跨文化交际案例case study 6

Chapter 5 Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
Case 1
Two strangers have been chatting.
A: So you’re been here for a year?
B: Yes. One more year to go, then I’ll go back to china.
A: What will you do back home?
B: It’s hard to know. There’s a lot change at the moment.
A: Yeah.Everything’s changing, everythere. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep up.
B: That’s true. Maybe I’ll…
(A’s mobile phone rings.)
A: Excuse me, I’d better answer this. It’s probably work.
B: Sure. Take your time.
分析：有时在与人交谈中，难免要有什么原因要离开一会儿，或是去接一个电话，或要去洗手间。

礼貌再此被提出来。

出于礼貌起见，要记住做一些恰当解释再离开。

不管理由是什么，即便是要接一个手机电话，在打开电话回话前，向对方说声对不起。

如果只离开几分钟，没有必要找一个理由。

你说了对不起，就表明你确实是有事要离开一会儿。

Case 2
One cold winter day in a Chinese city, Wang Lin on his way to the library met an American pro fessor who knew very little about China. After greeting him, Wang said: “It’s rather cold. You’d better put on more clothes.” But the professor didn’t appear happy on hearing this.
分析：美国人以及大部分西方国家的人们不喜欢被告知要怎么做怎么做，他们比较喜欢独立，然而中国人则习惯关心别人，这个案例中王林的建议表达的就是一种对他人的关心，可是美国教授却不习惯这样的表达。

Case 3
Li Ping is calling his colleague and friend Tony. Tony lives in the student dormitory. Someone else answers the phone.
Student: Hi, Student Dormitory.
Li: Hello. I’d like to speak to Tony please.
Student: Okay, just a moment. I’ll see if he’s in.
Li: Thanks.
Student: He’s on his way. Won’t be long.
Li: Thanks for your help.
Tony: Hello? Tony is here.
Li: Hello, it’s Li Ping.
Tony: Hi. Is everything okay?
Li: Yes, fine. I wanted to call you to see if you’d like to come over for dinner tonight. I’m cooking a Chinese meal.
Tony: That’s fine. By the way, how is your major essay coming along? Have you finished all the reading?
Li: Almost. I have to finish the reading by next Sunday. Then I can start writing the
essay. What about you?
Tony: Still plowing my way through.
Li: Well maybe we can share some ideas over dinner.
Tony: Good idea.
Li: Well, I’d better go. I’ve got lots to do.
Tony: Okay. I’ll see you tonight at 6. I’ll bring something to drink.
Li: See you then. Bye.
Tony: See you.
分析：拿起话筒给朋友，同事，家人拨一个电话，有什么规矩可言哪？不要马虎，还是遵照以下规矩行事为好：简单打招呼语问候对方，对对方的信息做恰当的答复，开门见山说明要谈的事，结束电话。

由于身体语言的被排除，最大程度地使用或理解一些暗示语，即通过声音线索去抓住对方的支持、赞同或反对的态度、感情很重要。

用好电话能帮助你保持与人的联系，建立新的友谊，是涉外生活、学习和工作不可多得的法宝。

Case 4
Liu Huang is calling his friend Steven at his home.
Person: Hello. John is speaking.
Liu: Hello? I’m looking for Steven.
Person: Sorry, there’s no one here called Steven.
Liu: Is that 6577 8868?
Person: No. I think you’ve got the wrong number. This is 6578 8868.
Liu: Oh, I’m sorry.
Person: No problem. Good luck.
Liu: Thanks.
分析：失手拨错号码是常有的事。

如果在国外，即便有语言障碍，害怕说英语，也还是要先与对方核对是不是拨错了，然后再道歉。

如果发现拨错了号码就马上挂电话，是不礼貌的行为。

Case 5
Practicing English
One night a Chinese student majoring in English sat on the steps of the foreign students’ residence and talked with two young male foreign students, one German and one American. They did not speak a word to her on their own initiative, but she asked many questions to get a conversation started. Every time they answered her with only one or two words. But she was determined to practice her English so she tried to keep the conversation going.
“How do you spend your weekend?” she asked.
The German boy answered immediately, “Fishing,” and the two boys looked at each other meaningfully.
“Fishing?” She was really confused. “But where do you fish?” she ask ed.
“Fishing has two meaning. One is the literal meaning. The other is just sitting here or walking on the street and waiting for some girls to come up to us.” Then they both burst out laughing.
She was annoyed. She sat there silently and then suddenly stood up and walked away without saying goodbye.
分析：某些英语词汇在英美国家有特殊的含义，如本案列中，“fishing” 一词除钓鱼
之外，还有在街头物色漂亮女孩的意思。

如果不理解两个含义，在交际中容易发生误解。

Case 6
Wang Bing, a Chinese tour guide, is talking to an American tourist, Luke Baines, who has no knowledge of Chinese at all. They are having dinner in a restaurant.
Wang: This is Beijing duck, one of China’s most famous dishes. You’ll love it.
Luke: No, thanks. I don’t like duck. I prefer chicken.
分析：在中国就餐时，直接拒绝对方的推荐是不礼貌的，特别是对对方引以为豪的东西。

