中西文化之鉴High context culture and the contrasting

Context in communication

（09翻译2班黄子英 07号）

Abstract

Context is important in all communication,but it is relatively more important in some situations than in others.There are also some significant differences across cultures in the ways and the context to which people communicate through context.A high context(CH) communication or message is one in which most o f the information

is either in the physical context or internalization in the person, while very little is in the code,explicit,transmitted part of the information.Any transaction can be characterized as high , low or middle context.HC transaction feature preprogrammed information that is in the receiver and in the setting. With only minimal information in the transmitted message.LC transactions are the reverse. Most of the information must be in the transmitted message in order to make up what is missing in the context.Although on culture exists exclusively at one end of the scale, some are high while others are low. American culture , while not on the bottom,is toward the lower end of the scale.

Key words : higher context,low context Time-Orientation, Humor ,Adaptation

High context culture and the contrasting "low context culture" are terms presented by the anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his 1976 book Beyond Culture. It refers to a culture's tendency to use high context messages over low context messages in routine communication. This choice of communication styles translates into a culture that will cater to in-groups, an in-group being a group that has similar experiences and expectations, from which inferences are drawn. In a high context culture, many things are left unsaid, letting the culture explain. Words and word choice become very important in higher context communication, since a few words can communicate a complex message very effectively to an in-group (but less effectively outside that group), while in a lower context culture, the communicator needs to be much more explicit and the value of a single word is less important.

General speaking, high context communication is economical, fast and efficient.It works as long as people communicating are looking for and understand the meaning in the context. It takes a long time to learn.It brings people together. Low-context

communication is more impersonal,but it is an effective way of transmitting information among people we do not share the same experience.It pays little attention to messages sent to non-verbally, they think communication is the exchange of verbal messages.They think that the speakers and writers are responsible for the success of communication. They should make meaning clear and understandable with their words.

Context as a relativistic metric of culture cultural context does not rank as "high" or "low" in an absolute sense because each message can be presented on a continuum from high to low. Likewise, a culture (French Canadian) may be of a higher context than one (English Canadian) but lower context than another (Spanish or French). Likewise, a stereotypical individual from Texas (a higher context culture) may communicate more with a few words or use of a prolonged silence, than a stereotypical New Yorker who is being very explicit, although both being part of a culture which is lower-context overall.

Higher context cultures tend to correlate with cultures that also have a strong sense of tradition and history, and change little over time. For example, the Native Americans is a higher context culture with a strong sense of tradition and history. The focus on tradition creates opportunities for higher context messages between individuals of each new generation. This is in contrast to lower context cultures in which the shared experiences upon which communication is built can change drastically from one generation to the next, creating communication gaps between parents and children, as in the United States.

High-context joke from a high context culture will not translate well to someone of a different culture, even another high-context culture. Humor is very contextual, as a joke may not be considered very funny if it seems like it is over-explained using only low-context messages.

Adaptation an individual moving to a higher or lower context culture may need to adapt and/or be accommodated in ways different than moving within cultures of similar context.

High to Low: An individual from a higher context culture may need to adapt and/or be accommodated when shifting to a low context culture. A lower context culture demands more independence, and expects many relationships, but fewer intimate ones.

A high context individual is more likely to ask questions rather than attempt to work out a solution independently, and the questions are likely to be asked from the same few people. The high context person may be frustrated by people appearing to not want to develop a relationship or continue to help them on an ongoing basis. The term 'Hand-holding' might be used in an unintentional derogatory sense.

Low to High: An individual from a low context culture needs to adapt and/or be accommodated when shifting to a higher context culture. Higher context cultures