When people from different cultures contact each other there may be a lot of communicative problems. These problems arise from differences in cultural experiences, manners, beliefs, values, expectations, languages, and religions (Chaney, 2009). Words which mean one thing in one country may not mean the same thing in other countries. Accepting, learning and following other cultural dictates will avoid many mistakes in the communicative process. But Intercultural communication is a suitable platform to learn and know about the others’ attitudes, values, experiences, manners, expectations, and cultures. When two countries partners are communicating the first time, I think it might be difficult for them. Suppose one is native English speaker and other is Nepali guy then they have cultural diversity and the first time they might have difficulty to understand each other. But similarly when we talk with other English speaker but he is from South Asia so it’s easy for communication because we have the same culture and we can understand them. Similarly, Many Americans have trouble when communicating with foreigners. They try hard, but they often do not understand each other. Because American and South Asian and South African foreigners have huge cultural differences. Cultural differences in attitudes, values, mores, and manners, an important factor for effective communication. So when we learn and know others’ attitudes, values, experiences, manners, expectations, and cultures it’s easy for communication (Dahl, 2004). Many occasions provide opportunities for intercultural contact. For example, businessmen from one country travel to other countries for their business. Students study in other countries. These examples demonstrate how possible and necessary it is for people from different cultures to communicate with each other. It is inevitable that when communication takes place between two cultures, problems arise. Much of the difficulty in intercultural communication is not just a matter of understanding the words, but of understanding nonverbal signals that are generally encoded automatically within a single culture so that communicators are unconscious of them.
In today’s workplace, a global environment where cultures mix and multiple languages are spoken is valuable. This is an exciting time to be in business, but it can have its challenges if you are a non-native English speaker or you are the native speaker and you talking with non - native may also challenge in business (Geertz, 1999). I think overall the best thing you can do is to listen more, read more, and pay attention to what people sound like and how they say what they need to say. Whether you deal with non-native English speakers often or rarely, this advice will help you to communicate more effectively and smoothly.
Avoid Idioms, Jargons, and Slang words: When speaking English to your overseas staff, avoid any sort of confusion by using more formal English and staying away from jargon and slang words that wouldn’t be recognized in other parts of the world. Speaking slowly doesn’t hurt either.
Do not cover or hide your mouth because listeners will want to watch you as you pronounce your words
Do not use baby talk or incorrect English: This does not make you easier to understand. It will confuse your listener and may give the wrong impression about your own level of competence.
Avoid running words together (Do-ya wanna eat-a-pizza?): One of the biggest challenges for listeners is knowing where one word ends and the next one begins. Give them a small pause between words if they seem to be struggling.
Avoid verb phrases that sound very similar to non-native English speaker: “Look out” sounds very close to “look for.” Both are similar to “look out for.” Many times you can use another word in these cases. (Example: look out = be careful, look for = search for, look out for = watch for)
References
Chaney, L.(2009) (Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed). Intercultural Business Communication. America: Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Dahl, S. (2004). Cross-cultural advertising research: What do we know about them. Middlesex, U.K.: Middlesex University Discussion .
Geertz, C. (1999) The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: New York: Basic Books.
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When people from different cultures contact each other there may be a lot of communicative problems. These problems arise from differences in cultural experiences, manners, beliefs, values, expectations, languages, and religions (Chaney, 2009). Words which mean one thing in one country may not mean the same thing in other countries. Accepting, learning and following other cultural dictates will avoid many mistakes in the communicative process. But Intercultural communication is a suitable platform to learn and know about the others’ attitudes, values, experiences, manners, expectations, and cultures. When two countries partners are communicating the first time, I think it might be difficult for them. Suppose one is native English speaker and other is Nepali guy then they have cultural diversity and the first time they might have difficulty to understand each other. But similarly when we talk with other English speaker but he is from South Asia so it’s easy for communication because we have the same culture and we can understand them. Similarly, Many Americans have trouble when communicating with foreigners. They try hard, but they often do not understand each other. Because American and South Asian and South African foreigners have huge cultural differences. Cultural differences in attitudes, values, mores, and manners, an important factor for effective communication. So when we learn and know others’ attitudes, values, experiences, manners, expectations, and cultures it’s easy for communication (Dahl, 2004). Many occasions provide opportunities for intercultural contact. For example, businessmen from one country travel to other countries for their business. Students study in other countries. These examples demonstrate how possible and necessary it is for people from different cultures to communicate with each other. It is inevitable that when communication takes place between two cultures, problems arise. Much of the difficulty in intercultural communication is not just a matter of understanding the words, but of understanding nonverbal signals that are generally encoded automatically within a single culture so that communicators are unconscious of them.
In today’s workplace, a global environment where cultures mix and multiple languages are spoken is valuable. This is an exciting time to be in business, but it can have its challenges if you are a non-native English speaker or you are the native speaker and you talking with non - native may also challenge in business (Geertz, 1999). I think overall the best thing you can do is to listen more, read more, and pay attention to what people sound like and how they say what they need to say. Whether you deal with non-native English speakers often or rarely, this advice will help you to communicate more effectively and smoothly.
Avoid Idioms, Jargons, and Slang words: When speaking English to your overseas staff, avoid any sort of confusion by using more formal English and staying away from jargon and slang words that wouldn’t be recognized in other parts of the world. Speaking slowly doesn’t hurt either.
Do not cover or hide your mouth because listeners will want to watch you as you pronounce your words
Do not use baby talk or incorrect English: This does not make you easier to understand. It will confuse your listener and may give the wrong impression about your own level of competence.
Avoid running words together (Do-ya wanna eat-a-pizza?): One of the biggest challenges for listeners is knowing where one word ends and the next one begins. Give them a small pause between words if they seem to be struggling.
Avoid verb phrases that sound very similar to non-native English speaker: “Look out” sounds very close to “look for.” Both are similar to “look out for.” Many times you can use another word in these cases. (Example: look out = be careful, look for = search for, look out for = watch for)
References
Chaney, L.(2009) (Intercultural Business Communication, 4th ed). Intercultural Business Communication. America: Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Dahl, S. (2004). Cross-cultural advertising research: What do we know about them. Middlesex, U.K.: Middlesex University Discussion .
Geertz, C. (1999) The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: New York: Basic Books.