2. Both of our texts discuss problems that arise when intercultural communication occurs
in several specific contexts. Choose either the educational or health care/medical context,
and discuss these problems and ways to overcome them.
Intercultural communication problems occur when students or teachers cross into
another's culture and study or work within the educational system. They are often not
prepared for the differences in communication styles, complexity of the language, and
hierarchy roles. The "starting point for developing intercultural competence in the
education context is to understand one's own cultural background." (Lustig & Koester
313) This is mainly aimed toward the teachers and administrators, but I feel it is also
relevant to the student as well. This statement indicates that to understand how another
culture works, we must first understand how our own culture works. What are our
conversational rules, verbal and nonverbal cues, and social and professional interaction
styles?
One of the primary issues with foreign students in any culture, and teachers dealing with
non-native children, is the concept of hierarchy. In some cultures, the teacher/student
relationship is that of high reverence and respect, where others are social and equal. In
the US, "professors encourage students to call them by their first names". (Lustig &
Koester 310) American students also challenge and question what the teacher has to say
because "questions are used explicitly to measure pupils attentiveness and absorption of
knowledge". (Bonvillain 382) "Questions function as a control mechanism." (Bonvillain
382) Questions aid the teacher on how to construct the conversation and how to control
where the conversation goes. This is often difficult for students from cultures where the
teacher is held in such high regard. In some cultures, the students "do not openly and
directly question the authority and statements of a teacher". (Lustig & Koester 310) To
do so would disrupt the harmony of the setting and the teacher would lose "face" in front
of the other students. In a society based on collectivism, willingness to speak out in
class, which is valued highly in an individualistic society, are viewed as "too competitive
as they disrupt the group's harmony and separate people from each other". (Lustig and
Koester 311)
For students entering another culture to study, it would benefit the student to do some
preliminary research on how the culture's education system works. This way they do not
feel alienated and understand how the students of that culture view the education system.
However, it is up to the teacher to understand that not all of their students are from their
own culture. If they have students from a culture that "refrains from behavior that
isolates their performance in a competitive manner in front of peers" (Bonvillain 382), as
in the Native American culture, they need to understand that the student is not
comfortable making themselves stand out in class. A one-on-one session during office
hours, or after school may ensure that the student is understanding what is going on, or at
least understand that the student will approach them individually when a problem arises,
and not during class time. Many cultures are "unwilling to volunteer, speak out, or raise
problems or concerns unless the teacher specifically call on them". (Lustig & Koester
310) "Teachers and administrators need to recognize their culture's influence on
expectations about how classrooms should operate and how students should behave."
(Lustig & Koester 314) By recognizing that student from other cultures behave and
interact differently, then every student can be given equal attention and a chance to excel
in their own way.
Another thing teacher and administrators need to understand is the importance of family
in some cultures. Some cultures deem their worth based on the child’s success in school.
In Thai and Filipino cultures, “by excelling in school, children bring honor to their family
while preparing for future success that will further enhance family stature.” (Lustig &
Koester 312) Also, in Asian cultures, a “teacher’s request for a routine conference may
be met with a sense of skepticism or a deep concern that a disobedient child may have
dishonored the family”. (Lustig & Koester 313) By not recognizing these culturally
significant ideologies, the teacher or administrator can put undo pressure on a student of
these backgrounds, further hurting the student’s performance by creating unnecessary
anxiety.
Even in the same culture, administrators can create a level of anxiety within students that
are familiar with the communicative behavior or their own culture. “Numerous linguistic
mechanisms were used by authorities in the process of ‘routinely inducing’ others
(teachers/parents) to agree.” (Bonvillain 384) During parent-teacher conferences,
administrators would use vague and technical terminology, without explaining the
meaning, backed up by statistical methods and “objective” data. By doing this to lowerstatus participants, the administrator would not be questioned because of his position and
“methods” to determine the student’s performance. Through this, the “European
American culture has tended to dominate educational systems, often making it difficult
for students and parents from other cultures to participate effectively in schools”. (Lustig
& Koester 308) The administrators should be taken out of the equation, because the
teacher is aware of the student’s weaknesses and can address them, and aid the child in
becoming a better student.
