1. Intercultural Communication
A Practical Coursebook
跨文化交际实用教程
Culture is a Bridge.

2. Unit An Introduction

3. Objectives Learn the purpose of learning the course.
Learn the notions of Culture, Communication and Intercultural Communication.
Learn the differences between Chinese and Western cultures

4. CONTENTS I. Warm-up Cases
II. What Is Culture, Communication and Intercultural Communication?
III. The Differences between Chinese and
Western Cultures
IV. Summary
V. Assignments

5. I. Warm-up Cases
Please discuss the cases in groups and make a comment on it.
Case 1: Showing Concern
In China:
Xiao Li (an interpreter): You must be very tired. You’re old…
Catherine (an elderly American lady): Oh, I’m NOT old, and I’m NOT tired.

6. Comment
What the interpreter said is quite courteous in China. It means, “If you are tired, we can take a little rest, since you are getting on in years.”
The interpreter gave the impression that he thought the elderly lady would collapse any minute if she doesn’t rest immediately.

7. A: How are you doing now? Would you like to rest? B: No, not a bit.
Comment
In the West, there is a value placed in being young that many people consciously, or subconsciously, are not willing to accept that they are growing old.
In the West:
A: How are you doing now? Would you like to rest?
B: No, not a bit.

8. The way of showing concern is different.
In China In theWest VS
statement
question
how
would
must

9. Case 2 First Offer Questions for discussion
A Canadian colleague and I traveled to Guilin with our admirable guide Heping Liu in very hot weather. Sightseeing is a thirsty business. We did not trust the water, and enjoyed excellent beer. We politely offered some to Heping but he refused. We said nothing and drank our beer, while poor Heping watched. On another day, Heping quickly accepted our offer of beer.
Questions for discussion
In your daily life, do you often accept first offer?
If yes, in what situation?

10. Comment Religious reasons Reformed alcoholic Modest Allergic Polite
Chinese
westerners
First offer
Religious reasons
Reformed alcoholic
Allergic
Modest
Polite
well-behaved
second or third offer

11. Discussion
I. Why take Intercultural Communication?

12. Why take Intercultural Communication?
People are different throughout the world, culturally, religiously, ideologically [,aidiə'lɔdʒikali] (思想上；意识形态上) and racially, actually different in almost every aspect, therefore we are supposed to know about their differences as much as possible, just for a smooth communication among the Homo sapiens(现代人), the people in the global village. You will make it by coming to Intercultural Communication.

13. The Purpose
The general purpose of this course is to understand the ways in which culture interrelates with and effects communication processes.
Intercultural learning involves affective and behavioral processes, as well as cognitive ones. Throughout this course, you will have the opportunity to gain knowledge, skills and attitudes that will increase your intercultural communication competence.

14. 2) To understand how communication processes differ among cultures.
The Objectives
1) To explore cultural self-awareness, other culture awareness and the dynamics that arise in interactions between the two.
2) To understand how communication processes differ among cultures.
3) To identify challenges that arise from these differences in intercultural interactions and learn ways to creatively address them.

15. 4) To acquire knowledge and develop skills that increase intercultural competence.
5) To have an understanding of the meaning of the cultures understood by the westerners and the easterners or the Chinese and Americans.

16. Development of Science &Technology
The Reasons
Development of Science &Technology 16

17. Globalization of Economy

18. Widespread Immigration

19. Development of Multiculturalism
International Communication跨国交际

20. Interracial Communication or minority communication跨种族交际 跨民族交际

21. II. What Is Culture?

22. 1. Define cultures yourself
Please write down whatever comes to your mind when you hear or think of culture.
Next, try to figure out how they are related to culture.

23. 2. Definitions of Culture
1) Culture is the total way of life that a group
of people shares.
2) Culture is a system of shared beliefs, values,
customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the
members of a society use to cope with their
world and with one another, and that are
transmitted from generation to generation
through learning.

