culture. The message we convey become basic in this case, and generally express first needs.