OVERCOMING CROSS- CULTURAL

COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

BLANDE E. CORPUZ-TULLAO
MASTER TEACHER-II
DEPED-QUEZON
F O R M E R P N PA FA C U LT Y
PA RT T I M E I N S T R U C T R E S S , P P S C
CAMP NAKAR, LUCENA CITY
What is “Culture?”
the way of life of the people
passed down from one
generation to the next through
learning.
Enculturation refers to the process
through which we learn about the
culture we live in.
Through enculturation, we learn what
behaviors, values, language, and
morals are acceptable in our society.
Enculturation is the process of
learning your own group's culture, and
"enculturate" is a transitive verb. So,
when an American mother teaches her
child to use a fork, she is enculturating
him.
Acculturation" is the process of taking on
ANOTHER group's culture.
Acculturation is the process of social, psychological,
and cultural change that stems from blending between
cultures. The effects of acculturation can be seen at
multiple levels in both the original (native) and newly
adopted (host) cultures. Historically speaking,
acculturation is a direct change of one's culture through 
dominance over another's culture through either
military or political conquest.
At the individual level, the process of acculturation
refers to the socialization process by which foreign-
born individuals adopt the values, customs, norms,
attitudes, and behaviors of the dominant host
culture.

FIRST CULTURE?

SECOND CULTURE?
Challenges in Cross-cultural communication
1. Ethnocentrism
In ethnocentrism there is a tendency exist that  to put
one's own culture as a center of influence and to use it as
a point of reference to measure others.   Generally,
ethnocentric persons have the tendency to interpret the
other culture, based on their own cultural values. The
one cultural people may consider another language as
inferior or illogical. Ethnocentrism is a belief in the
centrality of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is difficult to prevent in advance
because it is often an unconscious behavior.
 The ethnocentrism can become an obstacle for an
efficient empathy. The ethnocentrism people could
not understand each society has its own culture and
values
The three stages in ethnocentrism
 ● Denial: Avoids new culture; isolated; denies the
existence of new culture
● Defense: Negative stereotyping; superiority of one’s
own culture
● Minimization: Hide cultural variations; universal truth
or values based on one’s own assumptions.
2. Ethnopaulism means use of name-calling
and slurs in reference to other cultures.
-A derogatory word or expression used to describe
a racial or ethnic group.
Ex. The common (especially Northern) Italian
ethnopaulism for a German is crucco, which
roughly translates as pighead.
3. Cultural Relativism 
Cultural relativism is opposite of ethnocentrism . In this
context one has to  assess other cultures neutrally,
based on their own  context rather than on one's own
culture. It is the refusal to make any judgement on the
cultural values of other individuals, institutions or
cultures. While it avoids the problem of prejudice, it is
inadequate, since it involves a denial – or at least a
suspension – of your own values.
 Cross Cultural Communication is a process through
which a person can exchange, negotiate, mediate the
communication of cultural differences through
language and non-verbal gestures. In the fast moving
world of globalization, cross cultural communication is
a very important issue especially in the world of
management. Not only do different countries have
different work cultures, but they also have different
ways of communicating with people from different
cultures.
Let us look at the following case study.
Summary

A Japanese company, say ‘A’, has set up a collaboration

with an American company, say ‘B’, to manufacture special
laptops. This requires various trips to both countries and a
good understanding of the way people work in their
respective countries. However, when the both visited each
other’s countries, there were distinct communication
barriers which led to confusion and chaos. This happened
because the Japanese and the Americans were not
accustomed to each other’s culture and ethics.
Problems:
When the Americans went to Japan, they received a huge culture shock. Not
only was the work culture vastly different from that of America, but the process
of approving and manufacturing were also distinct. When meeting with their
Japanese counterparts for the first time in office, the Americans were confused
by their bows because in America people usually shake their hands when they
meet someone new. When they met the senior managers, they bowed down out
of respect. However, the managers were a bit surprised. When discussing in the
meeting, the Americans directed their questions and proposals to all the
Japanese members. However, the Japanese looked towards their seniors every
time, who spoke for the majority of the time. It was also a huge shock for the
Americans when they found out that they had to stay back way beyond the
regular office hours to work, even beyond 10 pm. This confused the Americans,
who wanted to get to work immediately and finish off everything in office itself.
Solution

