Language and Cross-Cultural Communication: Essay Introduction
The importance of language in enhancing effective cross-cultural interactions cannot be underestimated. Schmid (2001) argued that language is a faculty in the human brain. It enables human beings to understand their culture and that of others groups. Each country has a distinctive culture. When learning in a foreign country, cultural differences may create barriers to social integration. Solomon and Schell (2009) noted that the cultural diversity could easily cause misunderstanding in the endeavor to understand the concepts and culture of the foreign country. Language helps in addressing the cultural nuances and fosters in-depth perspectives of the foreign country.
Bearing in mind that culture forms an important aspect of interaction and the role of language in experiencing culture holistically, the following paper will explore whether learning language is necessary when studying in a foreign country. In order to establish the necessity of the language, the essay will identify the various cultural differences denoted by intercultural communication and the key aspects of language in the various concepts.
Intercultural Communication Theory
Culture involves the beliefs, language, and social habits that define a group. According to Chen (2009), culture influences the way people communicate, perceive each other and the attitudes that are propagated based on cultural orientation. Culture portrays the identity of a country. Therefore, for proper social integration, language is very crucial. Kim (2001) noted that cross-cultural communication entails the exchange of ideas between people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Language plays a critical role in the cross-cultural communication, Li (2011) noted that it generates virtuous cycle of understanding each other and unites multiple cultures.
Tochon (2009) added that language is an integral component of culture and has a unique cultural connotation. Chen (2009) argued that language promotes understanding of the ethnic identity of the other people and in exploring how different cultures perceive each other. On the other hand, Samovar and Porter (2004) noted that human beings experience and learn culture through language. As such, language acts as the key vessel in which culture is transmitted. Therefore, based on the various perspectives, language plays a critical role in fostering in-depth understanding of a country. It thus becomes a necessity to learn the language when studying in a country.
The differences in language point to the existence of obstacles that prevent exploration of cultures of the other groups. The continuum of intercultural communication is most important when exploring the nonverbal behaviors, relations and the norms that drive a given country (Beamer & Varner 2009). Despite the necessity of learning language when studying another country, the age of new media has erased the cultural boundaries that existed in the traditional societies; hence, negating the importance of language (Laponce 2003).
As a result, Beamer and Varner (2009) argued that there are many dimensions in which an identity or culture can be understood without learning the language affiliated to the culture. For instance, a country’s culture is made of symbols that can be interpreted through observations. Appiah (2006) stated that a competent intercultural communicator possesses the traits of flexibility and the capability to tolerate uncertainty. In addition, adaptability, open-mindedness is a critical component that can be applied to study the cultural meaning of a country by interpretation of the symbols.
Maloof, Rubin and Miller (2006) noted that in the intercultural communication, non-language codes supplement language. Thus, the codes provide a platform for interaction and exploration of the various meaning in a new culture. The non-language codes are related to the culture of a community; the codes help people to interpret meanings across the cultural divide without the necessity of learning the actual language.
For example in high context cultures, facial expressions, use of body language and objects that are symbolic to the specific culture help in ascribing meaning and learning the different aspects of the country. Furthermore, effective intercultural communication does not solely rely on language, but it is based on various contours of interactions (Wiseman 2003). Therefore, socialisation and application of the resources available such as the use of interpreters, ability to interpret symbols present alternatives that can be applied in fostering effective integration in a new country (Chen 2009).
Globalisation and Intercultural Communication
The world today is highly globalised; the global society is a mixture of cultures and races. According to Laponce (2003), the world has increasingly become interconnected due to technological advancement and new means of communication. Even though globalisation has not erased the cultural divergences, a multi-dimensional hybridisation of cultures has taken place across the globe. For instance, the blending of cultures has resulted in systematic cultural values that make it easy to overcome the barriers that in the past existed due to the differences in language. The globalisation has brought about cultural relativity and connections.
In the contemporary world, there is flexibility in the communication, and there are international languages that have been embraced in the various spheres of the world. The cultural integration and resulting hybridisation have been experienced at the global level and the local level (Li 2011). The globalisation driven by the efficient media has transformed the different aspects of the human society. For example, existence of multinationals that are managed by people from different countries drive the economic developments experienced in world.
The technological uptake and the onset of new media age in the 21st century have resulted in socio-cultural changes and perceptions of what society is (Tochon 2009). The new dispensation has redefined cultural interaction. Thus, there has been a birth of intercultural interaction that is not purely based on language. Therefore, the interconnectedness of the world implies that there are many dimensions, which people can communicate and foster understanding without the need to study a foreign language. The international languages provide a platform for interactions because many people speak them and it is easy to get interpreters.
Language and Cross-Cultural Communication: Essay Conclusion
Language is the medium that is applied in communication. It plays a critical role in understanding the various concepts that relate to a given community. As noted by Fisher (2008) language is a communication tool that promotes interpersonal communication. On the other hand, Solomon and Schell (2009) noted that language enhances understanding of the self and informs preconceptions. In the intercultural setting, language plays a significant role in permeating the social boundaries through seamless interactions with the locals. However, lack of knowledge about the indigenous language does not limit the interactions.
The world has become interconnected. There have been increased acceptances of a global culture driven by internationally accepted languages that are used as the basis of interactions in various international forums. Even though language plays an imperative role in cross-cultural interactions, various dimensions of globalisation and technology provide alternatives to interactions. Therefore, it is possible to study in a country without learning the language.
References
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