Exploring intercultural misunderstandings



Exploring intercultural misunderstandings

Topic 1: Why do cultural misunderstandings happen? 3

Topic 2: Areas of misunderstanding 7

Polite forms of language 7

Idioms 8

Questions 9

Compliments 11

Dress 11

Social customs 13

Space 14

Time 14

Topic 3: Cultural behaviours 21

Topic 4: Stereotyping and prejudice 23

Topic 5: Communicating with government organisations 25

Summary 26

Check your answers 27

Topic 1: Why do cultural misunderstandings happen?

[pic]

There may be many cultural differences between people that

can cause misunderstandings

Cultural misunderstandings can occur when people don’t share or understand the ‘rules’ of a particular culture. The ‘rules’ of how you behave are to do with what people expect you to do in certain situations. People can learn the rules of a new culture by watching people and through asking questions. It is cultural values that lead to expectations and ‘rules’ about how people behave.

|[pic] |Activity 1: What is culture? |

Let’s remind ourselves of what we mean by culture.

Read the following extract which is the first part of a lecture about intercultural communication, by Paul Kettering. Then answer the questions that follow, to make sure you’ve understood what was said.

The following extract is the first part of a lecture about intercultural communication, by Paul Kettering.

|[pic] |

|Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Paul Kettering. |

|Tonight you’re going to hear about some of the ways that cultures and, therefore, languages are different from each other. As the |

|first speaker tonight, I’m going to give you a brief introduction to this evening’s topic. |

|Before I do though, I’d like to clarify the link between language and culture. When we talk about culture we mean a lot of different|

|things. We mean more than just the food we eat and the clothes we wear. |

|These are just the obvious things. Culture also means traditions, ways of thinking, ways of looking at the world, values and many |

|other things. These are the less obvious things. |

|Culture is like an iceberg. The obvious things are above the surface like the food we eat and the clothes we wear. We can’t actually|

|see the other things like traditions, ways of thinking, ways of looking at the world, and values. |

|Language, of course, is a very important part of a culture and some people consider that every different language represents a |

|different culture. When we speak our first language—the first language we learn as children at home from our parents—we feel |

|comfortable. We don’t have to think about what to say or how to say something, we just do it. We know how to do it. Now, many of you|

|have studied languages apart from your first language. It’s not the same when we learn another language. It’s not that easy. |

|Of course, there are many stages in learning languages. At the beginning when we first start learning a language we usually learn a |

|few words. Gradually we learn more words, some grammar and how to do things like listening and speaking. |

|Even when we are very proficient in another language, when we can speak and understand it very well, it’s not very common to feel |

|really comfortable with that language. |

|Well, why is it that we feel comfortable with our own language but don’t feel as comfortable with a second language and a third |

|language and so on. The answer to this lies in the rules of communication. |

|There is a lot more to learning a language than just vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Of course, these things are very |

|important, but, each language has it’s own rules, the conventions of communication. |

|We feel okay speaking our first language because we know the rules of communication. We learnt the rules of our first language |

|unconsciously from our parents when we learnt the language itself. Just like the old song: |

|‘It’s not what you do but the way that you do it, |

|It’s not just what you say but the way that you say it.’ |

|Communicating in any language is like playing a game. Every game has rules and if we want to play we have to understand the rules. |

|If we don’t know the rules of the game we can’t play very well. Here’s one example. |

|In English it’s very important to look at the person you’re talking to—to make eye contact with that person. Otherwise, you might be|

|considered rude. |

|That’s what we do. It’s the convention if we want to show the person speaking that we are listening and are interested in what they |

|are saying. In some cultures, it’s just the opposite. People would think that you’re rude if you look the person in the eye. Many |

|people whose first language isn’t English often have trouble communicating because they don’t know the script. They don’t know the |

|conventions we use in English. |

|You might ask, ‘why do we need these rules?’ The rules are very important. They are about being understood not misunderstood, about |

|communicating not mis-communicating, and about not offending the people we’re communicating with. |

Questions

Answer these questions based on the extract. Choose the correct answer by ticking the box next to the statement you agree with.

1 Culture is defined as:

❑ Just the food we eat and the clothes we wear.

❑ A combination of the obvious things like food and clothes, and the less obvious things like how we look at the world.