24. 3) Culture is an Integrated system of learned behavior patterns which are characteristic of the members of a society and which are not the result of biological inheritance.
4) Culture is the deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, actions, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and artifacts acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving(努力,奋斗 ).

25. 5) Culture is the total accumulation of beliefs, customs, values, behaviors, institutions and communication patterns that are shared, learned and passed down through the generations in an identifiable group of people.

26. 3. Elements of Culture

27. 4. Three Ingredients of Culture
artifacts
concepts (beliefs,values, world views…)
behavior
e.g. Whereas the money is considered an artifact, then value placed on it is a concept, the actual spending and saving of the money is behavior.

28. 4) Culture is integrated. Culture is ethnocentric[,eθnəu'sentrik]
5. Characteristics of Culture
Culture is shared.
2)  Culture is learned.
3) Culture is based on symbols.
4) Culture is integrated.
5) Culture is subjective to change.
Culture is ethnocentric[,eθnəu'sentrik]
(民族中心主义的;种族优越感的) .
7) Culture is adaptive.

29. III. What Is Communication
Can you give some examples to explain the word communication?
What is communication?

30. 1.Definition of Communication
Generally speaking, communication can be defined as a dynamic, symbolic, transactional and contextual process in which people create shared meanings or messages.

31. 2.Basic aspects to Communication
Our individual personality
The culture we operate in
The physical environment that surrounds us
circumstances
successful communication
background, knowledge experiences

32. IV. What Is Intercultural Communication?

33. 1. Intercultural Communication Defined
Intercultural Communication means the exchange or communication between people who have different cultural backgrounds.

34. 2.Model of Intercultural Communication34

35. The more similarities two cultures share, the less influence culture will have on communication. Therefore, the less messages will be changed during communication.
The less the cultures are alike, the greater the influence of culture on communication will be, and the more likely the messages will be changed. Misunderstanding in intercultural communication often arises here.

36. Suppose Culture A : Chinese culture Culture B: Japanese culture
Culture C: American culture

37. 3. Barriers in Intercultural Communication
Language differences
Nonverbal communication
Stereotypes (陈规,成见 )
Cultural bias on judgments
High level of stress

38. V. The Differences
between Chinese
and Western
Cultures

39. 1. The attitudes by foreigners towards Chinese People
Saving Face
Hardworking
Formal

40. The attitudes by foreigners towards Chinese People
Insensitive to time
Tending to misunderstand
Beating
about the bush拐弯抹角

41. The attitudes by foreigners towards Chinese People
Obey but not Follow
Being doubtful
Beating content

42. The attitudes by foreigners towards Chinese People
Shanzai everywhere
Never kissed parents

43. 2. The attitudes by Chinese towards Westerners
Going Dutch
Kiss and hug anytime and anywhere

44. The attitudes by Chinese towards Westerners
Too frank
Being punctual
Mind your own business

45. ３．Man and Nation with the wishes of nature. (天人合一，顺天应物)
CC: Man is an integral part of nature, comply
with the wishes of nature.
(天人合一，顺天应物)
WC: Man is separate from nature, try to conquer
the nature.
(天人相分，征服自然) 45

46. Conception of Family (家族伦理本位) WC: Individuals first （个人本位）
CC: Family ethnics first
(家族伦理本位)
WC: Individuals first
（个人本位） 46

47. Man and Man the Mean. 贵和尚中。 WC: Trust in the spirit of reasons. 理性精神。
CC: Believe in harmony and the Doctrine of
the Mean.
贵和尚中。
WC: Trust in the spirit of reasons.
理性精神。 47

48. ４．The way of life
Individual vs Group 48

49. The way of making comments
Direct vs Indirect 49

50. Punctuality
On time vs Late 50

51. Personal Relationship
Simple vs Complex 51

52. Standing in a queue
Line vs Fan 52

53. Walking in a street on weekends
A few vs a crowd 53

54. Time for a shower
In the morning vs in the evening 54

55. Daily life of old people
With a dog vs with a child 55

56. Voice of talking in public
Low vs high 56

57. Idea of oneself
Individual-centered vs group-centered 57

58. Leadership
Equal vs power 58

59. Family
Western: small, intimate family, retirement home, the old are separated, children leave early; being independent and look after themselves. Parents never interfere with their children affairs when they are old enough.

