最新跨文化交际案例InterculturalCommunication—CaseStudies

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最新跨文化交际案例InterculturalCommunication—CaseStudies

最新跨文化交际案例InterculturalCommunication—CaseStudies

最新跨文化交际案例InterculturalCommunication—CaseStudiesCourse: Intercultural Communication—Case StudiesTextbook: Self-compiled handoutsObjectives: 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 to1. 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-reliance4. Privacy5. Equality6. Attributes7. Time & space 8. Competition & cooperation 9. Volunterism & philanthropyDaily life: 1. Lifestyle 2. Family & marriage 3. Entertainment4. Holidays & travel5. Art & architecture6. Science & technologySocial life: I. Education 2. Religion 3. Political systems & law4. Minorities5. Prejudices &stereotyping6. Building bridgesAssessment: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 anda 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 andResearch Press, 20002. Dou, RQ, Qian DX, Li BX. Selected Readings in Intercultural Communication Xi‘an JiaotongUniversity Press, 20043. Jia Yuxin. Intercultural Communication Shanghai Foreign languages Education Press, 20034. Yao Baorong. Han Qi, Wang Tao. Chinese Society and Culture Shaanxi people‘s PublishingHouse, 20025. Hu Wenzhong. Aspects of Intercultural Communication Foreign Language Teaching andResearch Press, 20046. Mei Renyi. American Studies Reader Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press,20027. Robert M. Crunden. A Brief History of American Culture Paragon House, New York, 19948. Bradford ?J‘ Hall. Among Cultures—The Challenge of Communication Wadsworth, 2005Intercultural Communication------Case StudiesUnit 1 General IntroductionWe 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 arefacing 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 courseindispensable. 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 thesesimple 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 CommunicationCommunication is symbolic in which people create shared meanings. Symbols are central tothe communication process because they represent theshared meanings that are communicated.Intercultural communication occurs when large and important cultural differences createdissimilar interpretations and expectations about how to communicate competently from two different cultures.(Lusting, M.W. and Koester, J. Intercultural Competence. New York: Addison WesleyLongman, 1999)Reading 1 CommunicationIt 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 CommunicationYou 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 symbolsThe symbols into which you encode your thoughts vary. You can encode thoughts into wordsand 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 theyrepresent. 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 asthe 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 communicationNoise. 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 involvedin the communication process by assigning meaning to the symbols received.Receiver response. Receiver response refers to anything the receiver does after having attendedto 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 asthe 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 witha 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 culturein which the communication takes place is critical to the success of the communication.Reading 2 Intercultural CommunicationThe 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 ofmeaning 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 rearedin those cultures will also be different.Our contention is that intercultural communication can best be understood as cultural diversity inthe 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 learnto 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 culturefor 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 realitiesand 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 sortsof 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 similarto 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 thatof 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 someextent 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 possessedby the interpreter do not coincide with those possessed by the message producer.。

跨文化交际中的肢体语言_On_Body_Language_in_Intercultural_Communication

跨文化交际中的肢体语言_On_Body_Language_in_Intercultural_Communication

跨文化交际中的肢体语言On Body Language in Intercultural Communication摘要:肢体语言与学外语一样,都是文化的一部分。

除一些世界公认的肢体语言外,不同的文化还有各自的肢体语言。

跨文化交际时,相同的肢体语言形式可能具有完全不同的意义。

本文简单对比中美肢体语言的差别,并介绍了一些国外常用的肢体语言,以此来说明在学习外语的同时,多了解一些国外常用的肢体语言是会有帮助作用的。

关键词:肢体语言;跨文化交际;外语学习Abstract :Body language,like verbal language, is also a part of culture .Different culture shave different body languages except some world known ones. And in intercultural communication, the same body language may mean different things. This paper,on the basis of some examples,emphasizes the significance of body languages in intercultural communication by comparing the body languages in the United States and China, and briefly introducing some body languages often used in foreign countries. The author reaches the conclusion that while learning foreign languages, it is also important as well to know some body languages in foreign countries.Key words: body language; intercultural communication; foreign languages earning肢体语言(body language)也称体态语言,是人类借助和利用自己的面部表情、手势动作、身体姿态的变化来表达和传递思想感情的方式。

