Intercultural Communication Essay

1443 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Issues in intercultural communication

The world is characterized by increased contacts within different areas such as business, education, tourism and military cooperation resulting into communication between people from different cultural and linguistic background. This form of communication where the people involved in the conversation are from different cultural origins is known as intercultural communication. Intercultural refers to the communicative relation between people from different cultural background while communication is the use of language to establish an active relationship. Intercultural communication is of critical importance as it offers individuals with the ability to deal with people from different cultures which is increasingly important as the world become …show more content…

Communication problems are not always due to language differences. Some of the communication issues are gender-related and thus heterosexual relationships is intercultural in that they bring together the different cultural world of female and male. Communication between people of opposite sex is a form of intercultural communication because gender not only influences communication but it is also a product of communication. Males and females are taught different communicative behaviors and linguistic practices. The differences in communicative practices between male and female create cultural concepts of gender. Although men and women grow in the same environment, they grow in two distinct communication cultures. Furthermore, intercultural communication is affected by how different cultures view the role of men and women. There are two different expectations placed on female and males creating two group of people with the various perceptions of the world. Both genders find difficult to correct misunderstanding intercultural communication because their sense of place in culture is tied in the relationship between men and …show more content…

Individuals from different cultural backgrounds vary in their expectation of leadership due to differences in value orientation which may lead to intercultural conflicts. For instance, some culture value individualism whereas others values collectivism. People from collectivistic cultures place a great emphasizes on group loyalty and teamwork. Cultural values also influence communication patterns and people from collectivistic prefer leaders who use less direct communication. On the other hand, people from individualistic cultures prefer highly individualistic communication which may conflict with the collectivistic cultural background (Holliday,

Show More
Related

  • Sex Lies And Conversation Summary

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deborah Tannen is the author of “Sex, Lies and Conversation: Why is it So Hard for Men and Women to Talk to Each Other”. Tannen is a linguist who researches the relationships between men and women. She has not only conducted research, but has information published in several books and essays about this topic. Her research includes talking with several of groups and collecting data on the behalf of their response. In her essay, “Sex, Lies and Conversation,”Tannen argues that complications arise in marriages and relationships because individuals are not able to communicate with members of the opposite sex.

    Read More

  • Men And Women Communicating

    1828 Words  | 4 Pages

    Communication between males and females has always been somewhat complicated. Because we are arguing that males and females have different cultures we wanted to take a look at what some of these differences might be. According to our research the inherent differences between male and female culture are the different roles that society holds for them and the ways these roles lead to different communication styles. The stereotypes that men and women grow up with affect the types of ways in which they communicate. We first wanted to take a look at how they specifically differ while men and women are arguing or having normal conversations. We also looked at the different types of networks that men and women share. These networks also differ and as do the reasonings for their formation. Although we do not think that men and women need to change their cultures to effectively communicate, we do think that better communication is possible. One of the researchers we took a look at was Deborah Tannen. According to Tannen the reason that men and women do not communicate well is that men and women use language differently. Women take the attitude that conversation is to explore solutions to common problems while men concern themselves more with getting information and hard data from conversation. Tannen states that what women look for in communication is human connection, while men consider status to be most important. They are looking for independence and are constantly looking for higher accomplishments. Intimacy threatens this independence, so men have a tendency to avoid it. One of the old sayings about women is that they talk more than men. It turns out that it is not necessarily true. Women seem to talk more in private conversations than do men. Women do not generally have a fear of intimacy and therefore are much more open with one another during private conversations. It is more difficult for women to use this type of communication style in the public arena. In that case it is men that do most of the talking. Tannen ultimately argues that men use communication as a weapon. They use long explanations to command attention from who it is they are speaking to. They use it to convey information and to ultimately gain agreement. Tannen suggests that through even simple conversation men are continually protecting their status. She sugg...

    Read More

  • Interview Paper

    1933 Words  | 4 Pages

    Communication is always a good way for one to express their thoughts. I interviewed two different people who were of separate races and ethnicities to learn about their experiences in the U.S. healthcare system. The interviews asked questions that centered around their racial and ethnic background and how their identities influenced their privileges or discrimination of or by health care officials. The two people I interviewed were from my physical therapy building. This was a great way to determine race and ethnicity seeing how the physical therapist is Indian and his assistant is Pacific Islander Filipino. Within public health, we see plenty of different races and ethnicities all around us. It is safe to say that an issue that emerged from the interviews was a lack of communication during a health related visit between different races and ethnicities. It became

    Read More

  • Intercultural Miscommunication

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    The frequent situations of misunderstandings in intercultural communication may be more common then one may believe. The potential for misunderstandings between two different cultures communicating is very high. Through such things as idioms, translation errors, and wrong body language communicative skills can be incorrect. When these intercultural mistakes occur between the people speaking or moving it may be perceived by the opposite culture as funny, rude or confusing. With these considerations in mind, the combination of possibilities for misinterpretations is increasingly elevated.

    Read More

  • The Genderlect Style Theory

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    Communication is a necessary skill for success in life. Misunderstandings in communication occur frequently between people due to language and perceptual differences. In intimate relationships, this misunderstanding in communication between the man and the woman leads to great agitation and tension -- seemingly the two sexes speak in completely different vernaculars. The Genderlect Style Theory explains that men and women talk in distinct cultural dialects and mannerisms, which reflect the different genders’ objectives; men desire status and achievement, while women desire personal connections and relationships. In the following pages, I will identify the theorist behind the Genderlect Style Theory, examine her educational history, and discuss other contributions she has made in the world of social sciences and psychology. Using physical examples, I will demonstrate the Genderlect Style Theory in the real world to steel our understanding. Lastly, I will explain what I have personally gleaned from my research.