60. Old separated
Young independent

61. A photo of Ba Jin’s Family
A photo of a farm family

62. Education
western: performance oriented, little rote(死记硬背) memory, ability to solve problems; practical competence of running a business is more important.

63. Eastern: experience oriented, much memorization, the more experienced you are, the more popular you will be; you will be regarded well-educated if you can recite some ancient poems.

64. The US students in class

65. The Chinese students in class

66. Attitudes and Ideas  
Western: time oriented relationships (work, free time), make an appointment before you go to see anyone, no appointment, no business. Law superior to friendship and kinsfolk.
Eastern: person oriented relationships (hospitality), friendship is everything, superior to law

67. Colors
No two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as reprinting the same social reality. The worlds in which different societies live are distinct worlds, not merely the same world with different labels attached.

68. A wedding ceremony

69. A funeral
A Wedding Ceremony

70. Red paper bag containing money as a gift

71. The red carpet: lay out the red carpet

72. A red card for their marriage;
or for his health

73. VI. Case Study
Who is to blame,
Father or Daughter?

74. A Chinese old man at the age of 60 went to Canada to see his daughter who stayed in the country for about eight years. Just for a kind of love to her father, the daughter asked her father to come and stayed with her family a few days. The father arrived happily, but left much earlier than expected so angrily.

75. 4. I should pay the ticket myself.
1. You took the wrong chopsticks.
2. It’s none of your business.
3. Why are you so late?
4. I should pay the ticket myself.

76. The father was angry. He didn’t understand why his daughter was so hard that she did not have any human touch or not show any filial obedience for her father. She was successful in Canada. She had her own company. She had a good place of her own. Everything was perfect. To the father, his daughter seemed to forget about the close relation within the family. He said angrily: She is no longer my daughter. But who is to blame, Father or Daughter?

77. VII. Summary
Why take Intercultural Communication?
Culture
Communication
Intercultural Communication
The Difference between Chinese and Western Cultures

78. VIII. Exercises 1. Matching the terms with their definitions
A. culture B. communication C. ethnocentrism D. intercultural communication E. business communication 1.( ) The belief that your own cultural background, including ways of analyzing problems, values, beliefs, language, and verbal and nonverbal communication, is superior. 2.( ) The total accumulation of beliefs, customs, values, behaviors, institutions and communication patterns that are shared, learned and passed down through the generations in an identifiable group of people.

79. 3.( ) A process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior, or the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behavior. 4.( )The communication is within business and administration, aiming at a common objective and profits for both the individuals and organizations. 5.( ) The communication between people from different cultures when a member of one culture produces a message for consumption by a member of another culture.

80. Exercises 2. Comprehension Check
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
__ 1. As a phenomenon, intercultural communication has existed for thousands of years. However, as a discipline, its history is only about fifty years.
__2. Intercultural Communication as a discipline first started in Europe.
__3. Culture is a static entity while communication is a dynamic process.
__4. Culture can be seen as shared knowledge, what people need to know in order to act appropriately in a given culture.
__5. Although cultural stereotype has its limitations (over- generalization), it still contributes to a person’s cultural cognition.

81. __8. All people of the same nationality will have the same culture.
__6. In intercultural communication, we should separate one’s individual character from cultural generalization.
__7. Cultural mistakes are more serious than linguistic mistakes. The linguistic mistake means that someone is not fully expressing his or her idea while cultural mistakes can lead to serious misunderstanding and even ill-feeling between individuals.
__8. All people of the same nationality will have the same culture.
__9. Although two cultures may share the same ideas, their meaning and significance may not be the same.
__10. One’s actions are totally independent of his or her culture.

