2. Which way of greeting are you more
comfortable with?
3. Cultural misunderstanding
Cultures differ in what they think
politeness is
People think that politeness equals
good manners and good character
People assume that othercultures
are polite in the same way
4. Which is the more serious
mistake?
A: Would you like
to come over for
dinner on Friday?
B: Sorry I working
that night.
A: Would you like
to come over for
dinner on Friday?
B: I can’t.
5. Appropriate speech behavior
Native speakers are more forgiving
of grammatical mistakes than
inappropriate speech
Fornative speakers, appropriate
speech behavior– being polite – is
unconscious
Language learners do not have
unconscious knowledge of what is
appropriate speech behavior
6. Types of misunderstanding
Direct translation
Differences in appropriateness
Different cultures have different ways of
expressing politeness and interacting
7. Direct Translation
Language learner translates what
they want to say from their first
language
Creates a misunderstanding because
the rules for politeness are different
8. Are these the same?
Can you play the piano?
Can you run fast?
Can you speak French?
Can you pass the salt?
9. “Can you pass the salt?”
This is a request in English. It is not asking about
the other person’s ability to pass the salt
However, if directly translated into Russian, it is a
question for information
Thus, the English-speaking learner of Russian
would fail to communicate his or her meaning
10. Telephone conversation
P: Hello, is Mr. Simatapung there
please?
S: Yes.
P: Oh…may I speak to him please?
S: Yes.
P: Oh…are you Mr. Simatapung?
S: Yes, this is Mr. Simatapung.
11. Telephone conversation
The foreign student fails to understand
that the professor’s first question
Is not asking if he is there or not
Is a request to talk to him
12. Differences in Appropriateness
This type of misunderstanding is
directly related to cultural differences
What is appropriate in one culture is
not always appropriate in another
culture
13. American invitations
Americans often end invitations with a phrase like
“Come if you want to.”
Americans do not want to force people to accept
unwanted invitations
14. Japanese reactions
Japanese expect that the person who
invites another will urge the potential
guest to accept the invitation
When Japanese hear expressions like
“Come if you want to,” they feel hurt and
are uncertain about the sincerity of the
invitation
Other cultures, e.g., Arabs, also have
the same difficulty with American
invitations
15. What’s the difference?
It was nice talking to you. I’ve got to go, but let’s
get together Friday night.
It was nice talking to you. I’ve got to go, but let’s
get together sometime.
16. American offers
If you go to an American’s home, you
will probably be offered something to eat
or drink
If you refuse the first time, you will
probably be offered again.
You will probably not be offered more
than three times.
17. American offers
Guests who refuse may or may not be
seen as rude
Guests will be taken at their word. If
they refuse a third time, the host will
assume that they have refused because
they do not want something to eat or
drink
18. Reactions by people from other
cultures
Arabs are taught to refuse again and
again.
When they visit American homes,
they often leave confused and hungry
An Arab visited an American home
and was served some delicious
sandwiches. The hostess offered him
seconds, but he refused. The hostess
didn’t repeat the offer and so he had to
sit there looking at the delicious
19. Reactions by people from other
cultures
Malaysians feel that offers of food or
drink are inappropriate.
A host should serve something whether
the guest wants it or not.
20. Offers in other cultures
In the Ukraine the host will offer food or
drink to the guest seven or eight times.
For Americans who really don’t want
anything, they are in a difficult situation
because they will run out of ways to
refuse before the Ukraine host runs out
of ways to offer.
Both guest and host will feel upset.