    Read More

  • Intercultural Communication Essay

    1134 Words  | 3 Pages

    I have learned a great deal about different cultures and the communication between those cultures. I didn’t really think I would learn as much as I did. I am from an older cohort than most of the people in my class; therefore my experience level is a little greater. This did not prevent me from learning a few things and enhancing the knowledge I already have.

    Read More

  • Intercultural Competence Essay

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    Name: Jette Lykke Mhl Age Group: 4th to 10th grade Title and competence area: • Learning and teaching communicative competence • Kompetenceomrde 3: Interkulturel competence I sprogundervisning Introduction and background: During my years as a 10th-grade teacher, I have learned that even though my students have been taught English since 3rd grade, they often don’t know very much about other English-speaking countries. Perhaps they have a slight knowledge about holiday traditions such as Christmas and Halloween, but knowledge about people’s daily life and culture, in general, is not a usual competence. That’s why every year I try hard to find the best way to teach about the culture of specific English-speaking countries. Recently I have practiced my new knowledge about intercultural competence to activate my students by involving their own culture.

    Read More

  • Intercultural Communication: An Eveolving Discipline

    1868 Words  | 4 Pages

    Intercultural communication is an evolving discipline that encapsulates the interactions between individuals or groups from different backgrounds. Diversity and the need for cultural awareness are forever increasing, and this solidifies the direction in which diversity will take in the future. Intercultural communication is going to be a tremendous part of our future and as individuals it will be part of our personal, social and professional relationships.

    Read More

  • Intercultural Communication Reflection Paper

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    I wasn 't quite sure what I was getting into when I first enrolled in Intercultural Communications. I had assumptions as to the goals of the course such as I would be learning about the way cultures interact with each other, learn about communication in general, or I would be learning about the ways we use communication through our culture. I think that I achieve the latter goal, but I also gained knowledge about more then just my culture. I came to realize that there is more to a culture than just language, appearances, and customs, which are aspects of culture that could be seen above the waterline, or they are more noticeable/obvious to someone outside of that culture. There are aspects of culture that are below the waterline, or more

    Read More

  • Competent Intercultural Communication

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    What does it mean to be a competent communicator and a competent intercultural communicator? A Competent communicator defines as a person who can communicate with others properly and sufficiently, and a competent intercultural communicator is the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with people of other cultures. It takes many abilities to be an effective competent communicator and an effective competent intercultural communicator. While some environments and factors can affect the way you communicate properly, there are also abilities that can help you achieve better communication. In this discussion I will be comparing and contrasting the concepts of both competent communication and competent intercultural communication.

    Read More

  • Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks By Laray Barna

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people who go to visit or work in another country suffer some misunderstanding from the local people, because they have a different culture. Different culture will cause disparity points of view about almost everything. In the article, Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks by Laray M. Barna, there are five stumbling blocks mentioned that are seen in a cross-culture communication. These blocks are: language, nonverbal signs and symbols, preconceptions and stereotypes, the tendency to evaluate and high anxiety. Barna wants to use these stumbling blocks to show the common blockades between different cultures. I agree with what she thinks about the language, nonverbal signs and symbols, preconceptions and stereotypes, and the tendency

    Read More

  • Gender Communication Essay

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gender communication focused on the method of expressing a thought or idea through the use of a gender in the relationship and the role of people. Some will argue that gender communication is qualified as a form of intercultural communication on the development of effective communication skills when we interact with an opposite sex. The communication between men and women have a huge difference because people from different culture speak different dialects. In the current society, it is common for us to hear phrases such as “ you men (women) are from a different planet,”these phrases are developed due to the miscommunication between men and women over the course of evolution. Men and women had developed different methods of

    Read More

  • Problems In Intercultural Communication

    1552 Words  | 4 Pages

    Humans have been communicating since four million years. On the other hand, the birth of culture is estimated to have taken place about 35,000 years ago. Today, both culture and communication have evolved considerably and have become interdependent of one another, to the point that communication is considered to be a product of culture. Thus, our own culture has a deep impact on our thoughts and behaviors. Since each culture has its distinct aspects, intercultural communication can be the cause of conflict and disorder. There are three main issues which are at the root of the problem of intercultural miscommunication : language as a barrier, cultural diversity and ethnocentrism. I will analyze these three notions in situations in which intercultural communication is frequent such as : the workplace, the classroom and vacation trips.

    Read More

  • Culture And Communication Essay

    1722 Words  | 4 Pages

    The intimacy between culture and communication exists in the fact that actors interact by way of communication which is a technique used to continue the established patterns of meaning, thinking, feeling and acting. There are common characteristics in most definitions of culture. These characteristics are that culture is shared and is a stable construct, consisting of patterns, values, symbols, meanings, beliefs, assumptions and expectations. The characteristics of culture mean that culture is socially constructed and, therefore, must be learned.

    Read More

  • Individual Reflection For The Final Project

    1490 Words  | 3 Pages

    To elaborate, by mentioning intercultural understanding, I meant that each cultural group has different ways to communicate. For example, Western culture encourages people to be up-front and straight-forward with their communication; contrastly, people who are influenced by Eastern culture might be less outspoken about their ideas and pay a lot of attention to nonverbal language of the people around them. Culture is something that if one have never encountered or exposed to it, he or she would never know. I hope that after this project, besides of the knowledge we gained from the research itselves, all four of us would improve even more on our intercultural and interpersonal communication skills. Because at the end of the day, the knowledge that one have learnt might be forgotten, but all of the skills that one have gained will stay for a very long time.

    Read More

More about Intercultural Communication Essay

Open Document