❑ Something that does not include language.

2 We mostly learn our first language:

❑ From TV.

❑ At school from our teachers.

❑ At home with our parents.

3 When we speak our first language:

❑ We feel uncomfortable.

❑ We do not have to think about what to say.

❑ We do not need to learn any rules about communicating in that language.

4 We feel OK speaking our first language because:

❑ We know the rules of communicating in that language.

❑ Our parents taught us.

❑ We studied hard.

5 When we learn a second language:

❑ It is not common to feel really comfortable with speaking it.

❑ We often feel very comfortable speaking it.

❑ It is easier to learn the rules of communicating in a second language.

6 When communicating in English:

❑ If we do not make eye contact we show we are interested in what someone is saying.

❑ It is rude not to make eye contact.

❑ It is rude to make eye contact.

7 Many people whose first language is not English:

❑ Often have trouble communicating because they know the conventions so well.

❑ Often have trouble communicating because they do not know the conventions as well as a native speaker.

❑ Are understood well because they know the right words.

8 Aboriginal students speak English so do not have the same problems as children from a non-English speaking background.

 True

 False

Please comment- ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic 2: Areas of misunderstanding

Now we are going to look at nine common areas of misunderstanding across cultures:

• Polite forms of language

• Idioms

• Questions

• Compliments

• Dress

• Social customs

• Responding to good and bad news

• Space

• Time.

Polite forms of language

In English when we ask people to do something, we don’t usually use the direct imperative form (an order). For example:

Close the window!

If we ask someone to close a window, we might say:

Would you mind closing the window?

Could you please close the window?

Can we close the window?

Do you mind if I close the window?

Close the window please.

We usually soften the language or use idioms. This makes the request more indirect. How would you ask someone to close a window in your language? Do you use a more direct form of language?

Sometimes people with limited English language skills may translate a request or an expression literally from their native language. This might appear as a direct or imperative form.

|[pic] |Activity 2: Giving instructions politely |

Lily and Freda work together in an office. Although they are friends, Freda thinks Lily is sometimes quite rude, especially when she gives her instructions.

Here are two examples of instructions. For each one, tick the version that you think is the most polite way to give the instruction.

Instruction 1:

❑ Give me Mrs Jacob’s file.

❑ Could you please give me Mrs Jacob’s file?

Instruction 2:

❑ Take this package up to Grace on level 4.

❑ Can you take this package up to Grace on level 4? Thanks.

Check your answer at the end of the unit.

Idioms

Slang and colloquial language is very hard to learn and may cause misunderstandings across cultures.

|Colloquial language is everyday language that people speak at home or with their |

|friends. It is informal and often includes slang. |

|[pic] |Activity 3: Australian slang |

Check your understanding of some common Australian slang or colloquial language.

Complete the table by writing in the meaning of each of the colloquial expressions. Choose the meanings from one of these possible answers:

I agree Please wait Don’t worry Correct

Goodbye Made a mistake Lazy person Well done

|Slang |Meaning |

|Good on you mate | |

|Hang on | |

|Stuffed up | |

|Hooroo | |

|Righteo | |

Can you think of some expressions that are used by the Aboriginal community that may not be widely understood by other Australians.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Questions

People ask different sorts of questions in different cultures. What may seem polite in one culture may be impolite in another culture. Some Australians may think it’s impolite to discuss money, age, religion, politics, their weight etc.

Sometimes new immigrants may ask questions about things that local people take for granted. This might cause discomfort and may lead to misunderstanding.

|[pic] |Activity 4: Asking questions |

Part A

Think about the following two questions and write down your answers here.

1 Are there any topics in your culture that are impolite to discuss with people you don’t know very well?

2 What are some good topics to talk about when meeting someone for the first time?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions, but you could share your responses with a friend or peer student you may be in contact with.

Part B

Erica has been working at a clothing factory for about a week. Which of the following questions would be appropriate for her to ask if she was talking to her supervisor? Tick the box next to the appropriate questions.

❑ How long have you been working here?

❑ Do you enjoy your job?

❑ What do you earn?

❑ Do you have any children?

Check your answer to Part B at the end of the unit.

Remember that when asking questions, if you don’t understand something then ask the person to repeat the information or to explain it again. It’s okay to say that you don’t understand.