21. Topics
In the Ukraine, income, politics, religion,
marital status are all acceptable topics
in talking to strangers
In the US and Britain, they are not
acceptable at all and would be regarded
as taboo
22. Cultural values
Individualism
Priority to individuals
High powerdistance
Hierarchical
Quantity of life
Value competition
High uncertainty
Avoid uncertainty
Long term
Focus on future
Collectivism
Priority to group
Low powerdistance
Equal treatment
Quality of life
Value on relationships
Low uncertainty
Comfortable with uncertainty
Short term
Focus on present
23. Japan and the US
Individualism US Japan Collectivism
High Power Japan US Low Power
Quantity of
Life
Japan & US
Quality of
life
High
uncertainty
Japan US
Low
uncertainty
Long term Japan US Short term
24. Cross-cultural differences
Each culture will have values that are
more important than others
In one culture hierarchy may be more
important
In another individualism may be more
important
In yet another avoiding uncertainty may be
more important
25. Status
Status in Japan depends to a large
degree on the prestige of the
organization one belongs to
Independent businessmen may have
less prestige than a manager in a large
well-known company
26. Wrong impressions
An American businessman created a bad
impression because at a business meeting he
paid more attention to a man who started and
developed his own company than to the middle
level executives of a big Japanese corporation
27. American & Japanese
businessmen
Japan value hierarchy
Hierarchy is very strong in business
American have a sense of hierarchy, but
it is not as strong
Americans value individualism
Americans respect people who have
made it on their own, e.g., Bill Gates &
Steve Jobs
Japanese respect individuality, e.g.,
Morita Akio & Matsushita Konosuke
28. Eliminating misunderstandings
Values that are important will often be
reflected in speech in speech behavior
Misunderstandings can work both ways
Have to have open mind
When learners of a language make
inappropriate questions, do not apologize
when they should, give compliments to the
wrong person, offer something too
frequently, etc. they are not necessarily
being impolite.
29. Have an open mind
When learners of a language
Make inappropriate questions
Do not apologize when they should
Give compliments to the wrong person
Offer something too frequently
They are not necessarily being impolite. They
using their own culture’s values for being
polite.
Editor's Notes
If the pairs were women? If the pairs were men & women?
Left: there is a grammatical mistake Right: Response is inappropriate. Refusal requires expression of regret and reason.
Mistakes related to grammar and strategic competence do not reflect character or good manners. Speakers are more forgiving for these kind of errors.
Transfer from L1 to L2
Shio wo watasu koto ga dekimasu ka?
After Americans invite people and tell them when and where a social gathering will take place, they often end the invitation with a phrase like “Come if you want to.”
Let’s get together sometime is a closing and not an invitation
Americans expect to be believed
Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory Individualism (IDV) vs. collectivism: “The degree to which individuals are integrated into groups”. In individualistic societies, the stress is put on personal achievements and individual rights. People are expected to stand up for themselves and their immediate family, and to choose their own affiliations. In contrast, in collectivist societies, individuals act predominantly as members of a life-long and cohesive group or organization. Power distance index (PDI): “Power distance is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.” Cultures that endorse low power distance expect and accept power relations that are more consultative or democratic. People relate to one another more as equals regardless of formal positions. Subordinates are more comfortable with and demand the right to contribute to and critique the decision making of those in power. In high power distance countries, less powerful accept power relations that are more autocratic and paternalistic. Subordinates acknowledge the power of others simply based on where they are situated in certain formal, hierarchical positions. Quantity (MAS), vs. Quality of life: “The distribution of emotional roles between the genders”. Quantity’ values are competitiveness, assertiveness, materialism, ambition and power, whereas feminine cultures place more value on relationships and quality of life. In masculine cultures, the differences between gender roles are more dramatic and less fluid than in feminine cultures where men and women have the same values emphasizing modesty and caring. Uncertainty avoidance index (UAI): “a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity”. It reflects the extent to which members of a society attempt to cope with anxiety by minimizing uncertainty. People in cultures with high uncertainty avoidance tend to be more emotional. They try to minimize the occurrence of unknown and unusual circumstances and to proceed with careful changes step by step by planning and by implementing rules, laws and regulations. In contrast, low uncertainty avoidance cultures accept and feel comfortable in unstructured situations or changeable environments and try to have as few rules as possible. People in these cultures tend to be more pragmatic, they are more tolerant of change. Long term orientation (LTO), vs. short term orientation: First called “Confucian dynamism”, it describes societies’ time horizon. Long term oriented societies attach more importance to the future. They foster pragmatic values oriented towards rewards, including persistence, saving and capacity for adaptation. In short term oriented societies, values promoted are related to the past and the present, including steadiness, respect for tradition, preservation of one’s face, reciprocation and fulfilling social obligations.
No country is 100% on one scale For each country some values are more important; some less AND individuals in a country will vary as well.
Americans value directness and their offers and refusals reflect this. They will offer only once or twice and “no” means no. Japanese value status and keigo is evidence of this value. It does not mean that Americans do not value hierarchy or that Japanese do not value directness.
Manager at Sony vs. the owner of a small company in Osaka
