Barriers to intercultural communication

1.3 Barriers to intercultural communication

Then what are the barriers we may come across in intercultural communication and how can we minimize the potential misunderstandings? Here is the answer.

a. Language Differences:

Language differences are an obvious barrier to intercultural communication. Imagine you are traveling in Thailand, you speak only Chinese but your Thai travel guide speaks only her Thai language, how would you be able to communicate verbally. Even if you've studied the Thai language or a Thai-Chinese interpreter is available, dialects, different accents and slang can cause problems. In addition, words don't necessarily translate from one language to another in a clean one-to-one correspondence. In the high-context culture, the meaning of a sentence does not mean the combination of all the words in it. For example, when you say “did you have your lunch?” to an American as a general greeting, he or she may expect this sentence as an invitation.

b. Body Language:

People sometimes take offense because of differences in body language across cultures. For example, a businessperson from Latin America might stand closer to a client than someone from North America would. This may make the North American feel crowded and want to back away. People from southern Europe typically use more eye contact than Britons and Americans, which may make the English-speakers uncomfortable. Because the French typically smile less than Americans, sometimes Americans think they aren't friendly. An Indian smiles at you and shakes his/her heads from left to right may be unfortunately accepted as refusal or negation by other Asians.

c. Level of Context:

Most English-speaking cultures are low-context, meaning they put a message into explicit words. In these cultures, saying "no" when you mean "no" is just considered straightforward or honest. But people from high-context cultures, such as Japan, expect the listener to pick up more meaning from the general situation. For example, when Japanese say "maybe" they actually mean "no", because they often consider an outright refusal blunt rather than honest.

d. Value of Time:

Not all cultures think about time in the North American linear fashion. In the U.S., punctuality is important, but Latin and Middle Eastern cultures put a higher value on relationships. For example, you'd finish your conversation with someone even if it makes you late to a meeting. A culture's view of time also influences how it sees deadlines. For example, North Americans consider making a deadline crucial -- whether on the job or in college. People from Asia or South America are more likely to view deadlines as less important than results over the long haul.

e. Negative Stereotypes and Prejudices: 

Stereotypes and prejudices about people from other cultures can cause communication problems and give offense. Ethnocentrism, or a belief that your own culture is better than that of others, can lead to acting superior toward other groups and not treating them well. For example, a teacher in an American college may think that students from a certain culture lack strong English skills or are incapable of good work. This prejudice can lead the teacher to treat the students unfairly.

f. Feelings and Emotions: 

Individuals from the United Kingdom and Japan typically keep a tight control of their emotions, while Italians and French are more comfortable showing their feelings. Loud talking might embarrass an Englishman, for example, but an Italian may just be expressing excitement. Differences in culture and communication styles can even cause fear. As a result of this anxiety, people from different cultures may pull back and avoid trying to communicate at all.

Now you know we need much cultural information when communicating with people from other cultures, in the following chapters you are going to know some values, nonverbal behaviors, verbal behaviors and the ways to overcome these barriers. 

Practice