intersections: intercultural learning...

Intersections: Intercultural Learning Modules Module 3

2009

Intersections:

Intercultural Learning

Modules

Module 3: Linking Language and Culture

H U M A N R I G H T S , C I T I Z E N S H I P A N D M U L T I C U L T U R A L I S M E D U C A T I O N F U N D


Module 3: Linking Language and Culture

Contents Introduction......................................................................................................................... 3

Module 3 Outcomes:........................................................................................................... 3

General Learning Outcome............................................................................................. 3

Specific Learning Outcomes........................................................................................... 3

Communication................................................................................................................... 4

Task 1: Setting the Context......................................................................................... 4

Communication Style.......................................................................................................... 5

What’s your style? .......................................................................................................... 5

Non-verbal Behaviour..................................................................................................... 5

Task 2: Identifying non-verbal communication differences ....................................... 6

Communication Style...................................................................................................... 7

Task 3: Recognizing communication style differences .............................................. 8

Communication Style and Volunteer Management ........................................................ 9

Task 4: Exploring speech acts................................................................................... 10

Plain Language.................................................................................................................. 11

Task 5: Plain Language............................................................................................. 11

Additional Resources ........................................................................................................ 12

1: Practical Tools for Communicating with L2 Speakers ................................................. 13

Example Task............................................................................................................ 14

2: Principles for Language Access.................................................................................... 15

3: Opening Doors: A Literacy Audit Toolkit for Customer Service Excellence Literacy

Alberta............................................................................................................................... 17

Module 3 Assessment ........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.


Introduction

Language is the verbal expression of culture and is therefore an important part of our

identity. A culture's language contains everything its speakers can think about and how

they think. So you can see that learning another language is much more than vocabulary

and grammar; it also means learning another way of looking at the world. In other words

it is learning another culture. That can take a long time especially if your culture is very

different than the new one. When newcomers arrive in Canada we refer to this learning

time as settlement and adaptation.

In this module we will focus our lens in even closer to look at how culture is expressed

through what we say in other words through our use of language and communication

style. We will also explore how to adapt language to make it easier to communicate when

there is a language barrier and we will explore cultural categories of communication

style.

Module 3 Outcomes:

General Learning Outcome Understand the subtleties of communication style and how to adapt language to improve

communication.

Specific Learning Outcomes In this module participants will:

1. Examine how cultural values are expressed through language through non-verbal

behaviour and communication style.

2. Identify differences in perspectives in speech acts.

3. Explore plain language principles and apply to a written and oral communication

example.


Communication

In its simplest sense communication

involves a message sent from a

sender and received by a receiver.

The message is affected by many

variables that influence the way it is

received, as highlighted in the focus

group results.

Language contains everything its

speakers can think about, and how

they think, and thus is framed by a

cultural lens. In Module 2 we had a chance to explore two dimensions of culture

(individualist/collectivist and power distance) and how they show up in various

behaviours associated with volunteer management practices and interactions with

volunteers. Now let’s look at the way language is used to express certain core values.

Task 1: Setting the Context

Brainstorm

1. Take 5-10 minutes to brainstorm how language is used in your organization:

2. List written materials regularly used in your organization (i.e. website, brochures,

application forms etc.)

3. List verbal communication contact points (i.e. on the phone when someone calls

for information, during an intake interview, during training sessions, at the police

station etc.)

Reflect

• What words or phrases catch your attention as difficult to understand by someone

with limited proficiency in English?

• What do you notice about the verbal interactions you have had with speakers of

other languages?

• What was confusing, exciting or overwhelming about the interaction?

• What felt comfortable? Uncomfortable?

• What surprised you?

