Ceremonies, costumes and outlooks in intercultural communication

CEREMONIES, COSTUMES AND OUTLOOKS IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Culture is a system of learned behavior patterns that are characteristic of the members of a society. Note the emphasis on the learning of behaviors or ways of doing things. Culture is learned, and individuals learn culture through an ongoing process of socialization. Parents, families, schools, peers, and workplaces, for example, all socialize individuals to ways of doing things. We find differences across cultures in dress, language, food preferences, and other behaviors in part because these are learned behaviors not knowledge that is innate, instinctual, or determined by genetic programming.
Cultural patterns are characteristic behaviors and often include a complex array of choices. A culture may afford more than one way of doing the same thing. Hence, diversity in behaviors may be found in some aspects of any culture
Culture is a complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits that members of a society acquire (Linton, 1936). Linton emphasized that culture is a complex whole a network of behaviors related to all aspects of life. Dress is shaped by and reflects many characteristics in any culture, so dress is a complex map of cultural characteristics.
Culture includes both abstract and concrete components.
Abstract components include the meanings of symbols, events, activities, or actions and how the meanings are created and selected. Concrete components include the forms of action, behavior, event, activity, or artifact. Dress may be a concrete object, such as a shirt, a pair of shoes, or a hairstyle, but those artifacts develop meanings in a culture. The fashion process, situations in which we use dress, and groups associated with wearing of types of dress all bring meaning to those artifacts.
Culture, like language, is something that we learn. Although culture provides us with our identity and sense of self, culture is not part of our genetic code. It is something dynamic, constantly changing, that is passed from one generation to the next. What we value, how those values influence our behaviour, how we perceive the world, and even how we communicate are all determined by the culture in which we grow up and by which we continue to live into adulthood. How and what we learn can be, and frequently are, culturally determined. So, too, are our thinking and reasoning patterns and our approaches to problem-solving. Sometimes it is only when we come in contact with other cultures and are made aware of differences in our efforts to communicate that our own ever-evolving cultures come sharply into focus.
The rules that apply in one culture may be entirely inappropriate in another. Context is therefore an important concept in intercultural interactions. Because people from different cultures encode and decode messages differently, there is always the potential for misunderstanding and, consequently, antagonisms to occur across cultural boundaries.¹
Culture is shaped by attitudes learned in childhood and later internalized in adulthood. As we enter this current period of globalization and interculturalism, we should expect to make adjustments and adopt new attitudes. Adjustment and accommodation will be easier if we understand some basic characteristics of culture.
Culture Is Learned.
The rules, values, and attitudes of a culture are not inherent. They are learned and passed down from generation to generation. For example, in many Middle Eastern and some Asian cultures, same-sex people may walk hand in hand in the street, but opposite-sex people may not do so. In Arab cultures conversations are often held in close proximity, sometimes nose to nose. But in Western cultures, if a person stands too close, the other may feel uncomfortable. Cultural rules of behaviour learned from your family and society are conditioned from early childhood.
Cultures are Inherently Logical.
The rules in any culture originated to reinforce that culture’s values and beliefs. They act as normative forces. Rules about how close to stand may be linked to values about sexuality, aggression, modesty, and respect. Acknowledging the inherent logic of a culture is extremely important when learning to accept behaviour that differs from our own cultural behaviour.²
Culture Is the Basis of Self-Identity and Community.
Culture is the basis for how we tell the world who we are and what we believe. People build their identities through cultural overlays to their primary culture. When North Americans make choices in education, career, place of employment, and life partner, they consider certain rules, manners, ceremonies, beliefs, language, and values. These considerations add to their total cultural outlook, and they represent major expressions of a person’s self-identity.
Culture Is Dynamic.
Over time, cultures will change. Changes are caused by advancements in technology and communication, as discussed earlier. Local differences are modified or slowly erased. Change is also caused by such events as migration, natural disasters, and conflicts. One major event in this country was the exodus of people living on farms. When families moved to cities, major changes occurred in the way family members interacted. Attitudes, behaviours, and beliefs change in open societies more quickly than in closed societies.