跨文化交际案例 Intercultural Communication—Case Studies

跨文化交际案例 Intercultural Communication—Case Studies

Course: Intercultural Communication—Case StudiesTextbook: Self-compiled handoutsObjectives: 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 to1. 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-reliance4. Privacy5. Equality6. Attributes7. Time & space 8. Competition & cooperation 9. Volunterism & philanthropyDaily life: 1. Lifestyle 2. Family & marriage 3. Entertainment4. Holidays & travel5. Art & architecture6. Science & technologySocial life: I. Education 2. Religion 3. Political systems & law4. Minorities5. Prejudices &stereotyping6. Building bridgesAssessment: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, 20002. Dou, RQ, Qian DX, Li BX. Selected Readings in Intercultural Communication Xi’an Jiaotong University Press, 20043. Jia Yuxin. Intercultural Communication Shanghai Foreign languages Education Press, 20034. Yao Baorong. Han Qi, Wang Tao. Chinese Society and Culture Shaanxi people’s PublishingHouse, 20025. Hu Wenzhong. Aspects of Intercultural Communication Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 20046. Mei Renyi. American Studies Reader Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 20027. Robert M. Crunden. A Brief History of American Culture Paragon House, New York, 19948. Bradford ‘J’ Hall. Among Cultures—The Challenge of Communication Wadsworth, 2005Intercultural Communication------Case StudiesUnit 1 General IntroductionWe 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 language, 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 CommunicationCommunication 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 createdissimilar 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 CommunicationIt 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 Change 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. To 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 CommunicationYou 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 symbolsThe 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 theyrepresent. 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 communicationNoise. 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 CommunicationThe 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.The degree of influence culture has on intercultural communication is a function of the dissimilarity between the cultures. This also is indicated in the model by the degree of pattern change that occurs in the message arrows. The change that occurs between Cultures A and B is much less than the change between Cultures A and C and between Cultures B and C. This is because there is greater similarity between Cultures A and B. Hence, the repertories of social realty, communicative behaviors, and meanings are similar and the interpretation effort produces results more nearly like the content intended in the original message. Since Culture C is represented as being quite different from Cultures A and B, the interpreted message is considerably different and more nearly represents the pattern of Culture C.The model suggests that there can be wide variability in cultural differences during intercultural communication, due in part to circumstances or forms. Intercultural communication occurs in a wide variety of situations that range from interactions between people for whom cultural differences are extreme to interactions between people who are members of the same dominant culture and whose differences are reflected in the values and perceptions of co-cultures existing within the dominant culture. If we imagine differences varying along a minimum-maximum dimension, the degree of difference between two cultural groups depends on their relative social uniqueness. Although this scale is refined, it allows us to examine intercultural communication acts and gain insight into the effect cultural differences have on communication.( An Introduction to Intercultural communication by Porter and Samovar, International Thompson Publishing, 1994)Case StudiesCase 1Wayne Calder, a recent Harvard MBA graduate and one of his organization’s most innovative planners, was assigned to the Paris office for a two-year period. Wayne was particularly excited about the transfer because he could now draw on the French he has taken while in school. Knowing that his proficiency in the French language would be an excellent entrée into French society, Wayne was looking forward to getting to know his French colleagues on a personal level. During the first week in Paris an opportunity to socialize presented itself. While waiting for a planning meeting with top executives to begin, Wayne introduced himself to Monsieur LeBec. They shook hands and exchanged some pleasantries, and then Wayne told LeBec how excited his family was to be in France. Wayne then asked LeBec if he had any children. LeBec replied that he had two daughters and a son. But when Wayne asked other questions about LeBec family, his French colleague became quite distant and uncommunicative. Wayne wondered what he had done wrong.Case 2Mr. A was the first individual from his Japanese division sent to the U.S. The company designed his assignment as “developmental”, and he viewed himself as a trainee. Soon after arriving at hisnew office, Mr. A was assigned to an internal trainer, an American who was responsible to Mr. A’s learning according to a set of objectives jointly developed by the Japanese sending division and the American receiving division.Little time passed before Mr. A complained of adjustment difficulties and stress, and reported confusion and dissatisfaction over the content and purpose of his developmental program. It became apparent that, even though there had been direct communication between the sending and receiving divisions regarding this program, there had been almost no mutual understanding. The Japanese sending division had put forward broad objectives such as upgrading Mr. A’s ability to communicate in English and enabling him to improve his abilities as a global manager. These objectives were easy for the American receiving division to accept. But the American side interpreted the objectives quite differently from what the Japanese side had in mind.A closely related problem was that Mr. A’s expectations regarding acceptable training methods were sharply at variance with the expectations of his American trainer.Unit 3 Culture and CommunicationCulture (is) the deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.(Samovar, L.A. and Porter, R.E. Intercultural Communication: A Reader.Belmont, CA: Wadsworth,1997)Reading 1 CultureThe Basic Function of CultureCulture is a complex, abstract, and pervasive matrix of social elements that functions as anall-encompassing form or pattern for living by laying out a predictable world in which an individual is firmly oriented. Culture enables us to make sense of our surroundings, aiding the transition from the womb to this new life.From the instant of birth, a child is formally and informally taught how to behave. Children, regardless of their culture, quickly learn how to behave in a manner that is acceptable to adults. Within each culture, therefore, there is no need to expend energy deciding what an event means or how to respond to it. The assumption is that people who share a common culture can usually be counted on to behave “correctly” and predictably. Hence, culture reduces the chances of surprise by shielding people from the unknown. Try to imagine a single day in your life without access to the guidelines your culture provides. Without the rules that govern your actions, you would soon feel helpless. From how to greet strangers to how to spend our time, culture provides us with structure. To lack culture is to lack structure. We might even go so far as to say that “our primarymode of biological adaptation is culture, not anatomy”.Definition of CultureWe have already indicated that culture is a complex matrix of interaction elements. Culture is ubiquitous, multidimensional, complex, and all pervasive. Because it is too broad, there is not a single definition or central theory of what it is. Definitions of culture run the gamut from “an all-encompassing phenomenon” to descriptions listing nearly all human activity. For our purposes, we define culture as the deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religions, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.The Ingredients of CultureAlthough scholars may lack a definitive ingredient list for culture, most agree that any description should include the three categories submitted by Almaney and Alwan (1982: Communicating with Arabs. Waveland) They contend thatCultures may be classified by three large categories of elements: artifacts (which include items ranging from arrowheads to hydrogen bombs, magic charms to antibiotics, torches to electric lights, and chariots to jet planes); concepts (which include such beliefs or value systems as right or wrong, God and man, ethics, and the general meaning of life); and behaviors (which refer to the actual practice of concepts or beliefs).These authors provide an excellent example of how these three aspects might be reflected within a culture: “Whereas money is considered an artifact, the value placed upon it is a concept, but the actual spending and saving of money is behavior.”Other inventories provide additional listings of the content of culture. Some of these additional ingredients of particular interest to intercultural communication include cultural history, cultural personality, material culture, role relationships, art, language, cultural stability, cultural beliefs, ethnocentrism, non-verbal behavior, spatial relations, time, recognition and reward, and thought patterns.The Characteristics of CultureSix characteristics of culture are of special importance to intercultural communication: (1) culture is learned, (2) culture is transmissible, (3) culture is dynamic, (4) culture is selective, (5) the facets of culture are interrelated, and (6) culture is ethnocentric.Culture Is Not Innate: It Is Learned From infancy on, members of a culture learn their patterns of behavior and ways of thinking until they have become internalized. The power and influences of these behaviors and perceptions can be seen in the ways in which we acquire culture. Our culture learning proceeds through interaction, observation, and imitation. A little boy in North America whose father tells him to shake hands when he is introduced to a friend of the family is learning culture. The Arab baby who is read the Koran when he or she is one day old is learning culture. The Hindu child who lives in a home where the women eat after the men is learning culture. The Jewish child who helps conduct the Passover celebration is learning culture.All of this learning occurs as conscious or unconscious conditioning that leads one toward。

