Intercultural Communication: Understanding, Challenges, and Importance

Abstract

Culture is about survival of the human species. Intercultural communication is to examine and comprehend how human beings from various cultural background talk with each other. Its purpose is to supply a guiding principle with which help humans to communicate better. Studies in intercultural communication typically begin from the variations among distinct cultural organizations then observe the interplay among those groups. That's why, for the term 'intercultural communication' to be clearly understood, it's far crucial to understand the meaning of the terms 'communication' and 'culture' as well. This essay on intercultural communication introduces the general scope and background of intercultural communication and how it promotes peace among countries of the world.

Introduction

Intercultural communication is the verbal and nonverbal interaction between people from various cultural backgrounds. In fact, 'inter-' is a prefix that means 'between' and cultural mean a kind of a culture, so intercultural communication is the communication between cultures.

When considering the term 'intercultural' itself, it's miles not possible to disclaim its complexity. Intercultural communication has usually been described as communication between individuals from different national cultures. However, the sector of intercultural communication has grown significantly considering its early beginnings. In the primary systematic evaluation of intercultural communication theories the International and Intercultural Communication Annual (Gudykunst, 1983), a set of researchers theorized about the interpersonal communication between people from different cultures. These preliminary theories have been followed up in 1988 in a follow-up publication (Kim & Gudykunst) via way of means of empirical support and studies on communique among human beings from distinctive cultures. This early intercultural verbal exchange principle building, supported via way of means of preceding paintings through the likes of Hall, Trager, and plenty of others, laid the foundation for the field today. However, the area has extensively modified due to the fact that then. Today intercultural communique as a field consists of extra theories than ever before,growing awareness on analyzing the intercultural in distinct contexts, and an growing debate as to what's the 'intercultural'. (Croucher et al., 2015).

We agree with that intercultural communication can be understood by means of the identical primary variables and processes used to describe different types of communication. All communication happens between people who have various degree of familiarity with each other. The key idea in grasp intercultural communication is the notion of stranger. Different cultures and subcultures may additionally have different regulations and norms in accordance to which I would factor out that appreciation of the other's way of life helps move cultural communication. (Croucher et al., 2015)

In the great blooming, buzzing confusion of the outer world, we pick out what our culture has already defined for us, and we tend to perceive that which we have picked out in the form stereotyped for us by our culture.

The meaning of culture

Culture is the manner of lifestyles of a human. It is a social machine which contains the values, norms and methods of behaving in a human society.

Cultures can be defined through the system of values and beliefs as well as through the behaviour or actions of the members of the group to which that culture belongs.

Wang, Brislin, Williams and Chao (2000) described way of life because the human a part of the environment. In other words, tradition is the non-biological components of life (The teaching and learning unit, University of Melbourne 2000). This definition connotes that the entirety humans study and do that are not associated with their biological traits are, factors of such human being's culture. The ideas of culture and communication are strongly associated, in the sense that, a man or woman can not analyze or accumulate any aspect of lifestyle without going through the manner of communication. Culture is something this is learned from parents, schools, the media and the wider community (Melbourne University, 2000). From the above, we are able to rightly say that, culture is a manufactured from communication. Also, communication being the primary function of human lifestyles performs the important position in shaping human culture and the approaches of obtaining them.

Singer (1998) described culture from an attitude that portrays strong bond among culture and communication, when he said: a pattern of learned, group associated perceptions which includes both verbal and non-verbal language, attitudes, values, perception structures, disbelief structures and behaviors this is standard and anticipated via way of means of an identification organization. (Issa & Yunusa, 2015)

Communication as a Part of Intercultural Communication

'Communication is a dialogue, not a monologue'. (Notes Desk, March 11, 2009)