Compliments

We give and receive compliments differently in different cultures. In some cultures a student would deny a teacher’s compliment by looking down to show modesty. The teacher however, expects the student to be pleased and show this by smiling and saying ‘thank you’.

|[pic] |Activity 5: A compliment gone wrong |

Maria teaches computer studies at TAFE. She compliments one of her students for doing well in his assignment. The student looks embarrassed, however. He looks down and says ‘Oh no. I did it very badly.’

Why do you think the student reacted like this? What do you think the teacher would think?

Check your answer at the end of the unit.

Dress

People have different expectations of what is appropriate (right) dress in various situations, based on their cultural experience. In some cultures, public servants (people who work in government offices) dress formally (suit and tie), whereas in Australia they might dress more informally (in jeans, for example) which can seem in some cultures as a lack of pride and taste.

|[pic] |Activity 6: What is appropriate dress? |

What is appropriate dress for men and women in each of the following situations — in Australia, and (if you are a migrant to Australia) in your country? Fill in the following table.

|Situation |Appropriate dress in Australia? |Appropriate dress in your birth |

| | |country? |

|Working in an office | | |

|Working in a factory | | |

|At the football | | |

|At the beach | | |

|Visiting a bank or government department | | |

|Teaching at a school, TAFE or university | | |

|Attending a barbecue | | |

|Around the house | | |

|Visiting a friend’s house | | |

|Attending a job interview | | |

|Attending a wedding | | |

|Attending church or other place of worship | | |

Compare your responses with those of a fellow student you may be in contact with, or a friend.

Social customs

|[pic] |Social customs (the way people behave in social situations) may seem unusual in|

| |a new country. In Australia, if someone invites you to a party and asks you to |

| |bring a plate, this means bring some food to share. |

If an invitation says BYO, this usually means Bring Your Own Alcohol — beer or wine. If you are at a pub (hotel) with friends and someone says, ‘It’s your shout’, this means it’s your turn to buy the drinks for everyone.

Responding to good and bad news

Misunderstandings sometimes happen when people respond to good or bad news by using inappropriate responses or body language.

|[pic] |Activity 7: Responding to bad news |

Anne’s father has just died. When she returns to work, one of her workmates, on hearing the news, shakes her hand. Why might this cause misunderstanding?

Check your answer at the end of the unit.

Space

|[pic] |Personal space is the distance that feels comfortable between people |

| |when they meet and talk. The distance varies depending on the |

| |relationship between people, how well they know each other. It also |

| |varies from culture to culture. |

|[pic] |Activity 8: Personal space |

Jung is quite concerned that whenever he talks to his colleagues at work they tend to take one or two steps back. Why might they do this?

Check your answer at the end of this unit.

Time

How people think about and use time usually depends on how their culture values time. These differences may cause some misunderstanding. In the following table are some sayings that show different cultural attitudes to time.

|American/Australian |Chinese/Middle Eastern |French/European |Aboriginal/ |

| | | |TSI |

|He who hesitates is lost |Think three times before you |Patience is the virtue of | |

| |act |asses (donkeys) | |

|Time is money | | | |

|Saving time |Better late than sorry | | |

|Killing time | | | |

|Losing time | | | |

|Wasting time | | | |

|[pic] |Activity 9: How do you value time? |

Thinking about time

There are two main ways that people think about time:

1 Monochronic: People who think about time in a monochronic way work out an order for doing things, deal with one thing at a time, make a sort of mental list and think that it’s important to be punctual (on time).

2 Polychronic: People from some cultures think about time in a polychronic way. They do many things at once, change their plans often and think that people are more important than punctuality.

Remember though that while most people in a culture might be monochronic, individuals can be different.

|[pic] |Activity 10: Attitudes to time |

Do you think people of your culture have mainly a monochronic or a polychronic attitude to time?

Do you think Australians have mainly a monochronic or polychromic attitude to time?

