最新跨文化交际案例InterculturalCommunication—CaseStudies

最新跨文化交际案例InterculturalCommunication—
CaseStudies
Course: Intercultural Communication—Case Studies
Textbook: Self-compiled handouts
Objectives: This curricular module prompts students with the salient issues related to intercultural communication (1CC). Its main focus is on discussions of major problems arising from ICC. During the course the students are exposed to a large variety of cases, taken from up-to-date documents. The goal is not only to build up students' knowledge of ICC, but more importantly to increase their cross-cultural awareness. The course intends to be instructive, practical and enjoyable. At the end of this course, the students will be able to
1. deepen their understanding of major ICC principles;
2. become familiar with differences in Chinese and American cultures;
3. experience conflicts and controversies in ICC;
4. enhance their abilities to analyze ICC phenomena;
5. improve their ICC competence.
Topic Areas:
Values: 1. Friendship 2. Ethics 3. Individualism & self-reliance
4. Privacy
5. Equality
6. Attributes
7. Time & space 8. Competition & cooperation 9. Volunterism & philanthropy
Daily life: 1. Lifestyle 2. Family & marriage 3. Entertainment
4. Holidays & travel
5. Art & architecture
6. Science & technology
Social life: I. Education 2. Religion 3. Political systems & law
4. Minorities
5. Prejudices &stereotyping
6. Building bridges
Assessment:
The students will have one assignment for this course. The assignment should center on one of the particular ICC issues covered in the course. They are supposed to address the topic on the basis of theoretical analysis applying the knowledge, principles, as well as strategies obtained during the course. The assignment should run approximately ten pages long, with an abstract, key words and
a list of references in the APA format. It must be double-spaced, using Times New Roman (12).
Reference:
1. Larry A. Samovar. Communication Between Cultures Foreign Language Teaching and
Research Press, 2000
2. Dou, RQ, Qian DX, Li BX. Selected Readings in Intercultural Communication Xi‘an Jiaotong
University Press, 2004
3. Jia Yuxin. Intercultural Communication Shanghai Foreign languages Education Press, 2003
4. Yao Baorong. Han Qi, Wang Tao. Chinese Society and Culture Shaanxi people‘s Publishing
House, 2002
5. Hu Wenzhong. Aspects of Intercultural Communication Foreign Language Teaching and
Research Press, 2004
6. Mei Renyi. American Studies Reader Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press,
2002
7. Robert M. Crunden. A Brief History of American Culture Paragon House, New York, 1994
8. Bradford ?J‘ Hall. Among Cultures—The Challenge of Communication Wadsworth, 2005
Intercultural Communication
------Case Studies
Unit 1 General Introduction
We are now in a quite different world from before, which is sometimes referred to as ―global village‖. This globalization is mainly due to the amazingly rapid development of science and technology in the areas of transportation and communication systems. Today, trips once taking years, months, weeks, and then days are now measured in a matter of hours. And people in all corners of the world share information and ideas at the same time through sophisticated technology behind such communication means as television, telephone, fax, and the internet.
It naturally follows that intercultural contact has become more frequent, more abundant and, therefore, more significant than ever before. China has become an active member of the world community, and her entry into the WTO is bound to bring us into more contact with the outside world.
Now that we will conduct more and more intercultural communication, the problem we are
facing is how to do it, and how to do it well. A good knowledge of a foreign language, mainly English---- the most widely used language in the world today, is of course
indispensable. But language alone does not ensure successful communication, especially intercultural communication. Let‘s look at some of the communication cases between people from Chinese and English cultures:
Case 1: One cold winter day in a Chinese city, Mr. Wang Lin, on his way to the library, met an American professor who knew very little about China. After greeting him, Mr. Wang said: ―It‘s rather cold. You‘d better put on more clothes.‖But the professor didn‘t appear happy hearing this. Why?(Chinese people like to show concerns, but American people like indepedence and privacy)
Case 2: You are the only Chinese among some Americans. One of them is telling a joke.
You feel good because you understand every word. All of a sudden, everyone is laughing. Everyone except you. Why?
Case 3: There has been a very famous brand of battery in China: White Elephant. Suppose this product is to be exported to the UK or the USA. It‘s very likely to fail without changing its brand name. Why?
In each of the above situations there is something ―wrong‖. But this ―something‖ has nothing to do with the langua ge, which is perfect. The problem lies within the culture in which the language is used. In the first case, for instance, Americans (and many Westerners too) don‘t like to be told what to do as they tend to be independent; while Chinese are in the habit of showing and accepting concerns. The second case tells us that sometimes connotations (implied meanings) of words are key to understanding. In the third case a white elephant, arousing beautiful association in the minds of Chinese, stands for something big but useless in the English culture. From these
simple cases, it‘s not difficult to see what an important role culture plays in communication and why language alone doesn‘t guarantee successful intercultural communication.