Communication includes both verbal and non-verbal communication. Verbal conversation is the usage of phrases to create a message. In this case, words can be both written or spoken. Therefore, verbal conversation includes both written language and spoken language. In order to communicate effectively, it is essential to be able to use a language sufficiently, each in written and spoken form. Nowadays, the need of multicultural humans in commercial enterprise is growing rapidly, as it is inevitable to encounter people from distinct international locations with no frequent verbal communication. And so the potential to use every other language would increase the effectiveness in communication. However, to speak another language proficiently requires a lot of time and efforts. In communication, non-verbal verbal exchange is a part of the process when one tries to bring a message or a meaning in his actions, whether the man or woman is meant to or not. Non-verbal communication and verbal exchange are in reality linked together. If verbal communication means written language and spoken language, then non-verbal language is viewed to be 'silent language'. People tend to use non-verbal communication with much less awareness. The meaning of non-verbal conversation is subtle and much less precise, comparing to verbal communication. There are no particular regulations or standards for non-verbal communication, given that it varies from subculture to culture. The function of non-verbal communication is to assist that means of verbal communication. It can be used in quite a number of ways: accent, complement, contradict, regulate, or substitute for a verbal message. In intercultural communication, it is additionally important to analyze non-verbal verbal exchange along with verbal communication, in particular when it constantly accompanies the spoken words. (Croucher et al., 2015)

Intercultural Communication Defined

Intercultural communication competence (IC) is described as the ability to think, discriminate the differences, manage the experiences suitably and establish an effective communication in the most proper ways with individuals from different cultures in the multicultural atmosphere by Friedman and Antal (2005).

Among several descriptions of culture, scholars tend to focus on three main attributions. When it is construed as software or a guide showing how things should be done (Kluckhohn & Kelly, 1945; Kluckhohn, 1951; Hofstede, 1993), culture is a phenomenon which someone can be educated about, and thus individual can cope with the problems of difference in times of cross-cultural meetings by updating the software. From any other attitude, tradition is a count of organization association and identity (Brislin, 1981). Most of the time tradition is perceived nation-wise, thereby cross- cultural issues are topics of know-how and getting ready to new situations 'with the others' on this means. These two near standards are each extra direct and training rooted. A third perspective refers to a dynamic understanding of culture, that culture is constructed recurrently in different contexts by different individuals who have differences in group affiliations and identities. This attitude interprets tradition as a non-static phenomenon (Hall, 1961; Martin & Nakayama, 2000) evoking intercultural communication competence, a standard view on dealing with the cultural variations a man or woman is problem to (Ihtiyar & Ahmad, 2014).

Basically, intercultural communication means communication across different cultural boundaries. This means that, whilst or extra humans with one of a kind cultural background have interaction and talk with every different or one another, intercultural verbal exchange is stated to have taken location. For example, verbal exchange among Fulani and Tiv cultural businesses is an intercultural communication, because, it takes place throughout cultural boundaries. Intercultural verbal exchange can for this reason be described as 'the sharing of statistics on extraordinary stages of focus and manipulate among humans with specific cultural backgrounds, wherein special cultural backgrounds encompass each countrywide cultural variations and variations which are related with participation withinside the unique sports that exist inside a countrywide unit' (Jens Allwood, 1985). 'Intercultural communication takes area while people prompted by unique cultural groups negotiate shared that means in interactions' (Ting-Toomey, S. 1999, in commGAP). What counts as intercultural communique depends, in part, to what one considers a culture. Some government like Gudykunst, restrict the time period intercultural conversation to refer most effective to 'verbal exchange amongst people from distinctive nationalities' (Gudykunst,.B. 2003). Other government, which includes Judith and Nakayama, in contrast, enlarge the perception of intercultural communication to embody inter-ethnic, inter-spiritual or even inter-regional communicaton, in addition to communication amongst people of various sexual orientations. Russell Arent, in his' Bridging the Cross-cultural Gap', expatiate withinside the following, 'When we speak of different cultures, we imply now no longer most effective folks who communicate a language this is exclusive from ours or who stay in a special us of a or area; we additionally imply folks that stay withinside the equal town or area however who do now no longer percentage the equal social organizations. For example, a 14-year-vintage teenager does now no longer usually talk the identical manner as an 82-year-antique senior citizen. Even in the event that they were born and raised with inside the identical neighborhood (withinside the metropolis or in a rural area), their conservation could be simply as 'intercultural' as folks who got here from contrary corners of the globe because they're from subcultures' (Croucher et al., 2015)

