TEACHER- SHAHED RAHMAN

Techniques of Cross-Cultural Communication

Introduction

Business has become more Global

Communication across cultures effectively improves your productivity and efficiency and promotes harmonious work environments

Cross communication involves understanding cultural differences and overcoming language problems

PROBLEMS OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Culture is often improperly assumed to be the cause of miscommunication

It is easy to over generalize cultural practices

Two major kinds of cultural differences affect communication Body Positions and Movements Differences in views and practices

concerning various factors of human relationship

Body Positions and Movements

Body positions and movement differ among cultures In some cultures people sit, in

some cultures people squatManners of walking differ

among cultures Communication with body

parts ( hands, arms, head, etc)Hand gestures differ by

culturesTouching and HandshakingEye Movements

Views and Practices Concerning Factors of Human Relationships

Differing attitudes toward various factors of human relationships cause communication problems

Time Views about time differ widely. Some cultures stress punctuality;

some do not.Space

In some cultures, people want to be far apart; in other cultures, they want to be close

Odors Some cultures view body odors as bad, others view them as

normalFrankness

High context cultures are more frank and explicit than low-context cultures

Intimacy of Relationships

Intimacy among people varies in different cultures

How people view superior & subordinate relations also differs

The role of women

Values

Each culture has a different values concerning such matters as attitude toward work

Employee- employer relations

Expression of Emotions

Social behavior varies by culture. Such as practices concerning affection, laughter, and emotion

We must recognize them, look for them and understand them.

Effects on Business Communication Techniques

Cultural Differences affect Communication Our communication techniques are not

universally acceptable You must modify your communications to fit

the culture of your recipient

PROBLEMS OF LANGUAGE

Lack of Language Equivalency Differences among languages make equivalent translations

difficult Prove the point Grammar and syntax differences add to the difficulty Multiple meanings of the Words Words with the same meaning can differ in usage by culture Use back translating for important communications

Difficulties in using English English is the primary language of international business Many nonnatives have problems using English

Example – Pass away – cash in – end up

Culturally derived Words

Culturally derived words, specially slang, cause problems

So avoid slang Words derived from sports, social activities,

and so on cause problems Colloquialisms also cause problems

Example – head for home Nuts ( crazy )

Thank You

Afrikaans (Southern Africa) DankieEnglish (Australia) Ta Cantonese (China) [for service] M goi Bengali (Bangladesh) Dhanyabad Malay (Malaysia, Brunei) Terima kasih Russian (Russia) Spasibo German (Central Europe) Danke

schön Arabic (Middle East) Shukran French (France,Canada) Merci