新鲜的事物跨文化较完整版

2021年1月19日发(作者：势能)

跨文化较完整版


【
DEFINITION
】

Intercultural communication
There are three kinds of things you need to learn if you want to be
able to communicate effectively with Westerners. First, you need to
learn a foreign language, usually English. Second, you should learn as
much as possible about Western cultures. However, studying English
language and Western culture is not enough. You should also learn
something about what happens when people from different cultures
try to communicate with each other
—
in other words,
communication.

Culture
Culture is a learned pattern of behavior, and
is a way in
which a
person lives his life. It is an integral part of every society, and creates
a
feeling
of
belonging
and
togetherness
among
the
people
of
that
society.
Culture
encompasses
various
aspects
of
communication,
attitude, etiquette, beliefs, values, customs, norms, food, art, jewelry,
clothing styles, etc. Every society has a different culture, which gives
it an identity and uniqueness
People
from
different
cultures
live
in
different
regions,
have
different jobs, have different ethnic backgrounds, and so forth.

Stereotypes
It is a derogatory word. It means that image, idea, character that
has
become
fixed
or
standardized
in
a
conventional
form
without
individuality
and
is
therefore
false
and
shallow.
Stereotypes
may
have a basis in fact, but they are too broad and shallow, and they give
us the mistaken idea that a people’s culture can be
summed up easily
in
a
few
short,
simple
statements.
Stereotypes
are
also
dangerous
because
they
may
trick
us
into
believing
that
knowing
a
few
stereotypes is the same thing as understanding another culture.

Interpretation
Interpretation
is
a
very
important
aspect
of
intercultural
communication. It is the process of deciding what foreigners’ words
and actions mean and why they do what they do. Interpretation is a
part of all communication---- even the most simple conversations.

Individualist
Individualist
culture
is
one
in
which
people
tend
to
view
themselves as individuals and emphasize the needs of individuals. In
general,
Western
culture
tends
to
be
individualist.
They
view
themselves as independent of collectives; are primarily motivated by

their
own
preferences,
needs,
rights,
and
the
contacts
they
have
established with others; give priority to their personal goals over the
goals of others; and emphasize rational analyses of the advantages
and disadvantages to associating with others.

Collectivist
Collectivist culture is one in which people tend to view themselves
as
members
of
groups
(families,
work
units,
tribes,
nations),
and
usually consider the needs of the group to be more important than
the needs of individuals. Most Asian cultures, including China's, tend
to
be
collectivist.
People
see
themselves
as
parts
of
one
or
more
collectives;
are
primarily
motivated
by
the
norms
of,
and
duties
imposed by, those collectives; are willing to give priority to the goals
of
these
collectives
over
their
own
personal
goals;
and
emphasize
their connectedness to members of these cultures.

Hierarchy
Every
society
has
hierarchy
to
some
degree.
In
other
words,
some people have higher rank and more power than others, perhaps
because
they
are
older,
stronger,
wealthier,
or
have
some
kind
of
official position. On the other hand, however, most modern societies
also believe that equality is a virtue, at least to some extent. So each
culture
needs
to
find
its
own
balance
between
hierarchy
and
equality.

1)
Westerners
generally
have
less
respect
for
seniority
—

age,
position
and
so
forth
—

than
would
be
the
case
in
a
collectivist
culture.

2)
Western
societies
often
try
to
limit
the
power
of
government
officials.

3)
Westerners
tend
to
have
a
somewhat
suspicious
and
even
negative view of power and authority

Culture shock/culture fatigue
Culture shock is a feeling of being confused and overwhelmed by
life
in
another
culture.
People
who
experience
culture
shock
often
feel fatigued, impatient and irritable. They may also begin trying to
avoid
interaction
with
foreigners,
and
even
become
increasingly
critical
and
hostile
toward
them.
Foreigners
in
China
sometimes
experience culture shock
—
and so do Chinese who go to live in other
countries.