跨文化交际案例和解析(英文)5篇

跨文化交际案例和解析(英文)5篇

跨文化交际案例和解析(英文)5篇第一篇:跨文化交际案例和解析(英文)Case: In July of this year, the American CNN announced that, the preserved egg is the most lousy food.That made the Chinese people very angry, because the preserved egg is good food for most of Chinese people.Then Chinese people made a survey and declared that cheese is the most lousy food.Chinese people can't accept that the preserved egg is regarded as the most lousy food, on the other hand, the cheese is the food which is favoured by most of American people.But Chinese people think that cheese is too irritative.Both side cannot accept the food they selected.At the end of this case, the CNN reporters said sorry to Chinese people, but he said he would not eat the preserved egg.Analyses: This is a typical case reflects that different culture influences different people, and when they have to communicate, they have conflict.As we all know, different food depends on different place,different habits, different climate, and some other factors.For western people, eating is a kind of rational concept, they should get enough nutrition from the food they eat every day.They don't care the taste too much.From Los Angeles to New York, the beefsteak has only one kind of taste.But for perceptual Chinese people, eating is not only a process to get nutrition, but also is a kind of art to get satisfaction.They would make the food not only beautiful, but also very delicious.For Chinese people, maybe they can accept the taste of the cheese, but they can't like it, because they don't like this kind of food in their deep heart.Also, they can't accept that foreign people said the preserved egg is the most lousy food.In their mind, the preserved egg, like other foods they like, has nutrition and beautiful imagetogether.For western people, the cheese, is also this kind of good food for them.So, this case happened in their communications.This conflict showed that, different countries have different culture.We should try to accept these differences, do our favours.By susan第二篇:跨文化交际英文Analysis of Deferent Views on “Filial Piety” Betwee n China and American from Movie GuashaAbstract: “While one’s parents are alive, one should not travel to distant places.” “The gentleman works hard on the basic principles, thereafter comes morality;filial piety is the basic principle of a human being.” T hese are our Chinese traditional filial piety.But are these standards or rules suitable for every nation? The movie Guasha shows us many about the differences of filial piety between China and American.There are many misunderstanding and coincidence in this movie and those are the cause of the circuitous of the characters’ fate.All of these are rooted in the cultural differences between China and American.In this assay, I made the differences of filial piety as the point of entry to analyze the reason why the differences come and their similarity.Key words: Guasha, the culture in china and America, piety, filial piety, object The movie Guasha tells a story that a Chinese couple who lived in American for 8 years took the hero’s father in American after they t hink they had realized their American dream.But a few days later, their son got ill;the old father used Guasha to treat the little boy for he didn’t know how to read English.The bruises were noticed by the child welfare bureau, and all the rough broke out after that.Finally, they had a universal satisfactory ending.The end of the story is to the satisfaction of all, but a variety of cultural conflict is theapparent.What we see is the initial irreconcilable to accept, understand.Many people will think that Chinese and Western have cultural differences, I think so, but I also think that behind these differences, there are many similarities.The following, I will be on the film to talk something about filial piety plot makes concrete analysis, and explore how cultural differences reflected in the filial piety? Why is it? What are the similarities?But before that, we will first do a general understanding of filial piety.In the ancient clan and tribal society, meaning of “filial piety” is very wide.It refers to t he family of the elder respect, love, support and sacrifice.With the family as the basic unit of society and social development in a long time, “filial piety” changes from the family elder respect to parental care, and become an important ethical rule to do with family relations.Today, “filial piety” to living gets more attention.We often say that the parents contribute to our upbringing, so we will repay the parents.While in the west, has no concept of “filial piety”.The Western belief in God, that God has given human life.So in the western culture, the concept of “filial piety” is corresponding to “piety”.” Filial piety “ is also derived from “piety”.Piety in the ancient Greek dictionary definition is: 1, sacred, permitted by the laws of God, to God;2, non God prohibited by law, human beings can enjoy.In the two concepts, actually we can see, in the West or in China, for the one who supposed to give us life, raising us people have a kind of “filial piety”, just for different objects.Situation one: acquiesce and even publicly agree the old father smoking in the house There are two such scenes: 1, at the table, the old father smoking, Denis sat next to Grandpa.Janine saw father smoking, showed her disgust on her face, and then to open the window.XuDatong saw this scene, said: “Janine, why?” Full of condemnation, for fear that his father felt reject by his families.2, the house was dark.The old father who was smoking at home saw the couple suddenly returned home looked panic, hiding the cigarette behind.He knew the daughter-in-law doesn't like him smoking in the house.In order to avoid his son and the daughter-in-law’s quarrel, he decided to put out the cigarette.At this time, Janine became clever.In order to make obedient husband don’t feel disgusted, she said: “Dad, go ahead, I don't mind.”In the two acts, both husband and wife knew smoking is harmful to health, but they did not prevent him from it.The reason is the filial piety.Since ancient times, Chinese are taught to obey.We cannot be a disobedient child.Even if the parents are wrong, we are not allowed to contradict them.That case in America, however, children will stop their parents since smoking is harmful to health.this is ”filial piety“ in the eyes of Americans.What lead the United States look the same thing quite different from Chinese? Personally I think that we should go back to the objects both sides to do ”filial piety“.As we said earlier, Chinese parents act as life giver and caregivers, while Americans believe God give them life whereas their parents are just pull them out.Therefore, Chinese parents and children are hierarchical, that is the so-called ”respect for seniority“.And in America, almost people are Christian.Parents and children are in the same class.They tend to be friends, just pointed out the fault and regardless of other things such as against.Scene two: taking old father in America to live togetherIn china, Datong is absolutely a dutiful son because it’s admirable to make parents live with their son and daughters.I guess no one in China would deny that.But in America, suchbehavior just can't be understood.Why the old father did not to live in his home, but in his son’s? Americans are puzzled, because in American, parents and children do not live together.Even when parents visit children, they have to make an appointment few weeks or even a few months before.This behavior in Chinese eyes seems incredible.They think that the relationship between American parents and children is too distant.In a word, both sides look at each other and feel nothing is right.Why? They have different ideas.Chinese like four generations under one roof, family happiness;while the Americans pay attention to individual personality, advocate individualism and independence of thought.And why the concept is different? We start from the filial piety and piety as well.Earlier we said that both China and the US have ”filial piety“, while the object is different.Chinese is more willing to live with parents, to do filial piety.The US is not with their parents who pull them into this world, because in their eyes, the role of parents is actually more like China brothers and sisters and it’s God who give their lives and souls.In Chinese, even if one large ancient family which people live together, in fact, can be divided into several small courtyards, deal with family affairs separately except some important issues.These partitional rules are more clear the modern life.Have you ever seen brothers and sisters live together? Perhaps no.Therefore, the Americans and their parents(like brothers and sisters)living in different roof is not surprising.Scene three: the understanding of “hitting you is for your own good”When Xu Datong hit Denis, Quinlan appeared shocked and uneasy.Denis did not want to sit by the side of his father at table for his father beat him.Grandpa told him that his father hit himfor his own good.People in China and America hold different positions to the same thing.In Chinese, to spare the rod was, traditionally, to spoil the child.The father to beat his son is good for son, son should not hold grudges, and they should obey the discipline, or it’s impiety;Americans think this behavior is abuse.It’s the appearance of not respecting the human rights.First, their laws don't allow this behavior.All are equal before the law.It’s illegal for the fathers to hit sons.It is a violation of human rights and a violation of the law.Second I think it is more important that Americans, from the bottom of their heart, think their parents and themselves are equal.Deep in their hea rts, the one who give them souls and lives isn’t parents, but the God.Though China has the law that everyone is equal, but the parents’ hit on children is called they are educating the children, and no one would charge their parents.Because Chinese parents are as holy American’s God, play as the life and soul giver.So there are grades between parents and children in China.They never think that they themselves and their parents are equal.All of this is according to the different object of ”filial piety“.Conc lusionIn cross-cultural communication, collision and conflict of culture can be seen everywhere.What the movie ”Guasha“ shows is only the tip of the iceberg.All differences originate in the differences in history, conception, belief, value.But the ”filial piety“ differences in Guasha are root in the different philosophical thinking about the sources of human.China as an atheist state(at least most people do), both the body and soul are given by parents.So parents have the sacred place in the hearts of their children and the place is inviolable.So in these situations above, Chinese will havedifferent attitudes and practices with foreigners.And USA, as a Christian country, affected by the Bible story of Adam and Eve, people in this country believe that man is created by God, they believe God gave the soul to the flesh, and God is their Lord who makes them able to survive and multiply.The loftiness of his position is no less than Chinese parents.That is the reason why the relationships in Americans and their parents are not as tight as Chinese do.As for the “filial piety”, China and the US have something in common.Although their concepts are different, the meaning is the same.God is to American what parents are to Chinese.all have the same emotional ties and treatment.That is to say, both have ”filial piety“, but American ”filial piety“ is for God, as we know, the “piety”.It is because of the different objects that there are so many cultural conflicts about ”filial piety” in Guasha, and then the perplexing “filial piety” cultural conflict in the whole society.第三篇:跨文化交际案例分析跨文化交际案例分析案例背景:在泰国,和泰国朋友在网上聊天时,他们有时候会发来“555”,本来是说到开心的时候,为什么要用这几个数字呢?在中国聊天时555表示哭的声音。