What the Americans perceived as culture shock is

considered rather normal in the Japanese workplace.
A good understanding of the Japanese culture and
customs would have prevented such communication
gap. Instead of offering to shake hands, the American
team should have bowed to their Japanese
counterparts. Since the Japanese culture is very
hierarchial in nature, they bestow great respect to
their seniors. Thus, the degree of a bow denotes their
rank and the level of respect they need to give.
The American team might have bowed deeply to the
Japanese senior managers. This would have given the
Japanese a sense of being respected. During the
meeting, the Japanese kept looking to their seniors, not
because they had nothing to say, but as mentioned
before, they respected their seniors and hence, let them
speak since they have experience and knowledge. It
would also be considered rude if a junior speaks before
his seniors or without their consent.
Working hours in Japanese companies are not
limited to the American style of eight hours. If the
work demands more time, then the employees stay
back in the office until it get done. Also, they do not
leave until the senior manager or boss leaves. This
means that even if their work is done, they are
required to stay back in office. Since Americans
strictly adhere to the eight-hour routine, an extended
stay in the office will be considered as overtime work.
Japanese culture is very group-oriented as opposed to America, which is
individualistic in nature. This means that all the work done by the group and
the responsibilities are taken as a whole. Since the workplace demands a
hectic work culture and often stressful environment, the system of
‘nomimasu’ is followed by the firms. The senior or head takes his team to a
Japanese-style bar for drinks so that they can enjoy their time as a team,
without the hassles of the workplace. However, nomimasu is not just a
channel to relieve stress. It is also a means to solve differences among the
employees and to get something done. Employees are, thus, encouraged to
drink as much as they want to break free of their inhibitions and speak out
their minds. This is an important part of the Japanese work culture. Since
Americans do not go out often together as a team, nomimasu was a strange
concept to them. They failed to realize that it serves other purposes, which
otherwise cannot be accomplished in the office.
Conclusion

Thus, to conclude, cultural communication

barriers can form serious obstacles and frustrations
between two different entities which have contrasting
cultural values. If efforts are not made to overcome
them, then it poses serious threats to efficiency and
communication. Even if one is not fluent in the
language, a deep understanding of the cultural values
and notions will help in understanding the mindset
and emotional disposition of the people.
Cross-cultural communication  involves an
understanding of how people from different
cultures speak, communicate and perceive the
world around them. Language differences,
Behavior, Stereotypes, Prejudices, high-context vs.
low-context cultures, nonverbal differences and
power distance are major barriers that can affect
cross-cultural communication.
1. Language - Misunderstandings are common
among people who speak the same language, so it
is not surprising that people from different cultural
and linguistic backgrounds face communication
barriers. Anything from the mispronunciation of a
word to a lack of specificity can lead to
misunderstandings. Language is a reflection of
culture, and different cultures have very different
ways of assigning meanings to words.
2. Behavior - Cultural differences in body language and
other behaviors can also cause miscommunications. For
example, in the U.S. it is important to make eye contact with
someone who is speaking to you or they may think you are
distracted or uninterested. However, in many Asian countries
eye contact can be a sign of disrespect or a challenge to
authority. There are many other cultural differences in body
language that can create barriers to effective communication.
These include differences in facial expressions, the use of
nodding to indicate agreement or understanding, and the
amount of space to give someone with whom you are having
a conversation.
3. Stereotypes - Stereotypes are assumptions
people make about the characteristics of members
of a cultural or social group. Many stereotypes are
negative or even hostile and are a serious barrier to
workplace communication. While some cultures
may share a general set of characteristics, it is
never okay to assume that individual members of a
group have those same characteristics.
4. Prejudice in Communication
Another problem for intercultural communication is
prejudice, a judgment made on the basis of past
experience rather than an evaluation of present
circumstances. Like ethnocentrism, prejudice tends
to emphasize “my” values at the expense of “your”
values. In stereotyping, a judgment made on the
basis of communicated information rather than
personal experience. Prejudice can be individual or
institutional.  
A.Individual prejudice is focused on cultural out-
groups, such as members of other races, religions
or lifestyles.
B.Institutional prejudice is imbedded in
organizations. It may not be conscious, but it gives
evidence of discrimination against members of cultural
out-groups in situations such as university or hospital
admission policies, hiring practices, housing, and
transportation security screening.
5. High and Low Context Cultures: Context is the most
important cultural dimension and also very difficult to
define. Anthropologist Edward T. Hall  posited the idea of
context in culture. Hall breaks up culture into two main
groups: High and Low context cultures.  He refers to
context as the stimuli, environment or surrounding.  Hall
explains that low-context cultures assume that the individuals
know very little about what they are being told, and therefore
must be given a lot of background information.  High-Context
cultures assume the individual is knowledgeable about the
subject and has to be given very little background information.
6. Nonverbal Differences
Gestures and eye contact are two areas of nonverbal
communication that are utilized differently across cultures.
 For example, American workers tend to wave their hand
and use a finger to point when giving nonverbal direction.
Extreme gesturing is considered rude in some cultures.
Japanese would never use a finger to point towards
another person because that gesture is considered rude
in Japan. Instead, he might gesture with an open hand,
with his palm facing up, toward the person.
NON VERBAL DIFFERRENCES
B.Eye contact is another form of nonverbal
communication. In the U.S., eye contact is a
good thing and is seen as a reflection of
honesty and straightforwardness. However, in
some Asian and Middle Eastern cultures,
prolonged eye contact can be seen as rude or
aggressive in many situations. 
Five Types of Power Distance :
1.The distance of disparagement arises when two
groups compete for the same resources. Such
situations lead to relationships that are very high in
ethnocentrism and very low in cultural relativism. It
gives rise to frequent incidents of ethnopaulism.
2.The distance of avoidance likewise exists in an
environment high in ethnocentrism and low in
cultural relativism.
POWER DISTANCE
3.The distance of indifference involves moderate levels of both
ethnocentrism and cultural relativism associated with an
insensitivity to the concerns of others and the use of ethnically
disparaging. terms. 
4. The distance of sensitivity is based on a low level of
ethnocentrism and a high level of cultural pluralism. In this
situation, speech is used deliberately to reduce the social
distance between cultural groups.
5. The distance of equality exists within an
environment of a very low level of
ethnocentrism and a very high level of cultural
pluralism. Speech at this distance avoids
making judgments against others..
Rules in the quest for clearer communication across cultural and
geographic lines.
1. Be open-minded – Trying to stay open-minded
with cross-cultural communication can be extremely
important for success. Sometimes when someone from
another culture says or does something, it may mean
something completely different to the other person. For
example, when living in Japan and within the Japanese
culture itself, no one would ever want to put their
chopsticks stuck down into their rice, as it actually
means death within in the Japanese culture.
BE OPEN-MINDED