Low context
Low
context
culture,
in
which
context
is
not
assumed
to
be
understood, messages are explicit, direct, and completely encoded in

words,
and
meaning
is
entrusted
almost
entirely
to
words.
Low
context
communication
is
just
the
opposite
of
high-context
communication. it
’s the mass of information is rested in the explicit
code, e.g. American German.

High context communication
High context culture rely on the context, either the actual physical
environment
of
communication
or
an
internalized
social
context
or
both, or con
vey a large part or even all of a message’s meaning.
High
context communication is a kind of communication in which most of
the
information
is
already
in
the
person;
while
very
little
is
in
the
coded,
explicitly
transmitted
part
of
the
message,
e.g.
Chinese,
Japanese.

Projected cultural similarity
Projected cultural similarity is the tendency to assume that people
from other cultures basically think and feel more the same way we do.
In
other
words,
we
sometimes
assume
that
while
foreigners
may
look
different,
dress
differently,
and
speak
different
languages,

we
are
all
more
or
less
the
same
People
from
different
culture
assume
they
understand
each
other
instead
of
asking
each
other what they think. Because they each expect the other person to
react more or less the same way they would, they don't check to see
whether or not the other person actually has the same feelings and
reactions they would.

“Loose” cultures

Loose culture doesn’
t demand a high degree of conformity. In loose
cultures, people have a relatively wide range of views as to what is
considered normal behavior. They also tend to be relatively tolerant
of behavior that does not conform to cultural norms. And there is less
pressure on individuals within the same culture to behave the same
way most other people in the culture do.

“Tight” cultures

expect
a
relatively
high
degree
of
conformity.
There
is
a
clear
consensus as to what is and is not acceptable behavior and there is
more pressure on people to conform to the norms of the culture.



Here is an example of how people deal with people who are born
left-handed. In tight cultures, children who favor their left hand are
encouraged or even forced to use their right hand instead, and the
percentage
of
left-handed
people
in
the
adult
population
is
much
smaller.


Ethnocentrism

the tendency to think of one’s own culture as
being at the center of the world in other words, to assume that one’s
own culture's way of thinking and acting is more natural, normal, and
correct than the way people from other cultures think and act.

Ingroups & Outgroups
In-
Groups:
“In
-
groups”
are
the
people
we
have
the
most
in
common
with
and
identify
most
closely
with,
such
as
our
family,
classmates,
or
co-workers.
We
also
have
larger
in-groups
such
as
people who are from our own region, religious group, ethnic group,
or nation.
Out-groups: out groups are those groups of people who we do not
identify with ---people from other families, regions, ethnic groups, or
nations.
Toward
outsiders,
we
tend
to
be
more
critical,
suspicious,
and willing to pass harsh judgments.

War stories
The
term
“war
stories”
originally
referred
to
the
kinds
of
stories
soldiers
would
tell
after
experiences
in
battle.
Now
“war
stories”
refers
more
generally
to
any
stories
people
tell
after
strange
or
stressful
experiences,
including
stories
about
unusual
encounters
with
foreigners.
War
stories
naturally
tend
to
be
biased
against
outsides, so they tend to reinforce negative views toward foreigners.
What’s
more,
negat
ive
views
based
on
an
experience
with
one
foreigner
are
often
used
as
evidence
to
draw
conclusions
about
foreigners in general.

【
ANSWER QUESTIONS IN DETAIL
】

What are the problems in intercultural communication?
intercultural communication
定义

1) Six stumbling blocks

2) Assuming more cultural similarities leads to misunderstanding

3) Language difference

4)
Misinterpreting
verbal
communication
and
body
language
from
other country 5) Stereotype and preconceptions

6) Evaluate before really understanding

7) Interact with foreigners stressfully and suffer from culture shock

8) Tend to generalize or simplify

9) Tend to define groups by a few key characteristic


10) Assume everyone is similar