跨文化交际电影案例分析(全英文版)(文化沟通课程论文)

跨文化交际电影案例分析(全英文版)(文化沟通课程论文)

Case Analysis of Cross-cultural Communication Film [Abstract]:With the advent of the 21st century, the degree of globalization continues to strengthen,and the communication between regions and countries becomes more and more frequent. As is known to all, the cultures of different nationalities have their own characteristics, and it is precisely because of these multi-ethnic cultures that our colorful world is made up of. However, it is undeniable that the existence of cultural differences leads to constant conflicts in the process of cultural exchanges. Crash and Scrapping two movies, for example, this paper tells the conflict phenomenon in cross-cultural communication and on the causes of these problems, puts forward some constructive Suggestions.[keywords]:Intercultural communication,Cultural differences, cultural consensusCross-cultural communication refers to the information transfer and communication between different cultural units. It is the communication between people in different cultural backgrounds. Due to the cultural differences between different countries, communicators often cause conflicts in communicative activities such as language blending and cultural integration due to different cultural backgrounds. Through watching relevant films, the paper discusses and studies the causes of problems in cross-cultural communication, and puts forward ways to alleviate conflicts, promote harmonious and friendly communication between regions, and promote the prosperity and progress of world culture.I.Analyze the problems in cross-cultural communication(I)Interpersonal relationship differences -- take film scrapping as an example As we all know, Western culture tend to be individualist. Westerns tend to view individualism as a good thing and believe that people should rely on themselves as much as possible ——and they usually expect other people to do the same. As mentioned in the scrapping film, Xu datong succeeded through his own efforts and finally changed his social status and situation. Even the Chinese people still won the respect and admiration of the americans at that time.Westerns generally feel that the rights of individuals should not be subordinated to the needs of large group, or at least that individuals should have the right to decide for themselves whether to sacrifice their personal benefit for the sake of group.However, in the face of the facts, the Chinese people, the more important. Although in fact is the father for the son scraping, but Xu datong still take the initiative to take the responsibility to protect his father. Although he knew it was illegal to leave the child alone at home, xu datong still went to pick up his father after receiving a call from the police. It is because of the culturaldifferences between the two sides that led to the tragedy of the life of Xu datong's family.Westerns tend to believe that individuals should make decisions for themselves, and that individual should take credit and responsibility for what they have personally done.In the film, a colleague of Xu datong, instead of helping him escape unwarranted charges under the law, testifies in court that he abused his son. One of the important reasons why this happened is that americans advocate individualism, law and facts, and colleagues do not know about scrapping and saw Xu datong beat his son, which led to the tragedy in the movie.(II)Conflicts caused by cultural differences -- take movie Crash as an example Does a white farmer in Illinois have so much in common with a black banker in New York that what we say they all belong to the same culture?Obviously there will be many difference between these two people ——they live in different regions, have different jobs, have different ethnic background, and so forth .Throughout the movie, I'm impressed with the two black brother, came out from the coffee shop, one of the black has been complaining about discrimination against blacks, whites and another black didn't think so, but in the black complain, another black gradually produced a strong sense of identity, so they conducted armed robbery, hit-and-run, and so on a series of bad things.In fact, this story can reflect the parents' teaching to their children, whether white or black, if parents teach them from an early age that white is noble, will not swear, will not do wrong, black is rude, uncivilized, always doing wrong. Then the idea will be rooted in the idea of children, then white and black children can never be friends, the misunderstanding between white and black people will be deeper, the conflict between the two sides will become more and more fierce, I believe if things go on for a long time, will eventually lead to the inevitable riots.However, most likely there are many things that they share in common. For example, the schools they went to probably taught roughly the same kinds of courses, they probably watch many of the same TV programs, they live under the same government and legal system ,and they probably all speak the same language.As a result, even if these people look different on the outside, the ideas and information in their heads will have much in common. You should say that they are many different brands of computers that look different on the outside, but have a lot of the same software and data. It is these shared ideas that make a grou p of people into a culture , in fact, you should say that a “culture ”is essentially a group of people who carry many of the same ideas in their heads.Most modern societies believe that equality is a virtue.But there's no denying that every society still has hierarchy to some degree. In other words, some people have higher and more power than others. Thisinjustice is mainly reflected in the racial discrimination in the United States. In the movies, white people always have a higher status than black people, and black people are not respected by white people.Preserving good relationship and harmony between people, especially among one's ingroup and circle of acquaintance, is generally considered very important. so people generally try to avoid direct confilt. Therefore, in order to avoid conflicts, every one of us should master certain methods when conducting cross-cultural communication, so as to consciously carry out correct cross-cultural communication and promote the formation of a beautiful and harmonious society.II solutions to cross-cultural communication problems(I)Strengthen cross-cultural communication and learn from western culture Peace and good relation between nations, people and cultures need to be beased on mutual understanding. As you study English, you are learning how to be an ambassador who can serve as a bridge between China and the world, a translator who can help people of China and other countries better understand each other. The more you understand about intercultural communication, the more effectively you can serve as an ambassador for your own culture and as a bridge between your culture and others.When you are new to Chinese culture, this made it harder for you to understand why the other people acted as they did. When you really didn't understand what was happening, you should consider other possible explanations for the Chinese students' behavior instead of jumping to negative conclusions. To communicating with local people, you 'd better to improve the local language and learn as much as possible about local culture. Of course, you also need to learn something about intercultural communication and learned how to be a more effective intercultural communicator.As you learn about other culture there are two good habit you should cultivate right from the start. First, build the habit of consciously making an effort to avoid stereotypes. second, build the habit of making a conscious effort not to judge other cultures too quickly. one of the best way to manage our tendency to judge negatively is by cultivating the habit of describing things instead of evaluating them.(II)Interpreting what foreigners mean“Interpretation ”the process of deciding what foreigners' words and action mean and why they do what they do. However when you interpret the behavior of foreigners, you don't have so much cultural background information to help you understand their behavior, so you have to guess and use your imagination much more. If you interpret their behavior quickly, without thinking carefully and getting asmuch information as possible, it is very likely that your Interpretation will be at least partially wrong.The same three habits will help you be a more effective intercultural communication. First, get into the habit of consciously noticing that you are entering an intercultural encounter. Second, get into the habit of interpreting intercultural encounters more slowly, rather than jumping to conclusion quickly. The last but not least, get into the habit of thinking more consciously and carefully about the situation.(III)To become a good intercultural communicatorThere is no doubt that you will probably have to speak in English when you are interacting with Westerners .In fact, when people from two different cultures try to communicate with each other, at least one of them will almost certainly have to speak in some language other than his native tongue. Therefore to avoid the language gap problem and become a good intercultural communicator, you need to be aware of how speaking in a foreign language affect you and make a special effort not to let these negative affect how you interpret the words and actions of others.III.The conclusionAs I talk about culture in this passage, my goal is not to say that one culture is better or worse than another. Instead, our goal is to describe differences between culture,and try to come to a better understanding of Western and Chinese culture. Before one can evaluate a culture, one must understand it.Reference:I: A Book called Encounters With WesternersII: A Film called CrashIII: A Film called Scrapping。