What about you, do you have mainly a monochronic or polychronic attitude?

|[pic] |Activity 11: Making time |

|[pic] |Giorgio received an invitation from Anna for a dinner party. The invitation said 7.30pm and |[pic] |

| |Giorgio arrived at 8.30pm. He was surprised when Anna was angry with him and accused him of | |

| |ruining her dinner. Giorgio couldn’t understand her problem. Both of them got upset. Their | |

| |breakdown in communication started because of their different cultural attitudes to time. | |

What do you think Anna’s and Giorgio’s attitudes to time are? Are they monochronic or polychronic? Circle the appropriate answer for both of these people.

1 Anna, with a Swiss background, might have an attitude to time that is more:

monochronic or polychronic?

2 Giorgio, with an Italian background, might have an attitude to time that is more:

monochronic or polychronic?

Check your answers at the end of the unit.

|[pic] |Activity 12: Identifying some Australian cultural conventions |

For this activity you need to read the extract on the next page. It is the second part of the lecture about intercultural communication, by Paul Kettering. He discusses some cultural conventions in Australian society.

The table below lists the different conventions or rules discussed in the extract, but they are listed here in the wrong order. Your task is to number each of the conventions to show the correct order in which they are presented in the extract. This will help you to check you have understood what you have read.

For example, the convention discussed first (What topic it’s OK to talk about) is numbered ‘1’.

|Ideas (out of order) that are presented in the extract |Place a number to show the order in which|

| |they are presented |

|How much space should be between people speaking | |

|How we address each other | |

|How we use non-verbal behaviour | |

|What topic it’s OK to talk about |1 |

|How we express politeness | |

Check your answer at the end of the unit.

The following extract is the second part of a lecture about intercultural communication, by Paul Kettering.

|[pic] |

|As I said before, every language has a set of conventions or rules. By complying with the conventions of the language when we are|

|speaking we are much more likely to meet the expectations of someone whose mother tongue is that language and thus communicate |

|successfully. Here are some other examples. |

|What we can talk about. What I mean by that is, that some topics that are okay in conversation while others are not. For example,|

|in English, people say it’s best to avoid talking about money. Think about this. |

|How do you feel if someone asks you how much money you earn, or how much rent you pay, or what your house costs? It’s hard for |

|some people from other cultures to understand that it’s not okay to ask someone about these things. In some cultures it’s quite |

|acceptable. |

|The second convention I want to mention is how we express politeness. Sometimes when we communicate in English with someone from |

|another culture we get the impression that they are very rude. |

|Often it’s because politeness in their culture is expressed in different ways from the English way. In English we say ‘please’ |

|when we are asking for something in a polite way, but in some languages, it’s not necessary. If people don’t say ‘please’ enough |

|they are sometimes thought of as abrupt or rude. At the same time, some people would say that many speakers of English are overly|

|polite. That we say too many ‘please’s. |

|Another convention is the way we address each other. What we call each other. People from other cultures are often surprised at |

|what Australians call each other. For example, it’s not uncommon for people to call their bosses or supervisors by their first |

|names. In other cultures, this would be unheard of. In those cultures, calling a superior Mr, Mrs or Ms X is seen as a sign of |

|respect and doing otherwise would be seen as disrespectful and impolite. |

|Another convention is the way we use our faces and bodies to communicate. We call communication without using words, ‘Non-Verbal |

|Communication’. Just think, for a moment, about different ways people have of greeting each other. Maybe you thought of shaking |

|hands, or bowing, or kissing once or twice or three times, putting the hands together in a prayer position, or even rubbing noses|

|together. These are really obvious examples of the different ways that people from different cultures communicate greetings to |

|each other. |

|Other forms of non-verbal communication are things like smiling and other facial expressions, as well as gestures such as waving,|

|hugging, pushing someone in an angry way and so on. Some people say that in English, more than 50% of communication is |

|non-verbal. That leaves less than 50% of communication that is expressed in spoken language. |

|There are many other forms of non-verbal communication including things like our ideas about space and our expectations of how |

|much space there should be between people speaking to each other and many more. |

|I’d like to conclude by saying that, if we are communicating with people from different cultures and our message is not getting |

|through, that is, our communication is not successful, we are mis-communicating. There are three skills, I think, that can help |

|us. They are all connected to our understanding that different languages have different rules of communication. |

|Firstly, we need to recognise when mis-communications are due to cultural differences and be aware that different rules of |

|communication are operating. Secondly, we need to make sure we reduce miscommunications by our constant awareness of the |

|differences. And, thirdly, we need to be able to clear up any miscommunications that occur as soon as possible. |

|[pic] |Activity 13: Recognising mis-communication |

The text below is the last two paragraphs of the above extract from Kettering’s lecture. There are 12 words missing. Complete the following extract using the words given below.

