Cultural Communication

Shazia Akbar Ghilzai

Department of Linguistics

Quaid-e-Azam University

Cultural communication

differences

Following are some general communication

and language guidelines you may find

helpful when interacting with people from

different regions of the world. However,

keep in mind that individuals are different;

never make assumptions based on

someone’s ethnic origin.

Areas of Misunderstanding:

Broadly speaking, body language can be divided into the following categories:

• Facial expressions

• Eye contact

• Touch

• Use of space

• Gestures

• Sounds and other actions

Touch

• Some cultures, particularly in the middle east, may touch once or not at all, while North Americans could touch each other between two and four times an hour, according to some researchers.

• People from the United Kingdom, certain parts of Northern Europe and Asia touch far less, while in France and Italy people tend to touch far more frequently.

Personal space exercise

• Pick a partner and stand opposite them as

if you were about to have a conversation

• Stand within 1 and a half feet of each

other and talk – are you comfortable?

• Move slowly back until you feel

comfortable – and check your distance

• Now continue back past 10-12 feet – is

this comfortable?

Personal Space

• An individual's need for personal space varies from

culture to culture. In the Middle East, people of the

same sex stand much closer to each other than

North Americans and Europeans, while people of

the opposite sex stand much further apart.

• Japanese men stand four or five feet apart when

having a discussion. Europeans and North

Americans would probably regard having a

conversation at this distance rather odd.

Good

The thumbs up sign has positive connotations in the UK and US

Good?

In Iran and Spain the 'thumbs up' sign is considered obscene

Okay?

The 'okay' sign is obscene in Greece, parts of Eastern Europe

and Latin America. It could also mean 'worthless' or 'zero' in

France. In Japan, this means “money”.

Nodding

Moving the head from

side to side could

indicate agreement in

Asia, whereas

elsewhere in the world

a similar shaking of the

head means the

opposite.

How to be rude without realising

• Sit with the soles of your shoes showing.

In many cultures this sends a rude message.

In Thailand, Japan and France as well as

countries of the Middle and Near East

showing the soles of the feet demonstrates

disrespect. You are exposing the lowest and

dirtiest part of your body so this is insulting.

How to be rude without realising

• Pass an item to someone with one hand.

In Japan this is very rude. Even a very

small item such as a pencil must be

passed with two hands. In many Middle

and Far Eastern countries it is rude to

pass something with your left hand which

is considered “unclean.”

How to be rude without realising

• Wave hand with the palm facing outward

to greet someone.

In Europe, waving the hand back and forth

can mean “No.” This is also a serious

insult in Nigeria if the hand is too close to

another person’s face.

True or False

• The following expressions are universal

• Anger

• Disgust, contempt

• Fear

• Happiness

• Interest

• Sadness

• Surprise

True or False

• Eye contact is a universal sign of respect

and attention

• Staring is always rude

• Lowering eyes is a sign of respect in all

cultures

• Russians have the most control over their

facial expressions and Americans the least

Afro-Caribbean people

Communication tips

• While in Western cultures eye contact is taken to mean honesty, in some Caribbean cultures people avoid eye contact as it is considered disrespectful and rude.

• Some African cultures have a longer look time, which people from Western cultures may interpret as a stare.

Asian people

Communication tips

• While in Western cultures, eye contact is interpreted as a sign of honesty, in some Asian cultures people tend to avoid eye contact as it is considered disrespectful and rude.

• Some Asian women may find it difficult to converse with males, particularly when subjects of a personal nature are being discussed.

Chinese people

Communication tips

• Some Chinese people nod or bow slightly when greeting another person. A handshake is also acceptable.

• Some Chinese people do not like to be touched by people they don’t know. A smile is preferred to a pat on the back or similar gesture.

British People

• What about British people?

• What do international students need to know about us?

• Do we know this about ourselves?

BRAINSTORM

Personal Space and British people

British people like a lot of space around them.

They tend not to make physical contact of any kind with strangers and feel very uncomfortable if anyone stands too close to them. They will instinctively draw away if anyone comes too close.

Personal space Kenyan student

Whenever I travelled on a bus in UK the British person next to me would draw away from me as if they were afraid of catching a disease or of the colour rubbing off my skin.’ British woman in Kenya

‘When I travelled on a train from Nairobi to Mombasa, a woman sat right next to me, her body touching mine. I was very nervous.’

The indirect British

In making polite requests, British people tend

to use very indirect language, using the

conditional tense and negatives.

For instance, ‘I don’t suppose you could open

the window, could you?’ rather than ‘Please

open the window.’

CONT…

Israeli student

British people never get to the point. They

go around this way and that way, using

twenty words where three would do. It´s

really hard to communicate with them.´

British University Official

`Some nationalities do not always seem very

polite; `I want this´ or `I want that´, no

smiles nor a please nor a thank you´.

Smiling

• Some students say that British people

smile a lot, compared to many national

groups – often for no particular reason.

• The British smile as a greeting, smile

when asking for something, smile on

receiving it.

A male overseas student

‘The British are so insincere. They smile even when they are not happy or pleased to see you. One woman smiled at me every time we passed each other and I thought she really liked me. So I asked her to come out with me and she refused. She was leading me on and then turned me down’

Diversity is the one true thing we all have

in common. Celebrate it every day.

Anonymous

DON’T ENTERTAIN FOOLS

Avoid Boring company

Chinese customs that are

shocking to foreigners