跨文化交际英文案例

跨文化交际英文案例

跨文化交际英文案例Title: Cross-Cultural Communication: A Case StudyIntroduction:Cross-cultural communication refers to the exchange of information, ideas, and emotions between individuals from different cultural backgrounds. In this case study, we will explore a real-life scenario that highlights the challenges and strategies involved in cross-cultural communication. The case revolves around a business negotiation between a Chinese company, XYZ Electronics, and an American company, ABC Corporation.Case Background:XYZ Electronics is a leading Chinese electronics manufacturer, known for its innovative products. The company is looking to expand its market presence globally and has identified ABC Corporation as a potential partner for collaboration. ABC Corporation is a well-established American company specializing in the distribution of consumer electronics.Key Players:1. Mr. Li - CEO of XYZ Electronics2. Mr. Johnson - CEO of ABC Corporation3. Ms. Wang - XYZ Electronics' marketing manager4. Mr. Smith - ABC Corporation's procurement managerCase Scenario:XYZ Electronics has scheduled a meeting with ABC Corporation to discuss a potential partnership. The meeting will take place in the United States, where both parties will have an opportunity to present their proposals and negotiate a mutually beneficial agreement.Challenges:1. Language Barrier: The primary challenge in this case is the language barrier. Mr. Li and Ms. Wang are not fluent in English, while Mr. Johnson and Mr. Smith have limited knowledge of Mandarin. This barrier can hinder effective communication and understanding.2. Cultural Differences: Another challenge is the cultural differences between the Chinese and American business practices. These differences can impact negotiation styles, decision-making processes, and overall communication dynamics.Strategies for Effective Cross-Cultural Communication:1. Language Support: To address the language barrier, both parties can arrange for professional interpreters who are fluent in Mandarin and English. This will ensure accurate and efficient communication during the negotiation process.2. Pre-Negotiation Research: It is crucial for both parties to conduct thorough research on each other's culture, business practices, and negotiation styles. This will help in understanding and respecting each other's cultural norms, thus fostering a more positive and productive atmosphere.3. Non-Verbal Communication: Non-verbal cues play a significant role in cross-cultural communication. Both parties should be aware of the differences in non-verbal communication, such as body language, gestures, and eye contact. Being mindful of these differences can prevent misinterpretations and misunderstandings.4. Patience and Flexibility: Patience and flexibility are essential qualities for successful cross-cultural communication. Both parties should be open-minded, willing to adapt, and patient with each other's linguistic and cultural differences. This will create a more harmonious and collaborative negotiation environment.5. Clear Communication: It is vital to ensure that communication is clear, concise, and unambiguous. Using simple language, avoiding jargon, and confirming understanding through paraphrasing or summarizing can help prevent miscommunication.6. Building Relationships: Building a positive relationship based on trust and respect is crucial in cross-cultural negotiations. Both parties should invest time in getting to know each other, engaging in small talk, and showing genuine interest in each other's cultures. This will help in establishing a strong foundation for future collaboration.Expected Outcome:By implementing these strategies, XYZ Electronics and ABC Corporation can overcome the challenges of cross-cultural communication and negotiate a successful partnership. The outcome may include a signed agreement for collaboration, outlining the terms and conditions, responsibilities, and expectations of both parties.Conclusion:Cross-cultural communication is a complex process that requires understanding, patience, and adaptability. By recognizing and addressing the challenges, and implementing effective strategies, businesses can foster successful collaborations and overcome cultural barriers. In this case study, XYZ Electronics and ABC Corporation have the opportunity to bridge the cultural gap and establish a mutually beneficial partnership through effective cross-cultural communication.。

跨文化交际教案chapter 4 interculture communication

跨文化交际教案chapter 4 interculture communication

Chapter IV Intercultural CommunicationⅠTeaching Objectives1.To identify the definitions of intercultural communication, interpersonal communication,intracultural communication, cross-cultural communication, international communication, interethnic communication, interracial communication, interregional communication.2.To understand the four fundamental values of western ethics.3.To understand the different ethics that belongs to the different part of the world.4.To understand the definition and main components of intercultural communication.ⅡLeading inⅢT eaching ProceduresStep 1Have students listen to the lead-in case What is Wrong?Ask students warming-up questions:●What is going wrong in this case?●Have you ever misunderstood someone who came from a different culture?●What is intercultural communication?●What intercultural communication skills do you know? Please list some of them.Step 2Culture and CommunicationThe metaphor of the journey and the map can help us understand the relationship between culture and communication. Cultures are both the maps of a place (the rules and conventions) and the journeys that take place there (actual practices).Intercultural communication definedForms of Intercultural communicationa. Interpersonal Communicationb. Intracultural Communicationc. International Communicationd. Interethnic Communicatione. Interracial Communicationf. interregional Communication4.3.1 Interpersonal communicationInterpersonal communication is a form of communication that involvesboth to adapt their messages specifically for those others and to obtain immediate interpretationsIntracultural communication is defined as communication between and among membersGenerally, people who are of the same race, political persuasion, and religion or who share the same interests communicate intraculturally.4.3.3 International communication4.3.4 Interethnic communication4.3.5 Interracial communicationInterracial communication occurs when the sender and the receiver exchanging messages are from4.3.6 Interregional communicationInterregional Communication refers to the exchange of messages between members of the dominant culture within a country.Intercultural communication ethics4.4.1 Western ethicsBeing free to act consistent with one’ own principles.●Impartiality; giving each person his or her legitimate due or portion of the whole.●Accountability for the consequences of one’s actions, including a failure to act.●Partiality to those who cannot protect themselves and to whom we are in special relationships.4.4.2 African ethicsrights.4.4.3 Buddhist ethicsValue is placed which are to be pursued for the betterment of the person if not in this life, then in the next.4.4.4 Hindu ethicsHinduism strives for the for including individualism, to merge with the absolute.4.4.5 Islamic ethicsTraditional Islamic perspectives on ethics are based on its religious concepts. There are different rules of ethical conduct for women and for men.Step3Raising Intercultural Awareness:采访外国人:教师布置学生就某些特定问题采访一些外国人,并引导学生比较不同的受访者做出的回答,以及他们对采访和采访问题所表现出的态度和反应。

