跨文化作业4

Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers

Case 20

1.Why did Joe feel like a prisoner?

Because Hong made all the plans without consult Joe. Joe had no his own time to control.

2.How do you comment on the behaviors of Hong and Joe respectively?

Hong is a Chinese, what he did shows his enthusiasm. He made a considerate arrangement.

However, he didn’t aware the different cultures between him and Joe. As a foreigner, Joe didn’t know the Chinese traditional custom. I think he can tell Hong his thinking gently. Then this may not happen.

3.If you were Hong, what would you do?

I would make the plans for Joe to choose his favorite, and left some time for his own.

Text A

1.What causes anxiety in communication? And what does being uncertain mean?

Not knowing what one is expected to do, and focusing on that feeling and not being totally present in the communication transaction.

It means being unsure about what the future will hold for oneself and one’s situation.

2.Is anxiety and uncertainty avoidable?

Yes. There are three kinds of strategies to avoid anxiety and uncertainty: active, passive and interactive.

3.What is assuming similarity instead of difference?

It refers to the idea that people coming from another culture are more similar to you than they actually are or that another person’s situation is more similar to yours than it in fact is.

Case 21

Why did the police in New York file criminal charges against the mother?

The mother’s behavior looks very dangerous. Her behavior seems that she abandoned the baby. Also, in the law of New York, mothers should in charge of theirs children. Or, she makes the crime.

Text B

1.What does “to be ethnocentric” mean?

To be ethnocentric is to believe in the superiority of one’s own culture.

2.What is stereotype? What is the nature of stereotyping?

It used to refer to negative or positive judgments made about individuals based on any observable or believed group membership. Stereotype is a natural process. It is a form of generalization about some group of people.

3.Who stereotypes and who is stereotyped?

People who stereotyping others, they take a category of people and make assertions about the characteristics of all people who belong to that category. The people who belong to that category are stereotyped.

4.What is prejudice and what is racism?

Prejudice refers to the irrational dislike, suspicion, or hatred of a particular group, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

Racism is any policy, practice, belief or attitude that attributes characteristics or status to individuals based on their race.

Case 22

1.Why did Fan make such a mistake?

Because she got the wrong idea about the warming sign. She regards 12:00am as 12:00noon for her mind. But it is 12:00 midnight in the USA.

Text C

1.What is the way suggested by the author to improve translation?

One way to improve translation is to use back translation. Back translation involves first translating into the second language, then translating back into the first language, and then comparing the result to the original. Often the process can prevent amusing translation problem.

2.try to translate the following expressions into English

1炕:a heatable brick bed 2太极tai chi 3嫦娥奔月The Goddess Chang's fly to the moon 4狗仗人势be a bully under the protection of a powerful person5叶公好龙professed love of what one actually fears

3.try to translate the following into Chinese

1Landlord房东 2as wise as an owl聪明人 3keep up with the Joneses爱攀比4lucky dog幸运儿

Case 23

1.What are the differences between women and girls in the eyes of the Americans?

Girls are the teenager. Women mean the adult female.

2.What are the differences between women and girls in the eyes of the Chinese?

Girls are those who didn’t get married. Women mean the married female.