Focus group feedback Examples of linguistic barriers in Alberta Communities:

• Language

• English proficiency

• Speed

• Accent

• Versions of English (local speaker

slang/colloquial)

• Availability of interpretation and translation

services

• Communication


Communication Style

What’s your style? How do you like to be encouraged? How do expect people to resolve conflicts? This is

your communication style. It includes a pattern of verbal and non-verbal behaviour that

make up our preferred ways of giving and receiving information. Communication style

includes how we accomplish a variety of tasks, such as:

• Organizing and presenting information and how we like it to be organized

• Encouraging others and how we like to be encouraged

• Agreeing or disagreeing with others’ ideas

• Building relationships, trust, and intimacy with others

• Communicating politeness and how we perceive politeness to be communicated

• Establishing credibility

The way we communicate these messages can be understood by looking at some of the

different ways we communicate messages.

Non-verbal Behaviour

Non verbal behaviours can be categorized into three main categories: 1. Behaviours that exist in both cultures and have the same meaning

2. Behaviours that exist in both cultures but have different meaning in each

3. Behaviours that have meaning in one culture but no meaning in the other

Categories of non-verbal behaviour 1. Pronunciation and Intonation (Paralanguage)

a. Tone, pitch, stress, speed

b. Meta-messages, i.e. sarcasm, kidding

2. Body language (Kinesics)

a. Gesturing, facial display, eye contact

3. Perception and use of space (Proxemics)

a. Norms and protocols for seating arrangements, conversational distance

and personal space

4. The use and meaning of time (Chronemics)

a. Meaning of “on time”

b. Is lateness accepted or considered an insult

5. The use of touch (Haptics)

a. In some cultures touching expresses warmth and openness where as in

others touch between strangers in frowned upon.


Task 2: Identifying non-verbal communication differences

Look at these examples of differences in non-verbal communication1. Observe yourself

and others. What are your “rules” for each? Identify your “normal”. Give and example.

Example Culture 1 Culture 2 Possible Misinterpretations

Personal

Space

Greater

distance than

Culture 2

Less distance

than Culture 1

People in culture 1 may think culture 2

types stand too close and are a bit

aggressive. Culture 2 people may think

Culture 1 style stand too far away and are

reserved, distant or cold.

Touching Less frequent

than in

Culture 2

More frequent

than in Culture 1

People from culture 1 may think people

from Culture 2 touch too much and are a

bit rough or pushy. People from Culture

2 may think people from Culture 1 don’t

touch enough and are cold, unfriendly,

and distant.

Eye

contact

Important to

maintain eye

contact when

listening to

someone or

when

speaking to

someone

Polite to look

away and make

only fleeting

contact,

especially with

one’s elders and

superiors

People from Culture 1 may think people

from Culture 2 are not paying attention

or cannot be trusted. People from Culture

2 may think people from Culture 1 are

rude and aggressive (by not showing

proper respect in looking down).

My “normal”

Personal Space

Touching

Eye contact

1 From Storti C., Figuring foreigners out: a practical guide, Intercultural Press, 1999. P. 118-122


Communication Style Communication style also includes the way a message is constructed – its form – and

interpretations based on form. There are many different categories of communication

style. In this module we will look at two “categories” of communication style: high/low

context and direct/indirect communication styles.

Low Context Communication

A low context culture emphasizes things that are obvious in communication and it does

not take into account implicit background information, such social status, or the historical

or economic background of the individuals who are interacting. Low context

communicators assume that they can get all the background information they need simply

by asking questions and focusing on the present situation. This results in issues being

simplified for the purpose of efficiency. Thoughts are put into words and words are used

to communicate the message directly. “Say what you mean and mean what you say; don’t

beat around the bush.”

Low context cultures tend to be less reliant on the need to know the contextual

background of the individuals participating in the task at hand. The tendency is to

simplify communication by not always integrating all aspects of the experience. Low

context communicators believe that reducing the context makes problem solving easier

and as a result communication more efficient. Communication is brief and to the point.

Straight talk and logical construction is highly valued.

High Context Communication

A high context culture goes beyond the specific situation by also taking into account the

contextual background. For example, when Japanese people interact with each other they

are always conscious of rank, age, historical and professional status. People and issues

are seen as embedded in and not easily disentangled from a larger whole. Context is used

to communicate the message and it is not necessary to put everything into words.

