Английский язык межкультурная коммуникация. Учебное пособие

TEXT B

Personal Space

Personal space is the distance that you keep between yourself and another person. It varies widely between cultures.

In the United States, many people prefer to keep one to two meters' space between friends and family members, and up to three meters between strangers and business associates. These preferences are similar in the United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, and other European countries.

The personal space requirements of Saudi Arabians are much lower: they often stand very close to one another, even those they don't know well.

Chinese people and people from other Asian cultures are also typically used to less personal space than Westerners.

It's important to understand the personal space requirements of a different culture, so that you're not perceived as rude (by standing too far away) or pushy (by standing too close).

Personal space also includes touching. In Mediterranean and South American cultures, touching is an important part of conversation and connecting. If you don't touch others, you'll be considered cold. However, in Eastern countries, touching is often considered taboo, and you'll offend your colleagues if you pat them on the back or touch their arm.

Exercise 7. Read the text to find out what gestures are polite or impolite in different countries.

TEXT C

How to Understand Body Language

Sometimes body language—such as eye contact or facial expressions—might be all it takes to communicate certain information across cultures. Still, nonverbal communication often takes on different meanings among different cultural groups. For instance, an inoffensive hand gesture in one culture might be offensive in another.

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Handshake

·USA, England, Germany, and New Zealand – it’s used when meeting or parting and if you know the other person well, you can skip this gesture.

·France and the rest of Europe – people shake hands even if they know each other well, sometimes even several times a day.

·Russia – shaking hands in a doorway is considered impolite and allegedly brings bad luck.

·India, Middle East, and Asia – people can still hold each other’s hands, even after they shook hands.

·Japan – handshakes are considered impolite, people bow instead and the lower they bow the more respect they are showing.

Thumbs up

·USA – “OK”, “see you later”, or “cool”.

·Brazil – “Thank you”.

·Iran – a rude gesture, similar to giving someone the middle finger.

·Egypt and Israel – “very good” or “perfect”.

·Denmark, Finland, and Australia – “excellent”, “great”, and “well”.

·China – “you’re the best!”

Ok or Okay

·USA and England – “OK”

·France and Belgium – “zero”

·Japan – “money”

·Turkey, Spain, and Brazil – it’s very offensive.

·Greece – a sign for homosexuals.

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The V sign

·England, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa – it’s offensive, same as the raised middle finger

·The rest of the world – a sign for “victory” or “peace”.

Fig sign

·Turkey, Greece, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark – a rude insult.

·Poland, Croatia – a sign for denying a request by kids.

·Brazil, Portugal – it brings luck and protection from dark forces.

·USA – often used in a game where you “steal” a child’s nose.

Touching

·England, Japan, Germany, USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, North Europe, and Portugal – they don’t like to touch.

·Spain, India, Iran, France, Turkey, Greece, Arabia, parts of Asia, and Italy – touches are acceptable/common.

·Asia – touching or pointing with your feet is considered impolite, you can’t rest your feet on a chair or table.

Nodding you head

·In most countries – a sign of agreement meaning “yes”.

·Bulgaria – a sign of disagreement meaning “no”.

·Japan – “yes, I understand”, “yes, please, continue”, sometimes “yes, I agree”.

·India – agreement is shown by tilting your head side-to-side.

Kissing and hugging

·USA – “air” kissing or the pretence of kissing is becoming more and more popular, you don’t need to touch the cheeks, you just kiss “the air” near the cheek.

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·Turkey – they often kiss on the face, even between men, unless they meet for the first time.

Northern Europe and the Far East are classed as non-contact cultures. There is very little physical contact beyond a handshake with people they don’t know well. An innocent hug made headlines around the world in 2009 when America's first lady, Michelle Obama, broke royal protocol on a visit to Britain by hugging the Queen.

By comparison, in the high-contact cultures of the Middle East, Latin America, and southern Europe, physical touch is a big part of socializing.

In much of the Arab world, men hold hands and kiss each other in greeting, but would never do the same with a woman.

Exercise 8. Let’s check if you got it right!