跨文化交际学中术语译名纷乱探源——以interculturalcommunication为例

跨文化交际学中术语译名纷乱探源——以interculturalcommunication为例

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跨文化交际案例分析

跨文化交际案例分析

A Case Study on Intercultural Communication1. Case SatementProfessor Johnson, a professor of Chicago Booth business school, was invited to give a guest lecture at a Chinese university in the early 1990s. He could tell the students that they were very attentive. They applauded warmly when the lecture came to an end. However, when professor Johnson asked whether they had any questions to ask him, all of students kept silence and even some students lowed down their heads. Professor Johnson was disappointed when no one asked any questions, even after they were encouraged to do so. In fact, most students avoided eye contact with him as he tried to communicate with them.2. The analysis of the CaseI think this an example of failed intercultural communication. In my opinion, there may be three reasons for the failure of this intercultural communication.Firstly, Chinese opinion on the power distance is very different from that of Amercicans. Power distance as a characteristic of a culture defines the extent to which the less powerful person in society accepts inequality in power and considers it as normal. The United States is a low power distance country. Americans believe that they are close to power, should have ready access to that power and emphasize that everyone is equal. So do teachers and students. So the student can interrupt the teacher’s teaching as his pleasure, and even can put forward his suspicions for the teacher’s speaking content in the face of his classmates. While China is a high power distance country. Chinese believe that power and authority are facts of life, and social hierarchy is prevalent and institutionalizes inequality. In our tradition, the teacher is a certain social status of the professional and nowadays still has performance under the environment of money first . The teacher represents authority and represents the experience. Proverb, "A day for the teacher lifelong for father", embodies the Chinese respect to teachers. Chinese students regard teachers as persons from a high power class, so they don’t doubt the authority of teachers. This is why Chinese studentsdon’t like to ask teachers any questions at the class. If they have some questions, they prefer to ask after the class. They can left the face by doing like this.Secondly, the educational modle of America and of China are quite diefferent. In the United States, the traditional education method is trial and error, that is to say, students repeat to practice by themselves and to make mistakes, so finally they understand what is the truthy. This situation often require students to learn to be more autonomic, while the teacher’s task is to answear questions and not to inculcate knowledge. So American teachers like to ask questions, and to be asked at the same time. While in our country, the most common educational way is to watch and learn, that is to say, when the teacher tells you what it is, students just need to remember it. It is the all things that students can do in our classroom. This is one reason for the passive learning of Chinese students. So Chinese students are less autonomic than American students. They don’t like to ask any questions.Thirdly, the meaning of eye contact is different in China and in the United States. In the individualism culture, when people speak to face each other eyes, this is a confident performance, because in their culture, modesty is not virtue. And Face up to others eyes also can show the respect to others. And in the east, avoiding eye contact means respect. This point is particularly obvious in the Japanese culture. When they talk with their elders or superiors they often low their heads. In my opinion, this point is not applicable in today's China, because more and more people realize that it is very polite to keep eye contact with the others when they are talking.3. ConclusionIn intercultural communication, We have to remind ourselves to pay attention to the spontaneous emotional expressions of others and the situations where the interaction takes place. We have to remember that empathy can be increased if you resist the tendency to interpret the other’s verbal and nonverbal actions from your own culture’s orientation.To be successful as an intercultural communicator, people should become sensitive to the values and customs of the culture with which people are interacting. The more culture we know about the target language, the more likely we can succeed in contact . Only combining linguistic skill and cultural skill, can ithelp to avoid pragmatic failure which is caused by cultural differences。

新编跨文化交际英语教程cases参考答案 中英文版

新编跨文化交际英语教程cases参考答案 中英文版

新编跨文化交际英语教程Intercultural Communication in EnglishCase study 参考答案Case 1 【page 23】In this case, there seemed to be problems in communicating with people of different cultures in spite of the efforts made to achieve understanding.在这种情况下,尽管人们努力去理解,但在与不同文化背景的人交流时似乎出现了问题。

We should know that in Egypt as in many cultures, the human relationship is valued so highly that it is not expressed in an objective and impersonal way. While Americans certainly value human relationships, they are more likely to speak of them in less personal, more objective terms.我们应该知道,在埃及,就像在许多文化中一样,人际关系被看得如此重要,以至于无法以客观和非个人的方式表达出来。

虽然美国人的确重视人际关系,但他们更倾向于用不那么个人化、更客观的方式来谈论人际关系。

In this case, Richard‘s mistake might be that he chose to praise the food itself rather than the total evening, for which the food was simply the setting or excuse. For his host and hostess it was as if he had attended an art exhibit and complimented the artist by saying, ―What beautiful frames your pictures are in.在这种情况下,理查德的错误可能是他选择赞美食物本身,而不是整个晚上,因为食物只是设置或借口。

中西方跨文化交际的案例

中西方跨文化交际的案例

中西方跨文化交际的案例一、饮食文化方面。

1. 火锅与西餐。

我有个中国朋友小明去国外留学,在学校里交了个美国朋友杰克。

有一次,小明热情地邀请杰克去吃中国火锅。

杰克一进火锅店就被那热闹的氛围搞懵了。

当服务员端上锅底,各种生的食材,像毛肚、鸭肠、肥牛卷之类的,杰克瞪大了眼睛。

他平时吃西餐,牛排啥的都是煎得好好的端上来。

小明不停地把食材往锅里涮,还热情地给杰克夹菜,说:“这个毛肚啊,七上八下就可以吃了,可嫩了。

”杰克看着那在锅里翻腾的毛肚,犹豫了好久才放进嘴里,然后被那独特的口感惊到了。

而杰克呢,后来回请小明去吃西餐。

小明看着那一小份一小份精致摆盘的食物,心想这哪够吃啊。

他拿起刀叉,感觉特别别扭,不像用筷子那么顺手,还不小心把牛排切得满盘子都是汁水,两个人看着彼此的窘态都哈哈大笑起来。

2. 茶文化与咖啡文化。

有个中国的商务代表团去英国谈合作。

谈判休息期间,英国方面的负责人请中国客人喝咖啡。

对于英国人来说,咖啡是日常社交饮品,他们优雅地拿着咖啡杯,小抿一口,谈论着咖啡的产地和风味。

而中国代表团里有个刘先生,他是个老茶客,平时就爱喝茶。

他看着那一小杯咖啡,心里嘀咕着“这哪有茶喝着舒坦”。

于是他就从包里拿出一小包自己带的茶叶,问英国人有没有热水可以泡茶。

英国人一脸惊讶,他们没想到中国人这么爱喝茶,在他们的概念里,咖啡才是正式的社交饮品。

刘先生就开始给英国人介绍中国的茶文化,从茶叶的种类到泡茶的讲究,什么“春茶最香,不同的茶要用不同的水温泡”之类的。

英国人听着觉得特别新奇,这就像他们对不同咖啡豆烘焙程度的讲究一样,双方因为饮品文化的交流,关系也变得更加融洽了。

二、社交礼仪方面。

1. 见面礼仪。

我的同事小赵去法国出差。

在一个商务会议上,他遇到了很多法国的合作伙伴。

小赵习惯了中国人见面握手的方式,所以他见到法国同事的时候就热情地伸出手去握手。

可是有些法国女士,按照法国的礼仪习惯,是行贴面礼的。

这就有点尴尬了,有个法国女同事愣了一下,然后笑着先和小赵握了手,然后又侧过脸来轻轻贴了一下,还开玩笑地说:“你这个中国的热情握手和我们法国的贴面礼结合得很特别呢。

