Communicating Across Cultures
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Communicating across Cultures
Tutorial activity 1:
Ongoing Semester Case Study – Businessville Hotel.
The Beijing Businessville Hotel has recruited a large number of Chinese staff for all its departments. Staff come from all over China which means that they come from many different regional backgrounds and speak different languages. While most speak East Mandarin, others speak Jin, West Mandarin, Xinan, Hokkien, Hakka, Cantonese and Jianghuai. Other staff speak Thai, Filipino, Japanese, English and Arabic.
Consider the following questions as a focus of class discussion. Prepare your ideas before class.
What training would you suggest to develop staff language skills?
Provide staff with language skills seminars
How would you suggest dealing with guests who speak unknown languages?
Use technology and gestures and try to understand what they say with use of technology eg, use a language translator to understand.
Tutorial activity 2:
Complete the following exercise by placing a circle around the correct answer.
1. The CEO in Taiwan was offended when Mr. Romano called him “Lau-ban ya” instead of “Au-ban” because “Lau-ban ya” meant _____ instead of “No.1 Boss.”
Wife of Boss
Low level employee
Not happy to see you
I wish I had never come here
2. According to communication researchers Samovar, Porter, and Jain, _____.
cultural factors pervade the communication process
noise is always equally present in cross-cultural communication
culture does not influence with whom we choose to speak
communication behavior is not largely dependent on culture
3. _____ is the process in which people look for the explanation of another persons behavior.
Attribution
Cultural noise
Stereotyping
Affirmation
4. Research by the World Values Study Group shows that _____ had the highest disposition to trust other people.
Nordic countries
Japan
United States
African countries
5. _____ and _____ are cultural variables in the communication process.
Attitude; ethnicity
Ethnicity; physical appearance
Thought patterns; language
Ethnicity; language
6. When an Asian says “yes” to your questions he is indicating that _____.
he is in complete agreement with what you say
he has heard you
he will have to ask his boss
all of the above
7. Which of the following is an example of proxemics?
widening your eyes
moving closer to the listener
speaking faster
using a translator
8. Which of the following characteristics is not true of people in a high-contact culture?