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Intercultural differences in communication
How do cultural differences affect cross cultural communications
Intercultural differences in communication
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Explain how social backgrounds, professional backgrounds and cultural backgrounds affect relationships and the way people communicate.
Social, professional and cultural backgrounds could affect relationships and the way people communicate because not everyone is the same. This could be from the way we talk to what we wear and look like. That could be acceptable to one background or culture may not be acceptable to another. So this in itself could develop a breakdown in communication and also build a barrier.
People who have a high intellect may not be understood by someone who is from a different culture or by someone who is from a less fortunate society. This could be because of the way they speak or the language/words that they use.
Different
The world of today is a relatively primitive one, even with every advancement that humanity has accomplished we remain primitive in this aspect. There has been progress, even as slow in comparison to that of todays, it is progress.The ignorances and other human flaws are still very existent within every society, regardless of the boundaries between them be it geographical or cultural. Stereotypes and misconceptions exist in the modern society. Stereotypes arise when there is a single radical group who are accepted as the representation of their apparent subculture. Then the ignorant and misinformed take these “representatives’” behavior as a generalization of the entire group. While the less common misconception is made by some incomprehensible anomaly where an entire assumption is based around a single social group, that has never even proved to be true. There is a stereotype that is attached with the College educated community, they are believed to be almost guaranteed success. The fact that they have a degree in their respective field has built a stereotype of the “successful ones.”
Imagine that you are of Arab decent you being screened more thoroughly than others at the airport. The only way the airport staff can identify that you are of Arab decent is based on your family name, Najjar. The airport staff constantly takes extra measures to confirm that you are not a terrorist. Stereotypes have existed in American culture for centuries. Early in American history stereotypes of Negroes and Mexicans predominately associate them with lower-class attributes (Campbell, 1967).
Communication pattern is the structures in which communication flows in an organization. There are different kinds of communication pattern and assumption of cultural difference. The majority of people living in this United State has a different communication pattern which they are used to. But the challenges in this communication difference is that miscommunication will likely occur because there is a significant cultural difference between the communicators. The most important aspect of this communication pattern is the ability to understand another person’s pattern. For me, I am identified with African American culture. The communication pattern of African American is different from other people culture, and the one that fit me very well
People being generalized based on limited and inaccurate information by sources as television, cartoons or even comic books (Tripod). This is a definition that seems to go against many public standards. The above words are the exact definition of stereotypes. Stereotypes as understood from the definition, goes mostly hand in hand with media -- only not the regular meaning of the innocent media we know. Media propaganda is the other form of media that is rather described as media manipulation. In this paper, the following will be discussed: first, how stereotypes of ethnic groups function in propaganda, why does it function so well, and finally, the consequences of these stereotypes on the life of Egyptians in particular in society. A fair examination will be conducted on this example of stereotypes through clarification examples and research results from researches conducted from reliable sources. The real association between Egyptians’ stereotypes and propaganda discussed in this paper shall magnify the association of stereotypes and propaganda in general.
Throughout the essay you have been able to gain perspective of how culture and communication connect. The different types of cultural characteristics definitely have an influence in verbal and non-verbal communication. Beliefs, Values, Norms and Social practices can change communication within the diverse cultures. This is something we get to study and see every day if we take a closer look. I have gained a lot of knowledge doing this research and I am still trying to understand and respect different cultural values.
With stereotyping there always comes questions and one of those questions being, why do we stereotype? This is a very important question. Many people would like to know why are they being criticized for being apart of a religion or race. There are people who may even come to America from a different continent and be asked about things from a person who may think they know a whole lot about their culture for instance a woman who came from Africa was discriminated against by a woman who knew nothing about her culture and family life at all “She says that a woman felt sorry about her because she came from Africa, and even ask her if she could listen her tribal music.” How can someone go over to an individual and completely discriminate against
Cultural context affects communication greatly because cultures in one country differ from cultures in another country. There are two kinds of cultural context; high-context culture and low-context culture. “In a high-context culture people rely less on the explicit content of the message and more on the context of the nonverbal actions and environmental setting to convey meaning” (Bov`ee pg 11). In a simpler way this means that high-context cultures focus on nonverbal cues and are very affectionate versus low-context cultures focus on verbal cues. “In a low-context culture people rely more on the explicit content of the message and less on circumstances and cues to convey meaning” (Bov`ee pg 11).
What is the role of language in creating and reinforcing social distinctions, such as class, ethnicity and gender?
All four communication barriers discussed have education at the source of the strategies used to combat them. Recognizing that ethnocentrism, stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination exist and understanding what they truly mean is the first step. Self-evaluation is next in making sure individuals recognize negative traits within themselves and finally spreading that knowledge; whether it is through individual, collective or institutional education. Finally exploring alternative means of combating these communication barriers will help society as a whole become better.
According to Kim, there is a particular circumstance that must occur in order for an interaction to be considered an interethnic communication. There must be some kind of deviation or distinction between the communicator and interactant with regards to identity and ethnicity (Kim, 2005). This can include traits such as age, sex, skin color, and body size. Within this context, interethnic communication is regarded as an open-system concept rather than a fixed and rigid form of interaction. Every aspect of the conversation not only considered independent of one another, but
When individuals or groups from different cultures communicate, this process is called intercultural communication. The transaction process of listening and responding to people from different cultural backgrounds can be challenging. The greater the difference in culture between two people, the greater the potential of misunderstanding and mistrust. Misunderstanding and miscommunication occur between people from different cultures because of different coding rules and cultural norms, which play a major role in shaping the patterns of interaction (Jandt, 2012).
Intercultural communication is an evolving discipline that occurs between individuals from contrasting backgrounds. It include...
According to Hofstede’s (1980), ‘culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another… culture in the sense, includes systems of values: and values are among the building blocks of culture.’ It is necessary to determine how culture impacts our communication behavior as culture directly influences our perception and understanding of the message that is transmitted from one party to another. People from different cultures encode and decode messages differently; this therefore increases the chances of misunderstanding. Intercultural communication refers to interactions between people whose cultural assumptions are so different that the communication between them is altered. Verderber, Verderber, & Sellnow, (2010).
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...
...can culture for instance there are several different ethnic groups and the method of communication tends to differ among each. In South Africa, the type of communication behavior can either be direct or an indirect path when communicating and sometimes a blend of the two. For example, if a family member has a problem it is sometimes expected that the problem is addressed to an older aunt or uncle as opposed to directly speaking to the parents. People in the city tend to be more direct than those who live in more rural areas. Most people flee from arguments and disagreements, so they will either ignore your question or give you a non-committed answer. (Culture Crossing- Communication Style)