What we are going to explore in this course are such aspects as mentioned above, since they tend to affect intercultural communication. The aim of the course is to help you develop cultural awareness, and improve your intercultural communication competence through case studies. We know that it‘s impossible to expound all the details of a culture, as culture covers almost every aspect of a person‘s life. But armed with this awareness, you can design your own strategies for dealing with problems arising in intercultural communication situations.
During the learning process you will see that all people exhibit culturally conditioned behaviors, approach the diversity of cultures, learn to appreciate similarities and respect differences between cultures, become aware of potential problems in intercultural communication and develop an ability to cope with them. Besides, you are going to have a better understanding of your own native culture—the Chinese culture, of which you may not be always aware just because you are in it.
The above aim is to be achieved through a thought-provoking, task-based interactive learning approach. That is to say, in the process you are not just a listener or reader but also a participant in many activities, for instance, discussions about different cases. You are expected to discover a lot about culture for yourself.
Unit 2 Communication and Intercultural Communication
Communication is symbolic in which people create shared meanings. Symbols are central to
the communication process because they represent the
shared meanings that are communicated.
Intercultural communication occurs when large and important cultural differences create
dissimilar interpretations and expectations about how to communicate competently from two different cultures.
(Lusting, M.W. and Koester, J. Intercultural Competence. New York: Addison Wesley
Longman, 1999)
Reading 1 Communication
It doesn‘t matter if this is your first communication course or not. You‘ve probably heard many different definitions of the word ―communication‖. In this chapter you will learn how that communication itself is a cultural element by studying different models of communication. You‘ll learn about the different ways communication and culture are studied and about the skills required to become more effective in intercultural communication.
Because communication is an element of culture, it has often been said that communication and culture are inseparable. As Afred G. Smith (1966: Communication and Culture: Readings in the Codes of Human Interaction.New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston) wrote in his preface to Communication and Culture, culture is a code we learn and share, and learning and sharing require communication. Communication requires coding and symbols that must be learned and shared. Godwin C. Chu (1977: Radical Cha nge through Communication in Mao’s China. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii) observed that every cultural pattern and every single act of social behavior involves communication. T o be understood, the two must be studied together. Culture cannot be known with a stud of communication,
and communication can only be understood with an understanding of the culture it supports.
Components of Communication
You are better able to understand communication when you understand the components of the process. Ten components of communication are source, encoding, message, channel, noise, receiver, decoding, receiver response, feedback, and context.
Source. The source is the person with an idea he or she desires to communicate. Examples are CBS, the White House, your instructor, and your mother.
Encoding. In the television and movie version of ―Star Trek‖, you saw Mr. Spock touching alien beings for what was called ―mind meld‖. You assume Mr. Spock was able to access directly the thoughts of the alien creature. Unfortunately, we humans are not able to do that. Your communication is in the form of symbols representing the ideas you desire to communicate. Encoding is the process of putting ideas into symbols
The symbols into which you encode your thoughts vary. You can encode thoughts into words
and you can also encode thoughts into non-spoken symbols. The oils and colors in a painting as well as your gestures and other forms of nonverbal communication can be symbols.
Traditionally, a clear distinction is made between symbols and the objects or thoughts they
represent. The symbol is not the thing, yet we often act as if it were. When you bite into a lemon, the juice causes your mouth to water as salivary glands under your tongue secrete digestive enzymes. But if you visualize a lemon and say the symbol ―lemon‖ to yourself several times your mouth waters as
the same salivary enzymes are produced not by the thing but by its symbols! The symbols ―glove‖and ―above‖probably don‘t cause reactions, but someone special saying ―I love you‖ can trigger several reactions in your body.
Message. The term message identifies the encoded thought. Encoding is the process, the verb; the message is the resulting object.
Channel. The term channel is used technically to refer to the means by which the encoded message is transmitted. Today, you might feel more comfortable using the word ―media‖. The channel of medium, then, may be print, electronic, or the light and sound waves of face-to-face communication
Noise. The term noise technically refers to anything that distorts the message the source encodes. Noise can be of many forms: External noise can be the sights, sounds, and other stimuli that draw your attention away from the message. Having a radio on while reading is external noise. Internal noise refers to your thoughts and feelings that can interfere with the message. Being tired or being hungry can be distractions from complete attention to the message. Finally, the phrase ―semantic noise‖ refers to how alternative meanings of the source‘s message symbols can be distracting. For example, a speaker‘s use of uncalled-for profanity can cause us to wonder why the speaker used profanity and draw attention away from message itself.
Receiver. The receiver is the person who attends to the message. Receivers may be intentional; that is, they may be the people the source desired to communicate with, or they may be any person who comes upon and attends to the message.
Decoding. Decoding is the opposite process of encoding and just as much an active process. The receiver is actively involved
in the communication process by assigning meaning to the symbols received.
Receiver response. Receiver response refers to anything the receiver does after having attended
to and decoded the message. The response can range from doing nothing to taking some action or actions that may or may not be the action desired by the source.
