1. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
大学英语 跨文化交际
Chapter 4
Intercultural Communication Barriers
黑龙江大学外语部

2. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Quotation
What sets us against one another is not our aims—they all come to the same thing—but our methods.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery

3. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Learning Objectives
In this chapter, students will learn how to:
1. understand some barriers caused by emotional problems.
2. comprehend some barriers caused by attitudinal problems.
3. analyze various reasons for the persistence of ethnocentrism, stereotyping, prejudice and racism.
4. perceive and deal with some barriers caused by translation problems. 3

4. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Chapter Outline
Assuming Similarity Instead of Difference
Ethnocentrism
Vocabulary Equivalence
Stereotyping
Intercultural Communication Barriers
Translation Problems
Anxiety and Uncertainty
Emotional Problems
Prejudice
Racism
Reasons for the Persistence of Ethnocentrism, Stereotyping, Prejudice and Racism
Idiomatic Equivalence
Grammatical-Syntactical Equivalence
Experiential Equivalence
Conceptual Equivalence
Attitudinal Problems

5. Lead-in Case: Chinese Hospitality — Overdone
Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Lead-in Case: Chinese Hospitality — Overdone
Read the case and consider the questions in the right column.
How do you comment on the behaviors of Hong and Joe respectively?
If you were Joe, how would you respond to such situations?
What suggestions would you like to give Hong on hosting a friend from another culture?

6. Text A Emotional Problems as Barriers to Intercultural Communication
Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Text A Emotional Problems as Barriers to Intercultural Communication
▲ Pre-reading Task:
Please discuss in groups whether communicating with people from another culture is a simple process. And then try to present the actual unsuccessful intercultural communication scenes to the whole class. Let your classmates analyze the exact reasons why the communication events cannot be smooth.

7. 1. Anxiety and Uncertainty
Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
1. Anxiety and Uncertainty
Activity: Questionnaire for the Assessment of Anxiety and Uncertainty
The purpose of this questionnaire is to help you assess the amount of anxiety and uncertainty you generally experience when you communicate with strangers: (Note. You can determine the amount of anxiety and uncertainty you experience when communicating with the "strangers" in each of the statements.) Respond to each statement by indicating the degree to which the adjectives are applicable when you interact with strangers. If you never have the experience, answer 1 in the space provided; if you almost never have the experience, answer 2; if you sometimes have the experience and sometimes do not, answer 3; if you almost always have the experience, answer 4; if you always have the experience, answer 5.
(1) I am not confident when I communicate with strangers.
(2) I can interpret strangers' behavior when we communicate.
(3) I am indecisive when I communicate with strangers.
(4) I can explain strangers' behavior when we communicate.
(5) I am notable to understand strangers when we communicate.
(6) I know what to do when I communicate with strangers.
(7) I am uncertain how to behave when I communicate with strangers.
(8) I can comprehend strangers' behavior when we communicate.
(9) I am not able to predict strangers' behavior when we communicate.
(10) I can describe strangers' behavior when we communicate.

8. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
To find your scores, first reverse the responses for the even-numbered items (if you wrote 1, make it 5; if you wrote 2, make it 4; if you wrote 3, leave it as 3; if you wrote 4, make it 2; if you wrote 5, make it 1). Next, add the numbers next to each of the items. Scores range from 10 to 50. The higher your score, the more anxiety and uncertainty you experience when interacting with others.
[Source: Adapted from W. B. Gudykunst, Bridging Differences, by Sage Publications. Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications.]

9. 2. Assuming Similarity Instead of Difference
Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
2. Assuming Similarity Instead of Difference
A Danish Woman in New York

10. What can the following two pictures tell us?
Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
What can the following two pictures tell us?
We are more alike than unlike .

11. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Text B
Attitudinal Problems as Barriers
to Intercultural Communication
▲ Pre-reading Task:
Form groups of 4 or 5 and discuss whether you have come across any discriminating descriptions of people owing to their different national, ethnic or regional origins? 11

12. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Attitudinal Problems Include:
1. Ethnocentrism
2. Stereotyping
3. Prejudice
4. Racism 12

13. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
1. Ethnocentrism
Most other cultures are backward compared with my culture.
My culture should be the role model for other cultures.
Other cultures should try to be more like my culture.
Most people from other cultures just don’t know what’s good
for them.
I have little respect for the values and customs of other cultures.
Most people would be happier if they lived like people in my
culture.
People in my culture have just about the best lifestyles of
anywhere.
Lifestyles in other cultures are not as valid as those in my culture.
I do not cooperate with people who are different.
I do not trust people who are different.
I dislike interacting with people from different cultures.
Other cultures are smart to look up to my culture.
Other people are much the same as my people.
Our way of doing things is the only right way. 13

14. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
2. Stereotyping
Stereotyping
Definition
Dimensions
Categories
Direction
Intensity
Specificity
Consensus
Accuracy 14

15. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
What opposing stereotypes do these two images refer to? 15

16. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
3. Prejudice
Activity: Expressing Opinions
What do you think of women in power? 16

17. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
4. Racism
Activity: Reflection
Have you ever avoided physical contact with people from other races? If yes, why do you do so? 17

18. What do you think of the following pictures?
Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
What do you think of the following pictures?

19. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Text C Translation Problems
as Language Barriers
▲ Pre-reading Task:
Please translate the following items into Chinese or English and then compare your translations to the exact meanings conferred by the original expressions in either Chinese or English. Then discuss what problems you have in translating them.
motel
lucky dog
landlord
as wise as an owl
嫦娥奔月
狗仗人势
集体主义
四小龙 19

20. Translation Problems Include:
Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Translation Problems Include:
Lack Of
Idiomatic Equivalence
Grammatical-Syntactical Equivalence
Experiential Equivalence
Conceptual Equivalence
Vocabulary Equivalence 20

21. Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Activity: Pair work
Do you often use Chinese cultural and social norms and rules to organize what you say in English? What is the effect?
List some examples:
Chinese Version
English
Version
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3 21

22. Translate the following items:
Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Translate the following items:
Group 1:
yellow-bellied yellow streak
Group 2:
break a leg read between the lines
hold your horses raining cats and dogs 22

23. Translate the following items:
Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Translate the following items:
Group 3:
plan a table table a plan
book a place place a book
lift a thumb thumb a lift

24. Translate the following items:
Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Translate the following items:
Group 4:
motel parliament Thanksgiving
炕 太极 文化大革命

25. Translate the following items:
Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Translate the following items:
5. Lack of Conceptual Equivalence
freedom 自由
corruption pup’ae

26. Now, let’s summarize the key points of this chapter!
Chapter 4 Intercultural Communication Barriers
Now, let’s summarize the key points of this chapter! 26

27. Thank you!