Essay on Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication is commonly explained as an interaction between people of 'different cultures whether defined in terms of racial, ethnic or socioeconomic differences.' Human communication consists of verbal and nonverbal messages (language and gestures) which are shaped by gender, social class or culture. Thus, what perimeters define the intercultural exchange and what primary messages do we need or try to convey?

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

Intercultural communication is a product of the direct communication by means of lan-guage or non-verbal expressions between people from two or more different cultures. However, the concept of intercultural communication does not only include verbal lan-guage, but also body language and emotions. In contrast to just face-to-face communi-cation, a broader term defines intercultural communication as the level of mediatized in-tercultural communication, such as in radio, television, movies, internet and literature. In order to further concentrate on the term intercultural communication and resulting prob-lems one first has to understand how people communicate. Therefore, a model of com-munication will be presented and the sub-division of verbal and non-verbal communication further elaborated.

Intercultural communication: A discourse approach attempts to explain the discourse approach and points to the authors ' distinction between cross-cultural communication and intercultural communication. The chapter underlines the authors ' approach and theory to intercultural communication. It covers several explanations and the distinction between cross-cultural communication and intercultural communication. The chapter discusses the many varieties of culture that exist. It also clarifies that intercultural communication can occur in conversations not necessarily when two people are from different countries.

Moreover, although all these factors are influential in effective communication there is another very important factor to bear in mind, namely, your own culture. As people learn more and more about new cultures, they try to adapt to them. Often they might find themselves emerging in new cultures and begin disregarding their own unique culture. However, people should always strive to promote intercultural communication by representing their culture. They can demonstrate that, by always remembering the values, traditions and the uncommon things that make their culture so

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

My site of investigation is a dance studio, namely Fit Dance Studio, in Kowloon Bay. It has been, without a second thought, chosen for my ethnographic research because I have been an active participant over there recurrently for five years on a regular basis. I have been going to the dance classes and joining regular parties with other participants, including dance tutors and students of different ages and backgrounds from time to time. In this regard, my ethnographic data may sound and accurate with my understanding about the community. I acquire the data through observational techniques and participation in the practice. Since my participation is a long process of approximately five years, I believe I am a competent member and

Cultural conflict and popular culture are two experiences in life that assist in defining intercultural communication and how its influence affects our daily intercommunication. Cultural conflict is inevitable as we live out our daily lives in the identities we have selected for ourselves, the identities relating to our ethnicity and in those identities others have selected for us. These identities are bound to conflict with another individual’s identities which is why there is a need for understanding what intercultural communication is and how it can be enhanced becomes vital to peaceful living around the world.

It is imperative that these same principles are utilized when communicating to cultural groups other than our own because people from different cultures encode and decode messages and meaning differently. Because of this, what is acceptable to one is not necessarily acceptable by the other especially if they base their practices on their own judgments and ideas and communicate disregarding the judgments and ideas of any other culture. Ignorance can lead to devastating and damaging assumptions in terms of building intercultural relationships when one enters communication using the same old ethnocentric approach. It is a lot like the Nazis viewing the world according to their standards and beliefs without regards to the rights and beliefs of any other group. It is also the same as extreme

Intercultural communication competence refers to the ability of an individual to adapt and communicate appropriately and effectively across a wide array of cultural contexts. That is to say, for an individual to be considered an intercultural communicator they must understand other’s cultures as well as they understand their own, and apply this understanding to communication (Chen 1-2). With the increasing diversity at the workplace, school and other social settings, it has become increasingly important to learn how to communicate with people from a diverse array of cultures. More importantly, adapting to a more effective intercultural communication competence model provides us with learning opportunities occasioned by the interaction with people from other backgrounds. The intercultural communication competence model comes with some key components including tolerance for uncertainty, self-knowledge, and motivation. The greatest and most important of these aspects is motivation. An individual must be willing to foster relationships with people from a different cultural background. If an individual lacks the willingness to promote intercultural relationships, then other aspects of the intercultural communication model become moot.

Intercultural communication is concerned with communication across cultures. Since cultures as well as languages differ from one another in significant ways, speakers conceptualize the world around them in different ways. These cultural conceptualizations form part of the collective cognition of a speech community or cultural group. This paper is an attempt to delineate some cultural schemas in Persian cultural conceptualization which are quite prevalent in Iranian culture and language which may crop up in everyday conversations. For this purpose, cultural schemas of 'maram ', 'marefat ', and 'gheyrat ' are selected based on their frequent use in Persian language and Iranian culture. These schemas are elaborated and some implications for L2 English are suggested.

In today’s interview, I learned how natives of their own state may perceive intercultural communication being no different domestically than internationally in terms of social exchange. Based on the interview with Dr. Lloyd Williams, he believes that a person’s host culture may be preferred over their home culture. A person who has lived 90% or the majority of their life in their home state, may view their sense of belonging from a negative aspect. Being privileged, well-educated, versatile in language, and/or multi-cultural may not be sufficient enough, even when it pertains to receiving equal treatment in today’s society. While raising the question, if a person’s treated differently as a native rather than being a transplant or tourist regardless of a person’s success, cultural relations, or privilege. A native’s ethnicity, international experiences, and unjust treatment may create an emotional disconnect in their own home state based on not receiving cultural respect as being a person’s outlook from one’s own worldview perspective.

The theorist of intercultural communication that could help solve the problem with communication with the United States and Mexico can come from different fields such as psychology, anthropology, and sociology (Chen & Starosta, 2000). It has been numerous theories use to help intercultural communication to primarily focused on the adjustment, adaptation, and research on each country (Huntington, 2005).

Previous researchers have found that for a person to achieve better and more effective communication competence, it is necessary to develop skills that allow an appropriate participation in specific situations. The ability to listen, ask questions, and express concepts or ideas effectively is an important part of communication competence. Intercultural communication presents an unexplored and challenging field that needs to be understood for a better development in communication. (Dillon and McKenzie, 1998). The variables of listening depend on the different perceptions that a person obtains through their cultural background. Furthermore, culture often affects the structure of consciousness in the act of listening. When a person seeks to

This text is a good reference point. This text is used to understanding communication within culture. This source also gave a better understanding