Breakdowns in intercultural communication create problems

Different cultures have different rules and languages. In intercultural communication one needs to be familiar with the other cultures norms. The main factor in intercultural communication is the concept of stranger. When talking with a stranger we have limited knowledge about his/her beliefs, interests and opinions. When communicating with familiar persons we can anticipate their responses but when communicating with strangers we are uncertain about the possible set of responses. Communication basically means anticipating the response about the other person. Communication anticipation basically depends on information collected from three levels. The first level is the cultural level. One must be aware of the strangers culture and values. Better understanding of the culture leads to better anticipation. The second level is the sociocultural level. This involves gathering information about the group to which the stranger belongs. The third level is the psycho-cultural level. This involves collecting information about the individual characteristic and behavior of the stranger. One major problem of intercultural communication is uncertainty about the strangers response. We are unaware of the strangers behavior, feelings and beliefs. Reducing this uncertainty can only facilitate better communication. This uncertainty can be reduced by collecting more information about the stranger. The information can be gathered by passively observing the stranger or by talking to friends of the stranger. We can even directly interact with the stranger and ask him questions to know about him/her. Another barrier of intercultural communication is anxiety. We may be worried about being negatively perceived by the stranger. We may fear that the intercultural communication may damage our self-esteem and may portray us as incompetent. We may worry that interaction with the stranger may isolate us from our own group. This anxiety can be minimized by

Breakdowns in intercultural communication create problems

becoming more familiar with the stranger. Strangers behavior tells a lot about his character and culture. The work of British Council has helped to promote cultural awareness. Organizations like the Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research and Sietar provide intercultural training particularly in the academic and business spheres to promote information exchange among different cultural societies. Major works are carried out to analyze business cultures and values. This work was carried out in Britain by Clit in its intercultural competence assessment project. For effective communication, target should be to not only understand the strangers culture but also his/her individual behavior. The main qualities needed for intercultural communication are willingness to explore other culture, openness to others and flexibility to adapt to changes. Movement of students for better education has given the need to learn the cultural background of new arrivals. Language and culture go together. One needs to first study the languages and analyze the cultural differences like how people belonging to different cultures think and act. One should find how the target culture differs from ones own culture and should try to adapt to the new culture. Cross cultural training is rapidly developing. Both Luton and Newcastle universities in Britain provide cross cultural courses at the MA level. On the business level, ICPTW offers cross cultural training in Switzerland and London. They also provide Intercultural Training Certificate to experienced teachers willing to incorporate intercultural business. While comparing cultural differences sometimes ordinary topics like learning about day to day behavior becomes crucial. English language is considered to be the universal language for communication. In intercultural communication understanding each others beliefs and cultures is extremely important.

Breakdowns in intercultural communication create problems References Tomalin, Barry., 2006. Understand a new culture . . . yourself. The Guardian, [online] 10 March. Available at: < http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/mar/10/tefl4? INTCMP=SRCH> [Accessed 16 December 2011].

Hughes, John., 1999. Explore the culture of ordinariness. The Guardian, [online] 20 October. Available at: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/1999/oct/20/tefl1? INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 > [Accessed 16 December 2011]. Gudykunst, William., Kim, Young. Yun., 2005. University of Colorado. [online] Available at: < http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/example/gudy6816.htm > [Accessed 16 December 2011].