High context cultures assume that communication between people cannot be separated

from the historical or emotional aspects of experience. Similarly, non-verbal cues or the

person’s place in the social hierarchy become part of the communication process. The

personal and the professional cannot be easily separated.


Direct Style

In a direct style of communication meaning is conveyed through explicit statements

made directly to the people involved with little reliance on contextual factors such as

situation and timing. Disagreement is stated directly and issues are discussed with

calmness and detachment, to insure avoidance of personal bias. To communicate means

to talk. Verbal output is usually equated with coherent thinking patterns as well as with

intelligence. Being articulate and “quick on your feet” are signs of intellectual ability.

Indirect Style Indirect styles encourage implicit ways of conveying meaning and dealing with conflict.

Statements intended for one person may be made within earshot to a different person.

Disagreements are not stated directly; they may take the form of a story with a lesson or

response embedded in the narrative. Silence may also be seen as another style of

communication. To be silent in the classroom/workplace does not mean passivity or lack

of interest. In an intercultural context, it may signify an indirect form of disagreement or

it may simply mean that the process of understanding and responding take longer.

Cultures that stress silence assume that words must be carefully evaluated before they are

expressed. Listening is considered an essential trait, while spontaneous direct talk is

seldom encouraged.

Task 3: Recognizing communication style differences

Read the dialogue between the volunteer manager Ms. Jones and Mr. Wu the volunteer.

Ms. Jones: It looks like we’re going to need some people to come in on Saturday.

Mr. Wu I see

Ms. Jones Can you come in on Saturday?

Mr. Wu Yes, I think so.

Ms. Jones That’ll be a great help.

Mr. Wu Yes. Saturday’s a special day, did you know?

Ms. Jones How do you mean?

Mr. Wu It’s my son’s birthday.

Ms. Jones How nice. I hope you all enjoy it very much.

Mr. Wu Thank you. I appreciate your understanding.

Questions

1. Do you think Mr. Wu showed up to volunteer on Saturday?

2. Can you identify the misunderstanding?

3. Which communicator is using a direct / low context style?

4. Which communicator is using an indirect/ high context style?

5. How could this situation have been remedied at the time?

6. What other examples can you think of?

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Communication Style and Volunteer Management

Communication style has implications for every stage

in the volunteer cycle in many ways. The volunteer

management cycle includes:

• Recruitment

• Interviewing

• Orientation and training

• Supervision and feedback

• Interacting while in a volunteer role

• Communicating on the phone

• Evaluation

Different communication styles emerge in different

contexts and when we are communicating for different

purposes. Differences come out quite clearly when we

have specific objectives we are trying to accomplish,

such as making an apology, giving a compliment, or

using humor. These actions are referred to as speech

acts.

Example speech acts:

1. Give a compliment about the clothes someone is wearing.

2. Give a compliment about a well-written memo, e-mail, or proposal.

3. Request a more challenging volunteer assignment.

4. Use humor to lighten the mood after a stressful meeting.

5. Thank someone for his/her help on a volunteer project.

6. Praise a colleague for a well run event.

7. Critique a fellow volunteer for being late.

8. Critique your supervisor for being late.

9. Tell a family member you are not going to a family dinner.

10. Apologize for taking a week to respond to an e-mail.

11. Apologize to your friend for forgetting that you had made a dinner plan with him

or her and now you have another commitment.

“I am accustomed to building

relationships and rapport through

compliments. I like to give

compliments and notice nice things

about others. When I was living

abroad I continued my same

practice only to find myself in the

uncomfortable position of being

given the item I complimented. I

noticed my friend’s mother was

wearing a beautiful scarf. To make

conversation I commented on the

scarf with a compliment. When I

left, her mother insisted that I take

the scarf. It was really

embarrassing!”

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Speech acts are highly cultural!