1. Is it ok or rude to show a fig sign ….

a) ... in Greece, Turkey or Germany? b) … in Brazil and Portugal?

a)the Middle East, Latin America, and southern Europe?

b)Northern Europe and the Far East?

5. Should you avoid thumb up gesture …

a) …. in Iran? b) ….. in Egypt and Israel ?

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Exercise 9. QUIZ. Answer the following questions. You can check answers on page 40.

1.Which of the following is considered poor etiquette in Japan?

A.Offering a gift with two hands

B.Placing your chopsticks upright in your food

C.Taking off your shoes before entering someone's home

2.Which colour should you avoid wearing in Brazil?

A.Red

B.Purple

C.Yellow

3.In India, what don’t vegetarian Hindus typically eat?

A.Meat, fish, seafood, eggs and any dairy products

B.Meat, fish, seafood and eggs

C.Meat, fish and seafood

4.In which country is the number 4 considered unlucky?

A.China

B.Mexico

C.Iran

5.In which country does nodding the head up and down mean 'no'

rather than 'yes'?

A.Bulgaria

B.Australia

C.Thailand

6.Which country has the most time zones?

A.Russia

B.China

C.France

7.Which of the following would you not offer as a gift to a Chinese

business partner?

A.A clock

B.Wine

C.A pen

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8.You are managing a local team in China. How do you respond to the fact that after several weeks in your role nobody in the team seems able to make eye contact with you?

A.You are worried that the team don't trust or respect you as they can't look you firmly in the eye.

B.You aren't concerned as you know that in China firm eye contact is not expected and is seen as inappropriate between managers and their teams.

C.You think that perhaps there is a language issue and the team is embarrassed that they don't understand everything you say.

9.You have taken over the management of an international team based in Dubai. Halfway through your first formal meeting with the team one of them picks up all his things and leaves the room without saying anything. What do you do?

A.Immediately follow them out to find out exactly what they are doing.

B.Ask the rest of the team what they think the problem is it.

C.Let the moment pass and continue the meeting then later speak with a trusted colleague to try and understand what might have caused them to leave the meeting.

10.When communicating with new team members who don't speak

your language as their first language what is the best strategy?

A.Speak more slowly and loudly than usual to avoid any misunderstanding.

B.Speak naturally but make sure you avoid using colloquial language, jargon and idioms that may be difficult to understand.

C.Identify the person who speaks your language best and get them to translate for the team.

11.You are on business overseas for two days and have the evening to

yourself. How might you best spend your evening?

A.Writing up your notes from your meetings while everything is fresh in your mind and preparing in detail for tomorrow's meetings.

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B.Taking a walk around town and having dinner in a restaurant frequented by locals and with no menus in translation.

C.Checking out a local expatriate network social event.

12.You are delivering training to a group of Japanese expatriates on

secondment at your offices and you notice that most of the group have their eyes closed while you are explaining a technical process. How do you interpret this?

A.They are concentrating and listening hard.

B.They are suffering from jet lag and struggling to stay awake.

C.They have disengaged from your session.

13.You are spending a week visiting clients around Latin America

where you understand there is a more relaxed attitude to time. When do you aim to arrive at your meetings?

A.A few minutes ahead of the scheduled time just as you would at home.

B.Within five to ten minutes after the scheduled time.

C.Anywhere up to half an hour late as that is what you have experienced when these clients visited you at home.

14.Humour across cultures is:

A.Best avoided as some cultures have a very different sense of humour and some cultures don't really have a sense of humour.

B.Best used only if you share the same language otherwise humour is likely to get lost in translation.

C.A great way to break the ice and build rapport providing you are careful about using complicated word play or cultural references that could be misunderstood.

CHECK YOUR ANSWERS!

1.Correct answer is B. If you place your chopsticks upright in your food, it can remind people of death and is seen as disrespectful.

2.Correct answer is B. Together with black, purple is associated with mourning and is considered unlucky to wear unless you are attending a funeral.

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3.Correct answer is C. 'Pure' vegetarianism in Hinduism includes not eating eggs but dairy is acceptable.

4.Correct answer is A. The pronunciation of the number four in China is very similar to the pronunciation of the word for death. You will notice in hotels that often there is no room 4 and lifts might not stop at level 4.