The Importance of Studying Intercultural Communication

The possibilities for contacts with humans from different cultures have elevated dramatically with modifications withinside the workplace. US enterprise increasing into global markets in a method of globalization, human beings now related, thru answering machines, faxes, emails, digital bulletin boards, and the net to different humans whom they have got in no way met face-to-face. The ever-growing mobility of U.S households and the converting demography withinside the U.S. and converting immigration styles as well. It is precisely this increased contact that makes studying intercultural communication so important.

Below is the list of the importance of studying intercultural communication:

• Understanding your own identity.
• Enhancing personal and social interactions.Solving misunderstandings, miscommunications & mistrust.
• Enhancing and enriching the quality of civilization.
• Becoming effective citizens of our national communities

Barriers to Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication is laden with difficulties. Even with the progressive globalization of the modern world, language continues to be a barrier to effective communication.

A lot of factors hamper effective intercultural communication. The following is the list of those factors:

• Ethnocentrism
• Stereotyping
• Prejudice
• Discrimination

Intercultural communication competencies are those required to communicate, or share information, with humans from different cultures and social groups.

While language abilities may additionally be an essential part of intercultural communication, they are through no capacity the only requirement.

Intercultural verbal exchange additionally requires an understanding that one-of-a-kind cultures have one of a kind customs, standards, social mores, and even thought patterns.

Finally, accurate intercultural verbal exchange abilities require a willingness to receive differences in these and adapt to them.

Conclusion

Intercultural communication is an approach to relations among members of these groups that focuses on the recognition and respect of cultural differences, seeks the goal of mutual adaptation leading to biculturalism rather than simple assimilation, and supports the development of intercultural sensitivity on the part of individuals and organizations to enable empathic understanding and competent coordination of action across cultural differences.

All communication is cultural, it attracts on methods we've discovered to talk and deliver nonverbal messages. We do not always communicate the same way from day to day, given that elements like context, man or woman personality, and temper engage with sort of cultural affects and choices. Communication is interactive, so a crucial have an effect on on it effectiveness is our dating with others. Perfecting ourselves in powerful communique skills can ease our flow thru conflicts. A culturally fluent approach to conflict means working overtime to understand these and other ways communication varies across cultures, and applying these understanding in order to enhance relationship across differences.

References

1. Gudykunst, W. B. (1983). Intercultural communication theory: Current perspectives. In W. B. Gudykunst (Ed.), International and Intercultural Communication Annual (Vol. 7, pp. 1-24). Sage Publications.

2. Kim, Y. Y., & Gudykunst, W. B. (Eds.). (1988). Theories in intercultural communication (Vol. 16). Sage Publications.

3. Croucher, S. M., Sommier, M., & Rahimi, D. (2015). Global Communication and Culture: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Routledge.

4. Issa, A. A., & Yunusa, M. (2015). The Importance of Intercultural Communication in the Development of Multicultural Society. World Journal of Education, 5(3), 89-97.

5. Hall, E. T. (1961). The Silent Language. Doubleday.

6. Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2000). Intercultural communication in contexts (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.

7. Ting-Toomey, S. (1999). Communicative resources in conflict management: An intercultural view. In R. A. Wiseman (Ed.), Intercultural Communication Theory (pp. 201-221). Sage Publications.

8. Friedman, V. J., & Antal, A. B. (2005). Intercultural Communication Competence: A Transformational Learning Process. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 29(2), 195-214.

9. Kluckhohn, F. R., & Kelly, W. H. (1945). The concept of culture. The Science of Man in the World Crisis, 78-107.

10. Hofstede, G. (1993). Cultural constraints in management theories. Academy of Management Executive, 7(1), 81-94.

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11. Melbourne University. (2000). Communication, Culture and Learning: Making Connections. The University of Melbourne.