再此，Luke至少应该小尝一口，以免让对方尴尬。

Case 7
Xie Li and Tom have been working on a scientific experiment at a British university for some months. It has not been totally successful. They are discussing the situation in the laboratory. Xie Li: I don’t know where it went wrong!
Tom: Don’t feel so bad. Cheer up; you’ve done your job.
Xie Li: But our experiment has turned out to be a failure.
Tom: Relax for a couple of days. I’ll face the music.
Xie Li: Tom, we are not playing children’s games here. This is a scientific experiment.
Tom: I’ve never taken the experiment as child’s play, and I’m playing the game.
Xie Li: You say you’re playing the game! It’s a rather important experiment!
Xie Li walks out of the laboratory angrily. Tom is puzzled.
分析：俗语、成语等具有很强的文化内涵，经常会让非母语者产生困扰。

在本案例中，谢力错解了Tom使用的两个俗语（face the music 和playing the game），导致交际失败。

Case 8
In a Chinese classroom a girl was asked to answer a question. She stood up and smiled, without making any sound.
When an American is parking his bicycle and the bicycle accidentally falls over, he feels embarrassed at his awkwardness, and his quite angered and humiliated when Chinese onlookers laugh.
In the dining room, when an American drops a plate quite by accident and feels bad, and Chinese onlookers laugh, compounding his discomfort and causing anger and bad feeling.
分析：微笑通常表达的是友好，支持，满意，快乐等等。

但很多西方人对于亚洲人的笑有时候感到很困惑。

在案例A中，女孩处于无法回答这个问题想通过微笑来掩饰自己的尴尬局面。

在案例B和C中，这时的笑显然并不是针对这个人或者是他的遭遇本身。

它可表达很多意思：不要这么在意，笑笑就过了，没什么的，这样的事情在我们每个人的身上都有可能发生等等。

Case 9
One Japanese student in America said: “On my way to school, a girl whom I don’t know smiled at me several times. I was a little surprised.”
An Arab student in America said: “When I was walking on the campus the first day, many people smiled at me, which made me quite ashamed. I hurried to the bathroom to see if anything was wrong with my clothes. Now I’m used to all smiles.
分析：在日本学生这个例子中，因为在日本文化中，女孩一般不和陌生人微笑，更
不用说陌生男子了。

但是在美国微笑并没有什么特别的含义，他所表达的纯粹就是一种友好的意思。

人们也通常会对陌生人微笑以表示他们的友好。

Case 10
In India, there are elaborate rules about how closely members of each caste may approach other castes, and Arabs of the same sex do stand much closer than North Americans. North Americans in an elevator maintain personal space if the physical space permits it. An Arab entering an elevator may stand right next to another person and be touching even though no one else is in the elevator.
分析：本案例反映的是非言语交际中的一个方面——空间交际学。

交谈时，应注意不同文化之间，交谈者之间的距离是不同的。

Case 11
Too Close for Comfort
Bill had just arrived from the United States to study engineering at a Chinese university .He studies Chinese back at his home university and was confident that doing his graduate study at a Chinese university would give hi an edge in talking advantage of future opportunities in the growing Chinese economy .
In the first few days he met and moved in with his roommate Zemin and met several of the students who lived in nearby dormitory rooms .Most of them were also studying engineering but had little experience with Americans .He usually went to the student cafeteria with them and they were very helpful in showing him around and in gently correcting his classroom Chinese.
One evening he settled in for his first study session in his room .After a time Zemin left to visit another room where friends were listening to a radio broadcast .Bill said he would join him later .When Bill decided to take a break and see what the “guys” were up to ,he found Zemin and two other boys huddled over the radio .Bill found it quite odd ,however ,that Zemin was draped over the back of the boy seated in front of the radio .Moreover ,that boy had his fact propped up on his roommate who was seated nearby .it seemed to Bill that he had startled then ,since they jumped up and welcomed him and even offered him tea After Bill had a cup of tea and a chair to sit in ,the group returned to the radio .
Bill shrugged the incident off, but over the next few days noticed that female students on campus frequently walked arm-in-arm or even holding hands .He noticed, too, that students of both sexes, but especially the boys, would huddle around newspaper displays in a fashion of close contact similar to Zemin and others around the radio .Bill felt rather uncomfortable and wondered how he would respond if one of his classmates were to put his arms around him.
分析：在西方一些国家中，人们之间交谈时总是保持45-80cm的距离，除短暂的握手外，无其他任何身体部位的接触。

而在中国，好朋友之间会有很多身体上的接触，如在一起开玩笑，打闹，手挽手，并肩或近距离交谈。

中国人看到年轻的父母带着可爱的孩子时，总是愿意抚摸孩子表示喜欢，而做父母的也为自己的孩子被人喜欢而骄傲。

西方人，尤其是英美人对此比较反感，他们不愿意让他人抚摸自己的孩子。

他们看到朋友之间近距离聊天嬉戏打闹或有很多身体上的接触会很诧异。

所以，案例中Bill难以理解他的朋友泽明及其他一些中国朋友的行为。