5.Correct answer is A. There are a number of theories but nobody is quite sure why in Bulgaria nodding the head up and down means 'no' and shaking the head from side to side means 'yes'.

6.Correct answer is C. France has the most times zones with 12 due to its overseas departments and territories across the globe. Russia has 11 time zones and China only has one time zone.

7.Correct answer is A. In China, the word for clock sounds the same as 'the end' and so is associated with time running out and death.

8.Correct answer is B. Remember that non-verbal signals mean different things in different parts of the world. In China there is more distance between hierarchical levels and so strong eye contact to superiors can be seen as defiant or challenging.

9.Correct answer is C. There may be personal or cultural reasons unknown to you that have caused this person to leave the room. Challenging them or their colleagues in the moment may cause them to lose face and in the early days it might be better to wait until you have all the facts before jumping in.

10.Correct answer is B. It is important to maintain a natural channel of communication while making sure you use low-risk, more easily understandable language.

11.Correct answer is B. Being curious and stepping off the beaten track is a great way of learning about a new culture.

12.Correct answer is A. Japanese people will often close their eyes to block out any visual stimulus when they need to listen intently. The other answers may also be correct but don't make assumptions!

13.Correct answer is A. People may sometimes be late in this part of the world, but you should always arrive on time.

14.Correct answer is C. Humour can be a useful tool as long as you use it appropriately and don't make culturally insensitive jokes.

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Part III. COMMUNICATION STYLES

Unit 1.

Behaviour and culture

Active Vocabulary complex – сложный

unintentionally – непреднамеренно, невольно, случайно compound – усугублять, осложнять

analogous – аналогичный, сходный, имеющий аналогию be aware of – осознавать, знать, быть в курсе

subtle – едва заметный, малозаметный, трудно уловимый influence – влияние, воздействие; оказывать влияние, влиять pucker – морщить, нахмуривать

remedy – устранить, вылечивать, исправить persistent – устойчивый, упорный divergent – расходящийся, отклоняющийся

preconceive – заранее составить себе мнение, судить заранее overgeneralized – чрезмерно обобщенный

perpetuate – увековечить, сохранять inaccuracy – неточность, неаккуратность suspicion – недоверие, подозрение prejudice – предрассудок, предубеждение impulse – побуждение, импульс, толчок

Exercise 1. Read the following text.

TEXT A

Communication and Culture

[A] “Intercultural Communication” is communication between members of different cultures. This definition is simple, but the process is complex. Intercultural communication involves differing perceptions, attitudes, and interpretations. We know that even two people from the same culture can have communication problems. People can unintentionally hurt each other by something they say or

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do. Isn’t it logical, then, that communication problems can be compounded among people who do not have the benefit of shared experiences (i.e., language and culture)?

[B] Cultures do not communicate; individuals do. Everyone has a unique style of communication, but cultures determine a general style for their members. The relationship of the individual to his culture is analogous to an actor and his director. The actor puts his own personality into his acting but is nevertheless influenced by the director. We are not always aware of the subtle influences of our culture. Likewise, we may not perceive that others are influenced by their cultures as well.

Misinterpretations

[C]Problems and misinterpretations do not result every time members from two cultures communicate. However, when cultural conflicts do arise, they may be perceived as personal rather than cultural. In the following example it is a cultural misunderstanding that creates negative feelings and confusion:

A young woman from one culture is looking out of the window and sees a male acquaintance from another culture. He signals to her by puckering his lips. She quickly looks away from the window. Later she ignores him. He is confused and she is angry.

The misunderstanding was due to the woman’s failure to understand the man’s nonverbal signal. In her culture, his gesture conveys a sexual advance. According to his culture, he was only saying (nonverbally), “Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.” The woman’s misinterpretation resulted in her angry reaction and his confusion. If the two had known more about each other’s nonverbal cues, they could have avoided the cultural conflict.

[D]Some misunderstandings are insignificant and can be easily ignored or remedied. Other conflicts are more serious in that they can cause misinterpretations and create persistent negative attitudes toward foreigners.

Ethnocentrism

[E]Difficulties in intercultural communication arise when there is little or no awareness of divergent cultural values and beliefs. In

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