82. Exercises 3. Cultural Puzzles
Read the following situations and choose the appropriate answer(s). There may be more than one possible answer for each cultural puzzle.
1. What would you do if someone told you to use his or her first name, but you felt uncomfortable doing this?
a. You could continue to use the person’s last name without explaining why.
b. You could try to use the person’s first name even though you feel uncomfortable doing this.
c. You could ask the person, “Is it OK if I use your last name?”

83. 1. a) No. Ignoring other’s suggestion is impolite and offensive.
B) Yes. When you try something new, it may be difficult at first. After a while, you will get accustomed to it.
C) Yes. You could learn about other’s customs by asking for cultural explanations.

84. 1) Why do you think the American was surprised?
2. Situation: An American woman received a letter from a recently married Japanese friend. The Japanese woman wrote in her letter, “My husband is not very handsome. Your husband is much more handsome than mine.” The American woman was very surprised at what her friend wrote.
1) Why do you think the American was surprised?
a) The American woman saw a picture of her friend’s husband and thought that he was very handsome.
b) The American woman didn’t think her own husband was handsome.
c) In the U.S., it is disrespectful to say that one’s husband is not handsome.

85. 1) a) No. Even if this was true, she wouldn’t expect a wife to say this about her own husband. To her, the Japanese woman insulted her own husband.
B) No. Even if this was true, she wouldn’t expect the Japanese woman to compare their husbands’ appearance.
C) Yes. If an American woman said this about her husband, people might think that they didn’t have a good relationship.

86. 2) Why do you think the Japanese woman wrote, “My husband is not very handsome ”?
a) The Japanese woman was trying to tell her American friend that she did not like her husband very much.
b) It is uncommon in Japan to compliment one’s husband.
c) The Japanese woman didn’t think her husband was handsome, but she liked his personality.

87. 2) a) No. This would not be a Japanese way for a wife to say that she didn’t like her husband.
B) Yes. In Japan, a person would be considered boastful and not modest enough if he or she complimented his or her family members in front of others.

88. IX. Assignments
Case Study —— To Be Direct or Not
2. Video Watching
Gua Sha 《刮痧》

89. Read the following case and analyze why Sam didn’t perform his work successfully together with his Saudi Arabian laborers.
To Be Direct or Not
Sam Lucas, a construction supervisor for an international engineering firm, had the reputation of being tough but fair-minded. He was a very forceful, obstinate individual who always spoke his mind. He never hesitated to criticize any worker whom he felt was performing poorly.

90. Even though during his six years with the company Sam had never worked outside of the United States, he was chosen to supervise construction on a new hotel project in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, primarily because of his outstanding work record. for after all, he rebuked both Americans and Saudi Arabians alike. He was troubled, however, by the fact that the problems seemed to be growing worse and more numerous.

91. On this project, Sam supervised the work of about a dozen Americans and nearly 100 Saudi Arabian laborers. It was not long before Sam realized that the Saudi Arabian laborers, to his way of thinking, were nowhere as reliable as the workers he had supervised in the United States. He was becoming increasingly annoyed at the seeming lack of competence of the local workforce. Following the leadership style that helped him in such good stead at home, he would rebuke any worker who was not doing his job properly, and he would make certain that he did it publicly so that it would serve as a lesson to all the other workers. He was convinced that he was doing the right thing and was being fair,

92. Case study
In the United States, public criticism is one of a number of techniques that can be used quite effectively to change personnel’s behavior. In the world of Islam, however, where the preservation of dignity and slef-respect is absolutely essential, public reprimand will be totally counterproductive(产生不良后果的 ). If Arabs feel that they have suffered a loss of personal dignity because they have been criticized in public, they take it as a to dishonor both themselves and their families. And when Sam insisted on using this “motivational” technique, the individual at whom the reprimand was directed was not only hurt for the open humiliation(丢脸;羞辱 ) but also loses the respect of fellow workers witnessing it.

93. Thank You!