Culture Combines the Visible and Invisible.
To outsiders, the way we act—those things that we do in daily life and work—are the most visible parts of our culture. In India, for example, people avoid stepping on ants or other insects because they believe in reincarnation and are careful about all forms of life. Such practices are outward symbols of deeper values that are invisible but that pervade everything we think and do.
Communication is often influenced by cultural behaviour. More often than not, people are not fully aware of the assumptions and beliefs associated with communication exchange. “Intercultural communication is the sending and receiving of messages across languages and cultures. It is also a negotiated understanding of meaning in human experience across social systems and societies”. Intercultural communication, more precisely then, is defined as the study of communication between people whose “cultural perceptions and symbol systems are distinct enough” to alter their communication. In their model of intercultural communication, Samovar and Porter illustrate the process of how the meaning of a message changes when it is encoded by a person in one culture and decoded by a person in another culture in the context of his or her own cultural background. In some cases, the message may be interpreted to carry a different meaning than was intended. Therefore, when communicating with someone from a different culture, we can therefore expect cultural differences to have an influence. Cultural differences stem from our differing perceptions, which in turn determines how we communicate with people of other cultures. By understanding how people perceive the world, their values and beliefs, we can better understand what they say and can anticipate potential cross-cultural misunderstandings.³
On the other hand, “interpersonal communication is the process by which people exchange information, feelings, and meaning through verbal and non-verbal messages: it is face-to-face communication”. Interpersonal communication is not just about what is actually said - the language used-buthowit is said and the non-verbal messages sent through tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures and body language. For this reason intercultural competence is very important to ensure effective and efficient communication.
“Intercultural competence is a communication behavior that is appropriate and effective in a given context …” Thus the ability one has to recognize his or her cultural norms, to understand the patient’s special perspective and to effectively adjust and adapt behaviours to maximize care. People of good cultural competence are indicated during communication based on their self-awareness, attitude and their listening and speaking skills and above all empathy. Hence, they are able to communicate with people in a way that earns their respect and trust. Cultural competence is comprised of four components; awareness of one's own cultural worldview, knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, attitude towards cultural differences and cross-cultural skills Therefore, such persons are very much aware of their own culture, personal attitude and communication styles making them conscious of every physical and human settings to ensure effective communication. Cultural competence is very significant in interpersonal and intercultural communication for many reasons.
Understanding Communication Skills
Firstly, cultural competence helps one to understand their own communication skills and appreciate that of others. This enables one to have effective communication in argumentative and non-argumentative contexts. The ability to appropriate language for expressing pain, emotion and dealing with ambiguity helps to send information across effectively. The chances of having close, personal, and interactions with those different from you whether in age, physical ability, gender, ethnicity, class, religion, race, or nationality are increasing daily. Such relationships help an individual to learn about the world, break stereotypes, and acquire new skills. For instance, when a Ghanaian travels to the USA, Britain or any other country and vice-versa, individuals are able to learn a lot from the newly geographical space. Ranging from food, greetings, dance, music, politics, sports etc. Culturally “competent” professionals in service learning recognizes that staff and clients have different needs based on many factors and providing tailored service to fit those needs. A good communicator can detect the differences in symbols, heroes and rituals between his or her own culture and another culture, because those aspects are reflected in practices, the things people do.