If someone had done that and didn’t know, another

person more familiar with the culture norms of that
society could kindly take the person aside and explain
the delicate situation. The person that had been
unknowingly offensive would be enlightened on the
situation because someone else was open-minded and
gave them the benefit of the doubt. Just because one
person may not know a lot about another
culture doesn’t mean they can’t learn about it if
they’re willing
2. Be Friendly- Some say that smiling can be an
international language for demonstrating
friendliness. When we make it clear that we’re
accepting of foreign culture, it can open the gateway
to a multitude of new friendships. There’s a lot to be
said on the subject of having friends from different
cultures. Also, be sure to give a genuine smile.
Smiling can be interpreted as an international sign of
goodwill and cheer.
3. Apologize when wrong – Even if the offence was
unintentional, apologise if you’ve offended or hurt the
feelings of another from a culture different to your own.
This can go a long way between people that are just
getting to know one another, and it demonstrates some
degree of respect for the other group’s culture.
Sometimes, people believe that saying “I’m sorry”
means that we’re accepting blame, but that’s not always
the case. We can always clarify what we mean.For
example, “I’m sorry that what I said seemed unclear.
What I actually meant was …”
4. Speak clearly – When there’s a language barrier,
be sure to speak clearly and distinctly. When someone
just keeps smiling and nodding their head, especially if
you’ve asked them a question, this is a good sign that
they haven’t understood what you’ve said and they just
don’t want to be rude. When communicating with the
foreign person or people, also be specific so that the
person knows exactly what you mean. We can
always speak distinctly at a volume that is clearly
audible, without coming across as obnoxious and rude.
5. Do some homework – If it’s possible, try to learn
more about the foreign culture of those you’ll be
communicating with. Even when you both can
communicate fairly well in one language, there are many
different cultural norms that make up another culture. It
can also be important to remember that not all
cultural norms within a society will seem common
or even reasonable to you. Some traditions can span
back hundreds of years and even beyond that, so it’s
important to respect foreign traditions when we’re
communicating across cultural lines.
6. If you don’t know, ask – There are times when
it’s easier and less time-consuming to simply ask for
clarification and feedback on something. If you
aren’t sure whether or not they understand what you
meant, ask questions. There are cases when
people from another culture are apprehensive to
communicate a critical point that they feel may
come across as offensive, so it’s important to tell
them that you won’t take offence if they’re open and
make critical remarks.
THANK YOU & GOD BLESS!
TO THE DIVINE IN YOU, I BOW

BLANDE E. CORPUZ-TULLAO