Some of the speech acts that are

most commonly misunderstood

across cultures are:

1. Apologies

2. Requests

3. Praise

4. Disagreement

5. Feedback

6. Humor and joking

Example: Apologizing

An apology can mean:

• the admission of guilt

• a way to bond

• empathy

• weakness

• lack of confidence

• a sign of professionalism

• a good education

Task 4: Exploring speech acts 1. Choose a speech act from the list.

2. Think within the context of your organization and ongoing interactions with

volunteers.

3. Keeping in mind the context, write down what you would say using each of the

speech acts you chose. (Write an imaginary monologue or dialogue between you

and a same culture colleague)

4. Ask someone from a different cultural background to answer the same question.

Find out how they might approach a similar situation.

5. Compare your answers.

6. Explore the meaning of other speech acts.

One high profile example of apologies involved a U.S

military plane flying over Chinese airspace without

permission from the Chinese government. The Chinese

forced the plane to land and held the US crew members for

some time. During that time, an investigation was

conducted and it was largely determined that it was a

mistake for the plane to have been in that area. The

Chinese government requested an apology from the U.S.A.

While the US government cooperated with the

investigation’s findings they refused to offer a formal

apology because from the US perspective apologizing

meant admitting blame and taking responsibility for

intentional wrongdoing. From the Chinese perspective, an

apology indicated acknowledgement that the incident had

happened and provided an opportunity ti move forward,

National tensions rose and foreign citizens were held,

perhaps unnecessarily, for a period of time until this

cultural misunderstanding was resolved.

Communication Highwire p. 157

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Plain Language “Plain or clear language is a way of communicating with people so your message is easy

to understand the first time. Plain language speaks directly to the reader or listener; the

audience or clients are the focus, not your organizations. Plain language understands how

your audience understands your message and focuses communication from that point of

view.”2

Brainstorm a list of documents are being read by volunteers or potential volunteers. Here

are some examples:

• Website

• Promotional materials

• Forms

• Orientation and training materials

• Policies and procedures

• Handbooks

What can I do to make these written communications more easily accessible to L2 users?

How can I use plain language principles to improve my oral communication skills?

How aware am I of the way I use language?

• Accent

• Slang/Expressions

• Idioms

• Acronyms

• Grammar

Task 5: Plain Language

Look at the excerpt from Opening Doors: A Literacy Audit Toolkit (Appendix 4):

1. Reflect on your verbal communication (Page 4)

2. Look at the Plain language guidelines then choose one item from your

brainstormed list of documents and review it considering the plain language

guidelines. (Page 5) Rewrite one piece using plain language.

2 Opening Doors: A Literacy Audit Tool Kit for Customer Service Excellence Literacy Alberta

www.literacyalberta.ca

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Additional Resources

1. Practical Tools for Communicating with L2 Speakers

2. Guiding Values and Principles for Language Access

This piece about language access is taken from the healthcare context and has

been included to provide a bit more information about how to think about creating

a welcoming and accessible organization.

3. Opening Doors: A Literacy Audit Toolkit for Customer Service Excellence

Literacy Alberta

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1: Practical Tools for Communicating with L2 Speakers

When you are speaking

• Speak clearly and more slowly

• Repeat important ideas using different words to explain the same concept.

• Use simple sentences

• Use active verbs and avoid passive verbs

• Avoid using colloquialisms and slang

Be aware of non-verbal tools

• Use Visuals. Use as many visual restatements as possible, such as pictures,

graphs, tables and slides.

• Gestures. Use appropriate facial and hand gestures to emphasize the meaning of

words.

• Demonstrate or act out what you want to say whenever possible.

• Pause more often. Leave a slightly longer gap between sentences.

• Summaries. Provide written summaries of your verbal presentation (orientations

and trainings)

Take care to make accurate interpretations

• Silence. When the other person is silent, wait. Do not jump in to fill in the silence.

The other person may just be thinking more slowly in their non-native language

or translating.

• Intelligence. Do not equate poor grammar and mispronunciation with lack of

intelligence; it is usually a sign of non-native language use.

• Differences. If you are not sure, assume difference, not similarity then explore

and clarify.