大学英语跨文化交际chapter5 Intercultural Communication

大学英语跨文化交际chapter5 Intercultural Communication
➢ In the indirect verbal style, on the other hand, verbal statements tend to hide the speaker’s actual intentions.
Eg. Chinese tend to ask for a favor in a more roundabout and implicit way.
Chapter 5 Verbal Intercultural Communication
1. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Eg. In Arabic, the camel plays significant roles in people’s life, so there are more than 40 words for “camel”. Nothing is more important than rice to the Chinese, so we have expressions like “人是铁,饭是钢” and “铁饭 碗”.
Navajo do not have the differentiated vocabulary connected with time and clocks.
One of the problems in dealing with people from other cultures is that we translate concepts from a foreign language and culture with words that fit our expectations. Eg. For Americans “tomorrow” means midnight to midnight,

Intercultural_Communication跨文化交际

Intercultural_Communication跨文化交际
Comunication bridges the gaps more rapidly and urgently between different cultures in the Globlized Comunity since the Globalization starts.
What is Culture
• Communication is symbolic.
• Symbols are at the core of communication. But no symbol means the same thing to everyone because different cultures often employ different symbols and usually assign special meaning to them.(build common meaning sphere)
Culture matters for everyone
• It is the context where we live ,grow up ,study,work,social networking, marriage ,getting older,die
• We could conciously or unconciously sense some clues and hints guide every thing we do, its' a judgementation mechanism.
these components make culture different ,lead cultural conflicts .we need to handle it.
Shfit Conflicts to Agreements(models)

留学生跨文化交际案例分析

留学生跨文化交际案例分析

留学生跨文化交际案例分析随着全球经济的不断发展,民间跨文化交际(intercultural communication)变得越来越普遍。

越来越多的国际学生前往海外求学,他们将面临新的文化环境和新的语言挑战,这种跨文化交际能力变得越来越重要。

本文旨在通过一个案例分析,探讨留学生的跨文化交际,分析他们面临的问题并给出相应的解决方案。

我们以一位名叫王小明的中国学生为例,这位学生已经在美国留学一年多了,他参加了一次文化交际活动。

此次活动包括由外国学生组成的小组,他们要讨论一个社会问题,讨论的语言是英语。

但是由于王小明的英语水平有限,他不能很好地参与讨论并发表自己的看法。

同时,由于中国文化的原因,王小明也害怕表达自己的意见,他无法展示出自信。

因此,留学生在跨文化交际中面临着诸多问题,以王小明为例,他面临的问题主要有两个:第一,他的英语水平不够,没有办法很好地参与讨论,第二,由于中国文化的原因,他没有足够的自信来发表自己的看法。

有几种措施可以帮助留学生解决跨文化交际的问题。

首先,他们应该加强英语学习,尽可能提高英语水平,以便能够更好地参与讨论。

他们可以通过参加英语学习计划,听英语广播和电视节目来加强英语能力。

其次,他们可以学习和了解外国文化,尽可能了解海外文化的特点,如美国的文化,以便能够更好地参与文化交流活动。

再者,他们可以多锻炼,积极面对社会环境,培养社交能力,不断提高自己的自信心,以便能够更好地参与讨论。

此外,他们应当充分利用资源,如参加各种学术会议、报告、讨论和研讨会,用英语进行交流。

这样可以增加他们的英语能力,同时也可以增加他们参与讨论的信心。

总之,本文简要分析了留学生在跨文化交际中所面临的问题,并给出了相应的解决方案。

当今社会,跨文化交际能力是必不可少的,希望这一案例能够为留学生提供一些帮助。

只有从英语学习、文化了解、自信培养以及充分利用资源等方面入手,留学生才能更好地参与跨文化交流,发挥他们自身的优势。

跨文化交际实例

跨文化交际实例

写一篇记叙文,描述你曾经历的一次跨文化交际,可以夹叙夹议,题目可以自拟。

Currently, as transportation and communication developing faster and faster, Intercultural communication is becoming more and more frequent. As a consequence, we should have a better understanding on how to communicate with others without error. What's more, it's important for us to know more principle of foreign country when we make friends with foreigners.As a matter of fact, everyone in daily life was likely to have Intercultural communication experience, so am I. It occurred to me three years ago when I was the head of my school English Club. At that time, I wanted to invite Tom who was an American exchange student to communicate with club members. Thus, I sent an invitation letter to him a week ago and we came to unanimous opinions that we would have the meeting on 3pm next Sunday. Due to the fact that I used to invite lots of Chinese experts who had been always late for the meetings, club members hold the view that Tim was likely to be late for our meeting, too. Thus, we take it easy to prepare our meeting at half past 2 pm when Tim arrived suddenly. It indeed shocked us. Everything hadn't prepared yet. Accordingly, we require getting ready for everything in 20 minutes. After the meeting, I asked Tim why he arrived at the meeting room so early. Puzzling, Tim asked me whether us Chinese would do the affair exactly on time. Nevertheless, American will accomplish tasks and arrive at the agreed place earlier than agreed time for they can have quite a few spare time to figure out quite a few accidents.Americans assert the view that it is of great important to be punctual while the majority of Chinese don't regard so. Sometimes, it's impolite to arrive at the appointed place too earlier than the agreed time in China. Nevertheless, it comes on the contrary when you are in America. Realizing this, I claim the view that we should communicate with others more efficient.。

