Different Cultures Cause Miscommunication

For example, a handshake in the United States is a gesture Americans use, but in another country, it could not be accepted and considered rude. Another gesture is looking someone in the eye when spoken to; we do this in the United States because it is respectful, but in other countries, it is considered rude. Humor can be taken as rude and offensive if the other person you are talking to does not get it (Cross Communication).

It’s not only how we speak to people but it can also be reflected through our body language. We have to bear in mind that other people’s cultures may find some gestures offensive to them. Being respectful to their beliefs and cultures is important in maintaining positive relations. A raise of an eye brow or shrug of the shoulder can send the

The harmony of the existing cultures is crucial for the survival and success of any communication and ignoring these aspects may challenge the communication. For example, speaking to employees in Middle East is quite different from Switzerland; talking about personal things is acceptable by Swiss. Individuals who move to other countries unprepared for cultural differences may face unpleasant frustration when communicating. However, those who try to learn other cultures are likely to avoid individual tragedies. For example, Americans doing business in Mexico need to learn the local language to enhance interactions with the locals.

Usually when two cultures meet, they do not usually agree with each other and the result of that do not usually end up well, which can lead to misunderstandings, preconceptions and denials.

People from different backgrounds may use communication methods differently these may include the language they speak or the dialect they use. They may use different gestures, touch and mannerisms’. Also the volume, speed and pitch of a person’s voice would affect communication. Somebody who comes from a society that speaks quickly with a regional dialect would have difficulty being understood somewhere where they speak more slowly. In different culture gestures can mean different things. The gesture of holding two fingers up can either mean peace if the palm is facing out or if the palm is facing in can be offensive. An aggressive gesture of waving a closed fist in western countries means one is trying to pick a fight or is showing annoyance. In Asian countries this will definitely get you into fist fight.

Communication is all about sharing, what one person says isn’t always what the other person hears or interprets. Where people from the same backgrounds with similar experiences will see and hear things in a similar way, where as one person from a certain culture entertaining a visitor from another culture or country may say something which is totally misinterpreted from the visitor. This can be down to language barriers, slang/jargon etc, an example of this would be an English man saying in

• Cultural differences – when the same thing means different things in two cultures, communication can be difficult. For example, it is seen as polite and respectful to make eye contact when speaking to someone in Western culture but in other cultures, for example in East Asia, it can be seen as rude and defiant.

Cultures provide people several ways of thinking and opinions. When it comes communicating the potential for misunderstandings increase dramatically because translations between languages. Most cultures have their own constricted rules about what is proper communication which affect verbal and nonverbal communication. Sometimes by simply not looking at a person eye to eye has a significant impact on how a different cultural per son will receive it. There a several rules to communication which differ from culture to culture and can be sometime wrongly

All communication is cultural. It draws on ways we have learned to speak and give nonverbal messages. We do not always communicate the same way from day to day, since factors like individual personality, mood, and the context of the situation interact with the variety of cultural influences we have internalized that influence our choices. Communication is interactive, so an important influence on its effectiveness is our relationship with others. Do they hear and understand what we are trying to say? Are they listening well? Are we listening well in response? Do their responses show that they understand the words and the meanings behind the words we have chosen? Is the mood positive and receptive? Is there trust between them and us? Are there differences that relate to ineffective communication, divergent goals or interests, or fundamentally different ways of seeing the world? The answers to these questions will give us some clues about the effectiveness of our communication and the ease with which we may be able to move through conflict. The challenge is that even with all the good will in the world, miscommunication is likely to happen, especially when there are significant cultural differences between communicators. Miscommunication may lead to conflict, or aggravate conflict that already exists, or in the sad of case of girl developing epilepsy and both her parent’s Hmong culturally clashing with her Western medicine

There are eight key forms of nonverbal communications used on a daily basis. These forms can affect the way people view another person; however, without understanding the forms of nonverbal communication there is certain to be a lot of misinterpretations. Cultural and language differences are a common reason for miscommunication. When communicating with people in different cultures, a person should be extremely aware of the hand gestures and nonverbal communication tools they are using. Many of the hand gestures used in the United States that mean good things, mean offensive and profane things to other cultures. Nonverbal communication is described as body language, hand gestures, and facial expressions. It is known that people reveal more information through nonverbal communication, than words alone to get a point across. There will always be some interaction between two or more people that everyone’s

People have communicated from different cultures, carefully thinking about the assumptions they made. Some negative consequences could happen from keeping the old stereotype from one’s first language and culture. Thus, we need to learn how to discard stereotype and effective communicator. Based on human perceptions, people make assumptions about the other. They choose the appropriate communicative style to reduce confusion and avoid miscommunications.

Today, we live in a culturally diverse society due to globalization. As our world grows, expands and become increasingly more interconnected, the need for effective interpersonal communication among differing cultures has become apparent. When people from different cultures interact with one another there is intercultural communication because different cultures create different interpretation and expectations about what is seen as competent behaviors that will enable the construction of shared meanings.

To have positive communication encounters, avoiding making generalizations about a person or group of people is key. If this is not practiced, the person you are speaking with may feel uncomfortable and upset. In the case of Farhad in Crash, his family felt personally and culturally attacked by being classified as Arab versus their actual identity which is Iranian. Also, due to discrepancies within communication, Frahad did not take the initiative to fix what needed to be fixed because he felt he was right and the locksmith felt he was right. Exhibiting a sense of ethnocentrism can lead to people making assumptions about others and refusing to be flexible within their communication style. Ultimately, we should all take these steps into consideration when speaking to others of different cultures and

Humans have been communicating since four million years. On the other hand, the birth of culture is estimated to have taken place about 35,000 years ago. Today, both culture and communication have evolved considerably and have become interdependent of one another, to the point that communication is considered to be a product of culture. Thus, our own culture has a deep impact on our thoughts and behaviors. Since each culture has its distinct aspects, intercultural communication can be the cause of conflict and disorder. There are three main issues which are at the root of the problem of intercultural miscommunication : language as a barrier, cultural diversity and ethnocentrism. I will analyze

Cross-cultural communication is the process of exchanging meaningful and unambiguous information across cultural boundaries, in a way that preserves mutual respect and minimizes antagonism, that is, it looks at how people from differing cultural backgrounds endeavour to communicate. The study of cross-cultural communication was originally found within businesses and the government both seeking to expand globally. Communication is interactive, so an important influence on its effectiveness is our relationship with others. All communication is cultural -- it draws on ways we have learned to speak and give nonverbal messages. We do not always