3. Both of our texts note that becoming fluent in the language of a new culture is not
enough to ensure competent communication. What else does the successful intercultural
communicator need to know/do?
“Intercultural communication competence requires more than just an accurate translation
of the verbal and nonverbal codes that other’s use. The ‘logic’ of how those codes are
organized and used must also be understood.” (Lustig & Koester 239) Each culture has
a unique way of presenting their thoughts and expressing them through writing and
speech. The proper way is taught formally in the culture’s school system. “Children
need to learn how to converse in a relevant, coherent manner. They need to learn the
complex rules that organize talk.” (Bonvillain 287) Most competent communication is
taught from a young age in an educational setting. It is through this education, they learn
how the verbal and nonverbal cues work. However, as adults, learning to be competent
communicator with another culture is often difficult because, even though we know the
language, does not mean we understand the culture and correct way to interact with
others of that culture.
One thing to understand is the art of persuasion. “There are differences in what cultures
consider to be acceptable evidence, who is regarded as an authority, how evidence in
used to create persuasive arguments, and what ideas are reasonable.” (Lustig & Koester
244) By understanding how a particular culture enters the world of persuasion, many
confusions can be avoided. By knowing the above quote, then an individual can research
a culture and find what they hold as significant when it comes to evidence, who is the
most important in the conversation, and how to present the evidence relevant to that
culture. Another important concept is the style of persuasion. “Cultures differ in the way
people prefer to arrange the evidence, assumptions, and claims; this constitutes the
culture’s ‘persuasive style’.” (Lustig & Koester 244) Different cultures use different
methods when presenting evidence.
1. Quasilogical – statistics and testimony
2. Presentational – appeals to the emotional aspect
3. Analogical – story-telling
Another thing a communicator needs to know is the structure of the conversation. The
six things one must understand is how a culture defines the following: how long one talks
in a turn, the nature of the relationship between the conversants, what topics can be
discussed, the way the information is presented, the signals used to identify interest and
involvement, and if the conversation is deemed useful, important, and necessary. (Lustig
& Koester 253)
Also, silence plays a big role in every culture. In some cultures, “silence is viewed
negatively. It conveys awkwardness, embarrassment, hostility, disinterest, disapproval,
shyness, unwillingness to communicate, lack of verbal skills, expression of interpersonal
incomparability”. (Lustig & Koester 253) However, in most Asian cultures, silence is
golden. There is an “emphasis on the meaning of silence and on saying nothing or as
little as possible”. (Lustig & Koester 253) One needs to know when to speak and to
remain silent. If each culture can get a general understanding of this concept, then many
misunderstandings can be avoided.
The knowledge of silence and persuasion also enter into the realm of politeness.
Politeness takes into consideration not only the speaker, but the listener as well. To work
well with many Asian cultures, one must understand the concept of “face” and how to
interact with others. In Asian cultures, the “emphasis is on the social roles that people
have in relationships with others… [they] all emphasize the social role or the
interpersonal community in which a particular person is embedded. The style is very
formal and heightens awareness of status differences by accentuating them.” (Lustig &
Koester 257) Japan has a specific term for this called “omoiyari” or “empathy with
others”. (Bonvillain 274) Both the speakers and listeners respond to each other, taking
the others feelings, attitudes and needs to heart. Silence comes into play because
“indirect expression is favored over explicit statements of opinions and wants”.
(Bonvillain 274)
Lustig and Koester state it best, “ Developing competence in the practical, everyday use
of verbal and nonverbal codes is undoubtedly a major challenge for the intercultural
communicator.” (Lustig & Koester 258) Through understanding of conversation
structure, the importance of silence, how to persuade others, and knowing how to do this
within the other culture’s parameters can intercultural competence be obtained.