Student’s book Unit 6

Intercultural Communication

Lead-in (Speaking – Reading) 1. What is intercultural communication? Why is it important? In what way could intercultural communication be important for people having different occupation, say for a doctor, an internet website designer, a University lecturer?

Discuss these questions in groups of two-three students (you have five minutes for discussion). After the group discussion, one student from each of the group will be requested to make a short presentation of the conclusion made (not more that three minutes for every presentation; not more that 12 minutes for all the presentations).

2. Read Hofstede’s definition of intercultural communication given below and give your reasons in its support or try to formulate your own one.

“Intercultural communication is collective mental programming or the software of the mind” Hofstede

3. From the definitions of communication given in the table below choose the one you consider to express the notion more exactly and confirm it with your own words (you have five minutes for this activity). Then try to define yourself what intercultural communication is.

Communication is

1. the exchange or transmission of ideas, attitudes, believes between individuals or groups

2. the techniques used to communicate information

3. the activity of expressing or exchanging information, feelings, etc.

4. interchange of thoughts, opinions, information by speech, writing or signs

5. the activity of communicating and conveying the information

6. a connection allowing access between persons or places

7. means of sending messages, orders including telephone, telegraph, radio, T.V.

8. the professions of journalism, broadcasting, etc.

Intercultural communication is… … … .

(The definitions are retrieved from the Internet at http://www.definitions.net/definition/communication

as of 1 March 2012 and modified as compared with the original)

4. Read and discuss in your groups suggested answers with suggestions to the last question in the Lead-in to Unit 6.

Suggested answer

1) A doctor

Attitudes to illness, kinds of treatment, the role of the doctor and his/her relationship towards the patient vary widely across cultures. What is considered an illness in one culture may not be seen as such in another. Some cultures favor treatment of the whole person, others concentrate on dealing with specific symptoms. In some cultures the doctor will put more emphasis on the patient as a person, while in others the focus is on analyzing the illness.

2) An internet website designer

Although the internet has its origin in the USA, different cultures are now using it in different ways that suit their own environment and needs. Research comparing how the same company presents itself on the Internet in different countries has revealed considerable cultural differences. One example is that some cultures prefer to use visual material and icons, while others favor more text. A designer has to take these sorts of factors into account if the communication is to be effective.

3) A university lecturer

A university lecturer working abroad or with foreign students or a multicultural group at home, will have to be aware of a number of cultural issues. In the UK or USA, for instance, students well call their professors by their first name, which in other cultures would be a sign of disrespect. The role of teachers is different in different cultures. Western teachers working in Thailand, for example, complained that the students rarely asked questions in their classes, not realizing that it would be considered rude to ask questions, because this would imply that the teacher had not explained things. Forms of assessment vary – in some cultures, oral tests predominate, in others there are more written tests.

From “Intercultural Business Communication”

Step 1 (Reading- Writing)

1. Read the text given below. Write out all the words you do not know the meaning of. Pay special attention to the underlined words and word combinations.