InterculturalCommunication
DistanceandSincerity
Q:LOOKATTHECHARTBELOWANDTHENWRITEASHORTESSERY.
Whentalkingbetweenyouandyourfriendwhoiscomingfromdifferentcountry,ifyoudesiretoshowyourexcellentsidetohimorcommunicatewithotherssmoothlyandletbothsidesfeelpleasedintheconversation,inmyopinion,knowingyourselfandknowingyourenemy,youwillwineverywar.“Cultureisthecollectiveprogrammingofthemindwhichdistinguishesthemembersofonecategoryofpeoplefromanother.”Asisknowntousall,differentcountryhasdifferentculture.Theinterculturecommunicationisjustlikeabattle,ifyouwanttowinhistrust,achieveasuccessfultalking,andwinthebattle,onekeypointtoknowhimviathewaythatjustastheproverbgoeslikethis:WheninRome,doastheRome’sdo.
Alanguageisboththecarrierandexpressionformofculture.Itisalsooneoftheimportantcomponentsofculture.Languagecannotbeapartfromtheculture.Iwillchoseoneaspect,distancezone,toexplainmypointofview.
AmongArab,Asian,andNorthAmericanarethereanydifferencesoninterpersonaldistance?Theanswerisquiteobviouslyillustratedonthefigure.InArab,theinterpersonaldistancezoneisabout1.0feet,ifoneoverstepthislimitation,itisnotarightwaytoexpressone’sfriendship.
AndinAsiantheinterpersonaldistancezoneisnearly2.0feet,maybeitisabout1.8feetandasforNorthAmerican,theinterpersonaldistancezoneisover2.0feetandapproximately2.5feet.InordertoavoidtheembarrassmentjustlikethebehaviorbetweenArabmanagerandhisAmericancounterpart.We’dbetterknowthedistancezoneclearly.
Knowingthedistancezoneisnotenoughandwhataretheoptimalinterpersonaldistancesforpeoplefromthethreedifferentcultures?AsfarasIamconcerned,whentalkingtoafriendcomesfromArab,wearesupposedtokeepadistanceat1.0feet;andwhenweencounterafriendcomesfromAsian,we’dbetterkeepthedistanceat2.0feet;whenwemeetafriendcomesfromNorthAmerican,payattentiontotheinterpersonaldistancethatcontrolyourselfinthedistanceat2.5feet.Inaword,anoptimalinterpersonaldistancemakesaperfecttalking,atleastletbothsidesfeelcomfortableandshowrightlytheclosenessinbilateralrelationship.
Asmentioned?in?this?text,when?we?come?together?with?a?personfroma?different?culture,we?may?feel?uncertain,apprehensive?and?anxious.Such?feelings?are?stressful.AccordingtothetextshowsandwhywastheAmericanmanagersurprisedwhentheArabmanagersteppedclosertohimandwhataretheculturalfactorsbehindtheirdifferentbehaviors?AsIshowingbelowinArabculture,especiallytheinterpersonaldistancezone,itisabout1.0feet.That’smaybeaperfectdistancetoshowtheirfriendlyandgoodintentionbutinNorthAmerican,itisnotaproperdistancebetweentalkingwithothers.Intheirmind,1.0feetisinvadinghisterritory,thatisnotshowingthegoodintention,thatisaggression.Theclosedistancewillmakethemfeeluncomfortableandevenangryoraversion.Andit’sunwisetoshowthesincerityjustfollowingownfeeling.NorthAmericancultureisbasedonindividualismratherthanoncollectivism.Forinstance,intheUS,youalwaystalkaboutindividualrights,insteadofplacingthewholesocietyaboveyourownself.ThisisclearlydifferentinArabwhereacountry,societyorfamilyareplacedaboveyourownself.weshouldtakethedifferentcountry’sculturefactorsintoconsideration.Asaresulttheculturefactorsofdistanceisterriblysignificantincommunication.
IfIweretheAmericanmanage,facingthecasethattheArabmanagersteppingcloserandclosertome,maybeIwillalsostepbackquietlyandsoasnottospoilthenicetalkbyatrivialmatterandmakebothsidesembarrassed.IfIjustliketheonewhosebackistouchingthewall,IwillsaytohimhumorouslyandshowsomesignsinunderstandingtheArab’smove,andjuststeppedbackabittokeepthedistancelethimknowtheinterpersonaldistanceandmakingmyselffellgood.Ifthereissuchaconditionthatatthefirstofthecommunication,wewilltalktoeachotherbybeingseatandtrynottostandingfacetoface.Wewillchattingwhiledrinkingsomethingtoavoidsuchanembarrasssituation.
Inmodernsociety,globalculturalhomogeneityhasimmenselyenrichedthelivesofthedenizensindevelopingcountries.Wehavetokeepinourmindthatthecommunicationstrategiesweusepersonswithwhomwearefamiliarmaybenotbeeffectivewithpersonsfromotherculture.Thus,wehavetoadaptandadjustourcommunicationstyle.Maybeinterculturecommunicationisfarfrommylife,butasaEnglishmajorstudenttoknowtheculturefromdifferentcountriesisabetterresourceincaseIencounterwiththeforeigners.
2.0
10
4.0
0
Arab
Asian
NorthAmerican
Interpersonaldistancezone(feet)
6.0
8.0
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