Comprehension

• Understanding. Do not just assume they understand; assume they do not

understand.

• Checking comprehension. Have colleagues paraphrase their understanding of

what you have said. Do not simply ask if they understand. Let them explain what

they understood.

• Paraphrase what you have heard and confirm understanding

Designing training and orientation

• Breaks. Take more frequent breaks. Second language comprehension is

exhausting.

• Small chunks. Divide the material you are presenting into smaller chunks.

• More time. It takes more time so plan for it.

Create a welcoming environment

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• Verbally and non-verbally encourage speaking by participants

• Encourage marginal and passive speakers to contribute by considering alternative

meeting formats

• Do not embarrass novice speaker

Example Task

Think of an activity you currently perform in engaging volunteers and suggest ways you

might incorporate the above communication tools to be more effective.

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2: Principles for Language Access3

Linguistic competency is the capacity of an organization and its personnel to

communicate effectively, and convey information in a manner that is easily understood

by diverse audiences including persons of limited English proficiency, those who have

low literacy skills or are not literate, and individuals with disabilities. Linguistic

competency requires the organizational capacity to respond effectively to the needs of

populations served. The organization must have policies, procedures, practices and

dedicated resources to support this capacity. This may include, but is not limited to, the

use of:

• bilingual/bicultural or multilingual/multicultural staff;

• cross-cultural communication approaches

• cultural brokers4

• foreign language interpretation services including distance technologies;

• sign language interpretation services;

• multilingual telecommunication systems;

• print materials in easy to read, low literacy, picture and symbol formats;

• materials in alternative formats (e.g., audiotape, Braille, enlarged print );

• varied approaches to share information with individuals who experience cognitive

disabilities;

• materials developed and tested for specific cultural, ethnic and linguistic groups;

• translation services

• legally binding documents (e.g., consent forms, confidentiality and patient rights

statements, release of information, applications)

• signage

• education materials

3 Adapted from

Goode, National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University Center for Child

& Human Development.

4 The concept of cultural brokering is an ancient one that can be traced to the earliest recorded encounters

between cultures. The term cultural broker was first coined by anthropologists who observed that certain

individuals acted as middlemen, negotiators, or brokers between colonial governments and the societies

they ruled. Different definitions of cultural brokering have evolved over time. One definition states that

cultural brokering is the act of bridging, linking, or mediating between groups or persons of different

cultural backgrounds for the purpose of reducing conflict or producing change (Jezewski, 1990). A cultural

broker is defined as a go-between, one who advocates on behalf of another individual or group (Jezewski &

Sotnik, 2001) [ Source: http://culturalbroker.info/2_role/index.html National Centre for Cultural

Competence]

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• public awareness materials and campaigns; and

• ethnic media in languages other than English (e.g., television, radio, Internet,

newspapers, periodicals).

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3: Opening Doors: A Literacy Audit Toolkit for Customer Service Excellence Literacy Alberta

For information on how to order the complete toolkit go to

http://www.literacyalberta.ca/opendoor.htm

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Module 3 Assessment How long did it take you to complete this module? __________ hours

Please return the following to Volunteer Alberta

(#217 10113-104 St., Edm., AB T5J 1A1, fax (780) 482-3310 or email

[email protected]):

• Module 3 Assessment (please use the back of this sheet if necessary)

• Responses (individually or from a group) to any 3 of the tasks in this module - please include

any recorded discussions, pictures, answers or interesting thoughts they may have invoked.

1. Overall impression Disappointed Very Satisfied

1 2 3 4

What were the topics and tasks you found most useful?

What were the topics and tasks you found least useful?

2. Usefulness

Not useful Very useful

1 2 3 4

From this module, the ideas most useful for my work in nonprofit/voluntary organizations are:

Skills/information I want to learn more about:

3. Module layout / Process

Need much improvement Excellent

1 2 3 4

Please provide comments for improvement and comments about what helped you

complete this independent study module.

4. What three questions are you left with after completing this module? 1.

2.

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