INTERCULTURAL-COMMUNICATION

thepotentialproblemsofinterculturalcommunicationInterculturalcommunicationiscommunicationbetweenmembersofdifferentcultures.Thepotentialproblemsofinterculturalcommunicationincludeemotionalproblems、attitudinalproblems、languageproblemsandsoon.Emotionalproblemscompletewithassumingsimilarityinsteadofdifference、anxiety,anduncertainty.Attitudinalproblemsincludeethnocentrism、stereotypingandprejudiceracism.Assumingsimilarityinsteadofdifferenceisas“Birdsofafeatherflocktogether.”Mostpeopleseektobenearotherswithwhomtheysharecommonoutlooks,habitsandtraits.Theproblemariseswhenthepullofsimilaritiesexcludesthosewhoaredifferent.Inshort,manypeopledealwiththeunfamiliarbywithdrawingfrominteractionwithstrangersorbyexperiencingfeelingsofanxiety.Anxietyoccursbecauseofnotknowingwhatoneisexpectedtodo,andfocusingonthatfeelingandnotbetotallypresentinthecommunicationtransaction.“Theimmediatepsychologicalresultofbeinginanewsituationislackofsecuritycanmakeyouanxious.”Somepeoplehavethetendencytoviewone’sowncultureasthestandardforallcultures.Howcanethnocentrismbeovercome?Weshouldbefullyawarethat,whileonecultureisdifferentfromanother,thatisnotevidenceitisbetterthananyotherculture.Weshouldtrytoknowmoreaboutourselvesinordertoovercomethedifficultiescausedbydeeply-rootedethnocentrism.Developingempathyisaveryeffectivewaytoovercomeethnocentrism.Languageproblemsareessentialtointerculturalcommunication.Whetherwefindajokefunnyornotlargelydependsonwherewehavebeenbroughtup.Thesenseofismysteriouslyboundupwithnationalcharacteristics.AFrenchman,forinstance,mightfindithardtolaughatRussianjoke.Insomewas,aRussianmightfailtoseeanythingamusinginajokewhichwouldmakeanEnglishmanlaughtotears.Aforeignteacherhadeversaidastoryaboutinterculturalcommunication.Amanhadanamusingexperienceoneyear.AfterhehadleftasmallvillageinthesouthofFrance,hedroveontothenexttown.Ontheway,ayoungmanwavedtohim.Hestoppedandthatmanaskedhimforalife.Assoonashehadgotintothecar,hesaidgoodmorningtohiminFrenchandherepliedinthesamelanguage.Apartfromafewwords,hedoesnotknowanyFrenchatall.Neitherofthemspokeduringthejourney.Hehadnearlyreachedthetown,whentheyoungmansuddenlysaid,veryslowly,”DoyouspeakEnglish?”Ashesoonlearnt,hewasEnglishhimself.Sharpdifferencesexistbetweeninterculturalcommunication.Concerningresearchcontents,Chineseresearchersfocusoncross-culturalpragmaticswhileWesternresearchersmainlystudyinterculturaladaptationandtraining.Regardingresearchmethods,mostChinesestudiesarenon-empiricalandstudiesabroadareempiricalwiththemajorityadoptingthequantitativemethod.