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Course: Intercultural Communication—Case StudiesTextbook: Self-compiled handoutsObjectives: 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 to1. 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-reliance4. Privacy5. Equality6. Attributes7. Time & space 8. Competition & cooperation 9. Volunterism & philanthropyDaily life: 1. Lifestyle 2. Family & marriage 3. Entertainment4. Holidays & travel5. Art & architecture6. Science & technologySocial life: I. Education 2. Religion 3. Political systems & law4. Minorities5. Prejudices &stereotyping6. Building bridgesAssessment: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 anda 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 andResearch Press, 20002. Dou, RQ, Qian DX, Li BX. Selected Readings in Intercultural Communication Xi‘an JiaotongUniversity Press, 20043. Jia Yuxin. Intercultural Communication Shanghai Foreign languages Education Press, 20034. Yao Baorong. Han Qi, Wang Tao. Chinese Society and Culture Shaanxi people‘s PublishingHouse, 20025. Hu Wenzhong. Aspects of Intercultural Communication Foreign Language Teaching andResearch Press, 20046. Mei Renyi. American Studies Reader Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press,20027. Robert M. Crunden. A Brief History of American Culture Paragon House, New York, 19948. Bradford ?J‘ Hall. Among Cultures—The Challenge of Communication Wadsworth, 2005Intercultural Communication------Case StudiesUnit 1 General IntroductionWe 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 arefacing 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. Wangsaid: ―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 language, 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 CommunicationCommunication is symbolic in which people create shared meanings. Symbols are central tothe communication process because they represent the shared meanings that are communicated.Intercultural communication occurs when large and important cultural differences createdissimilar interpretations and expectations about how to communicate competently from two different cultures.(Lusting, M.W. and Koester, J. Intercultural Competence. New York: Addison WesleyLongman, 1999)Reading 1 CommunicationIt 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 Change 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. To 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 CommunicationYou 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 symbolsThe symbols into which you encode your thoughts vary. You can encode thoughts into wordsand 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 theyrepresent. 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 communicationNoise. 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 attendedto 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 asthe 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 witha 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 culturein which the communication takes place is critical to the success of the communication.Reading 2 Intercultural CommunicationThe 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 rearedin those cultures will also be different.Our contention is that intercultural communication can best be understood as cultural diversity inthe 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 learnto 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 realitiesand 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 sortsof 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 similarto 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 thatof 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 possessedby the interpreter do not coincide with those possessed by the message producer.The degree of influence culture has on intercultural communication is a function of the dissimilarity between the cultures. This also is indicated in the model by the degree of pattern change that occurs in the message arrows. The change that occurs between Cultures A and B is much less than the change between Cultures A and C and between Cultures B and C. This is because there is greater similarity between Cultures A and B. Hence, the repertories of social realty, communicative behaviors, and meanings are similar and the interpretation effort produces results more nearly like the content intended in the original message. Since Culture C is represented as being quite different from Cultures A and B, the interpreted message is considerably different and more nearly represents the pattern of Culture C.The model suggests that there can be wide variability in cultural differences during intercultural communication, due in part to circumstances or forms. Intercultural communication occurs in a wide variety of situations that range from interactions between people for whom cultural differences are extreme to interactions between people who are members of the same dominant culture and whose differences are reflected in the values and perceptions of co-cultures existing within the dominant culture. If we imagine differences varying along a minimum-maximum dimension, the degree of difference between two cultural groups depends on their relative social uniqueness. Although this scale is refined, it allows us to examine intercultural communication acts and gain insight into the effect cultural differences have on communication.( An Introduction to Intercultural communication by Porter and Samovar, International Thompson Publishing, 1994)Case StudiesCase 1Wayne Calder, a recent Harvard MBA graduate and one of his organization‘s most innovative planners, was assigned to the Paris office for a two-year period. Wayne was particularly excited about the transfer because he could now draw on the French he has taken while in school.e into French Knowing that his proficiency in the French language would be an excellent entrésociety, Wayne was looking forward to getting to know his French colleagues on a personal level. During the first week in Paris an opportunity to socialize presented itself. While waiting for a planning meeting with top executives to begin, Wayne introduced himself to Monsieur LeBec. They shook hands and exchanged some pleasantries, and then Wayne told LeBec how excited his family was to be in France. Wayne then asked LeBec if he had any children. LeBec replied that he had two daughters and a son. But when Wayne asked other questions about LeBec family, his French colleague became quite distant and uncommunicative. Wayne wondered what he had done wrong.Case 2Mr. A was the first individual from his Japanese division sent to the U.S. The company designedhis assignment as ―developmental‖, and he viewed himself as a trainee. Soon after arriving at hisnew office, Mr. A was assigned to an internal trainer, an American who was responsible to Mr. A‘s learning according to a set of objectives jointly developed by the Japanese sending division andthe American receiving division.Little time passed before Mr. A complained of adjustment difficulties and stress, and reported confusion and dissatisfaction over the content and purpose of his developmental program. It became apparent that, even though there had been direct communication between the sending and receiving divisions regarding this program, there had been almost no mutual understanding. The Japanese sending division had put forward broad objectives such as upgrading Mr. A‘s ability to communicate in English and enabling him to improve his abilities as a global manager. These objectives were easy for the American receiving division to accept. But the American side interpreted the objectives quite differently from what the Japanese side had in mind.A closely related problem was that Mr. A‘s expectations regarding acceptable training methods were sharply at variance with the expectations of his American trainer.Unit 3 Culture and CommunicationCulture (is) the deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.(Samovar, L.A. and Porter, R.E. Intercultural Communication: A Reader.Belmont, CA: Wadsworth,1997)Reading 1 CultureThe Basic Function of CultureCulture is a complex, abstract, and pervasive matrix of social elements that functions as anall-encompassing form or pattern for living by laying out a predictable world in which an individual is firmly oriented. Culture enables us to make sense of our surroundings, aiding the transition from the womb to this new life.From the instant of birth, a child is formally and informally taught how to behave. Children, regardless of their culture, quickly learn how to behave in a manner that is acceptable to adults. Within each culture, therefore, there is no need to expend energy deciding what an event means or how to respond to it. The assumption is that people who share a common culture can usually be counted on to behave ―correctly‖ and predictably. Hence, culture reduces the chances of surprise by shielding people from the unknown. Try to imagine a single day in your life without access tothe guidelines your culture provides. Without the rules that govern your actions, you would soonfeel helpless. From how to greet strangers to how to spend our time, culture provides us with structure. To lack culture is to lack structure. We might even go so far as to say that ―our primarymode of biological adaptation is culture, not anatomy‖.Definition of CultureWe have already indicated that culture is a complex matrix of interaction elements. Culture is ubiquitous, multidimensional, complex, and all pervasive. Because it is too broad, there is not a single definition or central theory of what it is. Definitions of culture run the gamut from ―an all-encompassing phenomenon‖ to descriptions listing nearly all human activity. For our purposes, we define culture as the deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religions, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.The Ingredients of CultureAlthough scholars may lack a definitive ingredient list for culture, most agree that any description should include the three categories submitted by Almaney and Alwan (1982: Communicating with Arabs. Waveland) They contend thatCultures may be classified by three large categories of elements: artifacts (which include items ranging from arrowheads to hydrogen bombs, magic charms to antibiotics, torches to electric lights, and chariots to jet planes); concepts (which include such beliefs or value systemsas right or wrong, God and man, ethics, and the general meaning of life); and behaviors (whichrefer to the actual practice of concepts or beliefs).These authors provide an excellent example of how these three aspects might be reflected within a culture: ―Whereas money is considered an artifact, the value placed upon it is a concept, but the actual spending and saving of money is behavior.‖Other inventories provide additional listings of the content of culture. Some of these additional ingredients of particular interest to intercultural communication include cultural history, cultural personality, material culture, role relationships, art, language, cultural stability, cultural beliefs, ethnocentrism, non-verbal behavior, spatial relations, time, recognition and reward, and thought patterns.The Characteristics of CultureSix characteristics of culture are of special importance to intercultural communication: (1) culture is learned, (2) culture is transmissible, (3) culture is dynamic, (4) culture is selective, (5)the facets of culture are interrelated, and (6) culture is ethnocentric.Culture Is Not Innate: It Is Learned From infancy on, members of a culture learn their patterns of behavior and ways of thinking until they have become internalized. The power and influences of these behaviors and perceptions can be seen in the ways in which we acquire culture. Our culture learning proceeds through interaction, observation, and imitation. A little boy in North America whose father tells him to shake hands when he is introduced to a friend of the family is learning culture. The Arab baby who is read the Koran when he or she is one day old is learning culture. The Hindu child who lives in a home where the women eat after the men is learning culture. The Jewish child who helps conduct the Passover celebration is learning culture.All of this learning occurs as conscious or unconscious conditioning that leads one toward。

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