communicating recognise message

clear up cultures cultural

different rules mis-communicating

connected mis-communications reduce

|I’d like to conclude by saying that, if we are _________________ with people from different _________________ and our |

|_________________ is not getting through, that is, our communication is not successful, we are _________________. There are three |

|skills, I think, that can help us. They are all _________________ to our understanding that _________________ languages have |

|different _________________ of communication. |

|Firstly, we need to _________________ when miscommunications are due to _________________ differences and be aware that different |

|rules of communication are operating. Secondly, we need to make sure we _________________ _________________ by our constant |

|awareness of the differences. And, thirdly, we need to be able to _________________ any miscommunications that occur as soon as |

|possible. |

Check your answers at the end of this unit.

Topic 3: Cultural behaviours

All the things we have been talking about so far — attitudes to time, social customs, forms of politeness, etc — are cultural behaviours. The table below shows some cultural behaviours of other cultures, the reasons for the behaviours and how Australians can misunderstand them.

|[pic] |Activity 14: Typical Aussie behaviour |

Look at the table on the next page, and across each row:

• The first column gives you an example of a generally typical Australian behaviour.

• The second column gives you a reason for the behaviour. For this task you need to fill in the blanks so that the sentence is complete (and makes sense). Use the words from the list of ‘Possible answers’ given below.

• The third column Indicates how the behaviour may be misunderstood by other cultures.

You need to fill in the missing word for each sentence in the second column of the table — to complete the reason for the behaviour. Choose the missing words from these possible answers:

body know show

fun normal affection

friendly casual equality

Strong right

|When Australians behave like this … |Cultural reasons for the behaviour |Some people from other cultures might think|

| | |this behaviour is … |

|shrug their shoulders |It’s body language which means ‘I don’t |saying ‘I don’t care’ |

| |__________’. | |

|put their hands in their pockets |This shows informality; it is confident and|indifferent or disrespectful |

| |relaxed __________ language. | |

|write in red ink |Red is the __________ colour for correcting|writing about dead people |

| |writing. | |

|point their finger at something |Use fewer words to give directions or to |rude or insulting |

| |__________ who you are referring to. | |

|raise their voice to make a point |Expressions of __________ feelings are |disrespectful |

| |valued. | |

|touch another person’s head, especially a |This shows __________. |rude |

|child’s | | |

|put hats on the floor |This shows they are informal and |rude |

| |__________. | |

|put feet on a chair |They are sitting in a relaxed and |rude because the lowest part of the body |

| |__________ way. |should not be put on a chair or used to |

| | |point to anyone |

|make physical contact |They are often just being __________ toward|threatening |

| |each other. | |

|wink |They are being friendly and __________. |a suggestive approach. |

|a teacher sitting on a desk |Shows feelings of __________ with students,|laziness |

| |and being relaxed. | |

|take education for granted |Education is a __________; everyone is |not appreciating the privilege |

| |entitled to it. | |

Topic 4: Stereotyping and prejudice

|[pic] |Cultural behaviours may lead to stereotyping and prejudice which can|

|A stereotype Aussie male |lead to further breakdowns in communication. |

| |Think back to Anna and Giorgio’s different attitudes to time |

| |(Activity 11). We made assumptions about Anna’s attitude because |

| |she’s Swiss and about Giorgio’s attitude because he’s Italian. What |

| |assumptions do you have about the following people? |

|[pic] |Activity 15: Stereotyping |

Try to complete the following sentences. What assumptions do you have about people, in general, who come from these cultures?

Australians are:

The French are:

Italians are:

Arabs are:

Chinese are:

Jews are:

There are no right or wrong answers to this activity, but you could compare your responses with those of a friend or fellow student. See if you have made up the same stereotypes for each culture.

When people generalise or believe something about a group of people and expect that all people of that group will behave that way, they are stereotyping. This often leads to judging people before you know them, which is prejudice. Some people make racist comments, tell racist jokes, write racist graffiti and call people names. These are examples of prejudice. Often prejudice results in blaming other people for your own difficulties, eg blaming migrants for unemployment.

