Stumbling-Blocks-in-Intercultural-Communication

SummaryofStumblingBlocksinInterculturalCommunicationTomanypeople’ssurprise,interculturalcontactisfrustratingandfilledwithmisunderstandingevenwithgoodintentions,friendlyapproachandmutualbenefits.Sometimes,differentgroupleadstorejection.Withmajorchangestakingplace,weshouldlookforthereasonofwhatisthestumblingblocksininterculturalcommunication.Whatcomesfirstistheassumptionofsimilarities.Therearesomanysimilarities,suchasreproducing,makingupfamilies,developingalanguageandadaptingtoenvironment,thatwesimplybelieveinteractioniseasy.Disappointedly,throughDarwin’stheory,itisfoundthatculturedifferencedeterminestheemotionexpressing.Weshouldtreateachencounterindividuallyandsearchforcommonpointstoproceed.Lackingofalerttodifferenceandnewrulesinothercitycausesoutcomers’troublefrequentlyevenwhenplayingsimpleroles.Althoughtheassumptionofdifferencesishardtoaccept,onlyinthiswaycanweadjustreactionsandinterpretationstofitcurrentoccasion.Theassumptionofsimilaritycasestroubleforbothforeignersandhostswhichcanbeprovedthroughthemisunderstandingofforeigners’politereactionwithoutknowingthemeaning.Thesecondstumblingblockislanguagedifference.Translationusingvocabulary,syntax,idioms,slang,dialectsandsoonisthefirstkindoftrouble.Whatcomesmoreseriouslyisclingingtojustonemeaningofanewwordorphrasewithoutconsideringconnotationorcontext.ThereareexamplesthatKhrushchev’ssaid“We’llburyyou”andtheresponseofJapanesetotheofferofrefreshmentledtohost’smisunderstanding.Nonverbalmisinterpretationsisthethirdstumblingblock.Outcomerssenseandabstractthingswhichismeaningfulandimportantorsuitableforthemselvesandinterpretitintheirownculture.Forexample,smoothingbackhairmeanslikingagirlforaSaudiArabandacommonnervousgestureforanAmerican.Understandingnonverbalsignsandsymbolsisdifficultforcommunication,butunspokencodesoftheothercultureisevenmorehard.Thefourthstumblingblockisthepresenceofpreconceptionsandstereotypes.Forexample,2.Thispassagemainlyintroducedsixstumblingblocksonthewaytosuccessfulinterculturalcommunication.Assumptionofsimilaritiesisthefirstobstacle,peoplewhonaivelyassumetherearesufficientsimilaritiesamongpeoplesarelikelytomisreadsignsandjudgethesceneethnocentrically.Languagedifferenceandnonverbalmisinterpretationsareothertwoobviousbarrier,Peoplewhouseanewlanguagetendtoclingtojustonemeaningofawordregardlessofconnotationorcontextanditismoredifficultforthemtonotecorrectlytheunspokencodesoftheotherculture.Theforthstumblingblockisthepresenceofpreconceptionandstereotypesbecausetheyinterferewithobjectiveviewing.Immediateevaluationisthefifthreason.Weassumeourowncultureandwayoflifealwaysseemsrightandjudgeothersaccordingtoourpracticeandignorethatweneedtocomprehendcompletelythethoughtsandfeelingsexpressedfromtheworldviewoftheother.Lastly,thehighanxietybetweenbothpartieswillmakethehostfeeluncomfortableandtheforeignersfeelstrangebecausebothofthemarethreatenedbytheother’sunknownknowledge,experienceandevaluation.Intheend,notonlydoweneedtounderstandthedifferencesbetweendifferentculturesandintimatelycontactwiththesealiensvalues,attitudesandfeelingsbutalsokeepourownvalues.3.Itisoftendisappointedandfilledwithmisunderstandingtocontactwithpersonsfromothercultures.Tomanypeople’ssurprise,goodintentionsandthepossibilityofmutualbenefitsdon’tguaranteesuccessofinterculturalcommunication.Asamatteroffact,therearemanystumblingblocksininterculturalcommunication:(1)Assumptionofsimilaritiesisastumblingblocktosuccessfulinterculturalcommunication.Mostofustendtoassumethatthereareadequatesimilaritiestoexchangeinformationeachother.ButevenDarwin’stheory–facialexpressionsareuniversal,isusefulornotdependingonaperson’sculturalupbringing.Withoutbeingawareofpossibledifferencesbetweendiverseculture,peoplewillbeeasilydeceivedandapttogetintotrouble.(2)Languagedifferenceisthesecondstumblingblock.Awordorphrasemayhavevariablemeanings,especiallywhenpeopleaddinflectionandtonalqualities.(3)Nonverbalmisinterpretationsisthethirdstumblingblock.Peoplefromdifferentculturesanddifferentsensoryusetheirownpersonalworldofrecognitiontocomprehendthethingsthattheymeet.Beingshortofcomprehensionofgestures,posturesandotherbodymovementsisahugecommunicationobstacleandeasilyresultsinmisunderstandings.(4)Thefourthstumblingblockisthepresenceofpreconceptionsandstereotypes.Stereotypeshavetheadvantageofreducingthethreatoftheunknownbymakingtheworldpredictable.Butstereotypesalsoblockinterculturalcommunicationbecauseoftheirinterferencewithobjectiveviewingofstimuli.Peoplecanhardlyovercomestereotypesbythemselves.(5)Thepracticeofimmediateevaluationisthefifthstumblingblock.Immediateevaluationmeansthatsomeonealwaysconsiderhimselfasright,properandnaturalwithoutcompletelycomprehension.Whenfeelingsandemotionsinvolved,communicationwillbecutoffdramaticallybyimmediateevaluation.Inthisoccasion,listeningwithunderstandingisurgentlyneeded.(6)Thesixthstumblingblockishighanxiety.Moderateanxietyisgoodforpeoplewhostayinforeigncountry,whilehighanxietywillresultinmanyproblems.Theymayhavedefensestoforeignersbecauseofthefeelingofstrangeandvulnerable.Thesedef