Feedback. Feedback refers to that portion of the receiver response of which the source has knowledge and to which the source attends and assigns meaning. A reader of this text may have many responses, but when the reader responds to a survey or writes a letter to the author does feedback occur. When a radio talk show host receives enthusiastic telephone calls and invites a guest back, feedback has occurred.
Feedback makes communication a two-way or interactive process. Linear and interactive models seem to suggest that communication is an isolated single discrete act independent of events that preceded or might follow it.
Context. The final component of communication is context. Generally, context can be defined as
the environment in which the communication process takes place and which helps to define the communication. If you know the physical context, you can predict with a high degree of accuracy much of the communication. For example, you have certain knowledge and expectations of the communication that occurs within churches, temples, and synagogues. At times, you intentionally want to place your romantic communications in a quiet, dimly light restaurant or on a secluded beach. The choice of the environment, the context, helps assign the desired meaning to the communicated worlds.
In social relationships as well, the relationship between the source and receiver may help define much of the meaning of the communication. Again, if you know the context you can predict with
a high degree of accuracy much of communication. For example, knowing that a person is being stopped by a police officer for speeding is enough to predict much of the communication. Certain things are likely to be said and done; other things are very unlikely.
Culture is also context. Every culture has its own worldview, its own way of thinking of creativity, time, and human nature, its own way of perceiving self, and its own system of social organization. Knowing each of these helps you assign meaning to the symbols.
The component of context helps you recognize that the extent to which the source and receiver have similar meanings for the communicated symbols and similar understandings of the culture
in which the communication takes place is critical to the success of the communication.
Reading 2 Intercultural Communication
The link between culture and communication is crucial to understanding intercultural communication because it is through the influence of culture that people learn to communicate. A Korean, an Egyptian, or an American learns to communicate like other Koreans, Egyptians, or Americans. Their behavior conveys meaning because it is learned and shared; it is cultural. People view their world through categories, concepts, and labels that are products of their culture.
Cultural similarity in perception makes the sharing of
meaning possible. The ways in which we communicate, the circumstances of our communication, the language and language style we use, and our nonverbal behavior are primarily all a response to and a function of our culture. And, as cultures differ from one another, the communication practices and behaviors of individuals reared
in those cultures will also be different.
Our contention is that intercultural communication can best be understood as cultural diversity in
the perception of social objects and events. A central tenet of this position is that minor communication problems are often exaggerated by perceptual diversity. To understand others‘words and actions, we must try to understand their perceptual frames of reference: we must learn
to understand how they perceive the world. In the ideal intercultural encounter, we would hope for many overlapping experiences and a commonality of perceptions. Cultural diversity, however, tends to introduce us to dissimilar experiences and, hence, to varied and frequently strange and unfamiliar perceptions of the external world.
In all respects, everything so far said about communication and culture applies to intercultural communication. The functions and relationships between the components of communication obviously apply, but what especially characterizes intercultural communication is that sources and responders come from different cultures. This alone is sufficient to identify a unique form of communicative interaction that must take into account the role and function of culture in the communication process.
Intercultural communication occurs whenever a message that must be understood is produced by a member of one culture
for consumption by a member of another culture. This circumstance can be problematic because, as we have already seen, culture forges and shapes the individual communicator. Culture is largely responsible for the construction of our individual social realities
and for our individual repertories for communicative behaviors and meanings. The communication repertories people possess can vary significantly from culture to culture, which can lead to all sorts
of difficulties. Through the study and understanding of intercultural communication, however, these difficulties at least can be reduced and at best nearly eliminated.
Cultural influence on individuals and the problems inherent in the production and interpretation of messages between cultures are illustrated in Figure 2. Here, three cultures are represented by three distinct geometric shapes Cultures A and B are purposefully similar to one another and are represented by a square and an irregular octagon that resembles a square. Culture C is intended to be quite different from Cultures A and B. It is represented both by its circular shape and its physical distance from Cultures A and B. Within each represented culture is another form similar
to the shape of the influencing parent culture. This form represents a person who has been molded by his or her culture. The shape representing the person, however, is somewhat different from that
of the parent culture. The difference suggests two things: first, there are other influences besides culture that affect and help mold the individual; and, second, although culture is the dominant shaping forces on an individual, people vary to some
extent from each other within any culture.
Message production, transmission, and interpretation across cultures are illustrated by the series of arrows connecting them. When a message leaves the culture in which it was encoded, it carries the content intended by its producer. This is represented by the arrows leaving a culture having the same pattern as that within the message producer. When a message reaches the culture where it is to be interpreted, it undergoes a transformation because the culture in which the message is decoded influences the message interpretation and hence its meaning. The content of the original message changes during that interpretation phase of intercultural communication because the cultural different repertories of social reality, communicative behaviors, and meanings possessed
by the interpreter do not coincide with those possessed by the message producer.。