If you then treat someone unfairly because of the group they belong to, you are discriminating against them. In Australia, this kind of discrimination is inappropriate and illegal.

|[pic] |Activity 16: Have you experienced prejudice? |

Have you ever experienced prejudice? What form did it take (eg name calling, labelling, body language)?

What did you do and how did you feel?

Discuss your experiences with a fellow student you may be in contact with.

Topic 5: Communicating with government organisations

So far we have been talking about cultural misunderstandings that can occur between individuals. Often misunderstandings also occur when people from other cultures have to deal with government organisations like local councils, the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA), the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. In this situation the person is the customer and the government organisation is the service provider.

However, often there can be a communication breakdown and the person is left feeling powerless. Some causes of miscommunication are individual problems (eg poor English skills or impatience) and others are institutional problems (eg not enough staff, poor training, no clear instructions or no interpreters available).

Summary

Well done.

In this unit we have considered the following questions:

• Why do cultural misunderstandings happen?

• What are nine common areas of misunderstanding across cultures?

• What are some common cross-cultural behaviours that may be misunderstood?

• What are stereotyping and prejudice?

• Why do migrants have difficulties communicating with government organisations?

If you’re not sure that you now have an understanding of any of these points, go back and read the relevant section or do the activities again.

Check your answers

Activity 1: What is culture?

1 Culture is defined as: A combination of the obvious things like food and clothes, and the less obvious things like how we look at he world.

2 We mostly learn our first language: at home with our parents.

3 When we speak our first language: we do not have to think about what to say.

4 We feel OK speaking our first language because: we know the rules of communicating in that language.

5 When we learn a second language: it is not common to feel really comfortable with speaking it.

6 When communicating in English: it is rude not to make eye contact.

7 Many people whose first language is not English: often have trouble communicating because they do not know the conventions as well as a native speaker.

Activity 2: Giving instructions politely

1 The polite form of instruction 1 is: Could you please give me Mrs Jacob’s file?

2 The polite form of instruction 2 is: Can you take this package up to Grace on level 4? Thanks.

Activity 3: Australian slang

|Slang |Meaning |

|Good on you mate |Well done |

|Hang on |Please wait |

|Stuffed up |Made a mistake |

|Hooroo |Good bye |

|Righteo |I agree |

Activity 4: Asking questions

Part B:

All the questions are appropriate except for question 3 — it is not polite to ask someone what they earn if you don’t know them very well.

Activity 5: A compliment gone wrong

The student probably reacted to Maria’s compliment in an embarrassed way because in his culture it is not appropriate to show pride when complimented, but to show modesty.

Maria probably couldn’t understand why the student would say they’d done badly when they had obviously done well.

Activity 7: Responding to bad news

The workmate is probably from a different culture to Anne. In the workmate’s culture, it could be accepted practice to shake someone’s hand to show empathy and sorrow for someone.

Activity 8: Personal space

Jung’s colleagues would probably move back a few steps because he was getting too close to them. They would feel that he was invading their personal space and wouldn’t feel comfortable.

Activity 11: Making time

1 Anna, with a Swiss background, might have an attitude to time that is more monochronic.

2 Giorgio, with an Italian background, might have an attitude to time that is more polychronic.

Activity 12: Identifying some Australian cultural conventions

|Ideas (out of order) that are presented in the extract |Place a number to show the order in which|

| |they are presented |

|How much space should be between people speaking |5 |

|How we address each other |3 |

|How we use non-verbal behaviour |4 |

|What topic it’s OK to talk about |1 |

|How we express politeness |2 |

Activity 13: Recognising mis-communication

I’d like to conclude by saying that, if we are communicating with people from different cultures and our message is not getting through, that is, our communication is not successful, we are mis-communicating. There are three skills, I think, that can help us. They are all connected to our understanding that different languages have different rules of communication.

Firstly, we need to recognise when mis-communications are due to cultural differences and be aware that different rules of communication are operating. Secondly, we need to make sure we reduce

mis-communications by our constant awareness of the differences. And, thirdly, we need to be able to clear up any mis-communications that occur as soon as possible.

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