Miscommunication resulting from such differences between cultures can be avoided rather easily because the differences can be observed. When thinking about communication between cultures, rather than thinking of them as entirely separate and static it is more useful to consider them as dynamic and interconnected. For instance, the Japanese and U.S. Americans have very different reactions when they realize that they have committed a face-threatening act and would like to restore the other's face. The Japanese prefer to adapt their messages to the social status of their interaction partners and provide an appropriate apology. They want to repair the damage, if possible, but without providing reasons that explain or justify their original error. Conversely, U.S. Americans would prefer to adapt their messages to the nature of the provocation and provide verbal justifications for their initial actions. They may use humor or aggression to divert attention from their actions but do not apologize for their original error. This indicate that having a better understanding of cultural competence is a necessary tool to foster intercultural and interpersonal communication.⁴
Understanding variations in Language Use
Secondly, cultural competence helps one to understand cultural variations in language use. People who are culturally competent are able to remember idioms, ambiguities, expressions, non-verbal codes during communication. For these, such a person understands that meaning of some expressions and phrases in his or her own culture may differ from different cultures hence are able to tolerate all communication tools. Culturally competent communicators are very cautious about appropriateness. Appropriateness is the ability to communicate with someone in a socially sensitive manner so as not to offend or break any rules that would result in insult, face threat, or rudeness. Embedded in the cultural norms and rules is the appropriateness of certain types of behaviors and the manner in which we communicate. Therefore, persons who are culturally competent always consider the norms, rules, and expectations of their listeners and how these are determined by an accumulation of culture and regional or subculture, organizational culture, and individual personality. Parks states, competent communicators have a vested interest in maintaining the rules of social conduct because they realize, however dimly, that their ability to pursue their own goals depends on the freedom of others to pursue their goals. Personal control, then, is more often an ally of social appropriateness than its enemy. In maintain the social conduct, it is pivotal for communicators to appreciate the linguistic background of each so that none’s cultural tongue dominates that of the other.
Clarity in presenting Information
Thirdly, it helps one to state his information clearly and precisely. Based on this, a culturally competent person is always ready to adjust his or her listening level of understanding without demeaning the person he or she is communicating with. Such people are able to slow down speaking, speak in small units, and point out key words to their listeners effectively and efficiently. Effectiveness is the ability to achieve your goals through the communication process. Specifically, an individual must be able to maximize his or her potential for achieving his or her goals by selecting strategies that will allow the individual to achieve his or her success through interaction. Effective strategy selection is critical for clear communication in intercultural settings among culturally competent persons.⁵
M. Kim argues that strategic competency entails a person’s ability to select an effective message that allows the other party to derive the intended meaning. Intercultural understanding increases both sending and receiving abilities, making communication between people with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds as constructive as possible. With broader experience, the care and concern one demonstrate will not just nourish intercultural communication but will encourage further communication efforts as well. Culture is the ever-changing values, traditions, social and political relationships, and worldview created and shared by a group of people bound together by a combination of factors (which can include a common history, geographic location, language, social class, or religion). Competent interpersonal relationships among people from different cultures do not happen by accident. They occur because of the knowledge and perceptions people have about one another, their motivations to engage in meaningful interactions, and their ability to communicate in ways that are regarded as appropriate and effective. To improve these interpersonal relationships, then, it is necessary to learn about and thereby reduce anxiety and uncertainty about people from other cultures, to share oneself with those people, and to handle the inevitable differences in perceptions and expectations that will occur. The use of cultural competence enhances an individual’s clarity of thought in the communication processes.⁶
This project involves the provision of primary health care to villagers in the remote Mofinko River region in Kono district with over 50,000 regional inhabitants. A team of medical personnel including medical students, medical and dental residents, doctors, and allied health care personnel, staffs a clinic with local outreach on a rotating basis in concert with the local health community. The project strengthens local heath care services, with qualified medical professionals, basic equipment and essential pharmaceuticals . Emphasis is placed on the close interaction of participants from the U. S. and the local health care personnel at all levels of health care.
Several village generated community development construction projects offer the opportunity for rural villagers and Americans to gain cross-cultural experience while providing the community with useful infrastructure. In addition to locally generated projects, the organization sponsors the Geltaftan (Fired Earth) architecture as a sustainable means of local house construction. The teams rotate to the various sites over a two- to four-week period.
Primary Health Care
This project involves a teams of doctors and other medical personnel with medical supplies and medications, working for a two- to four week period in local hospitals and other health care delivery facilities in The Gambia. The project strengthens the existing health care delivery system in the communities with which we work as well as providing experiential and educational benefit to the American participants, while concurrently providing a platform for cross-cultural exchange.
Education and Culture
Educational and cultural programs emphasize adult literacy, childhood literacy, and computer educational projects. Cultural exchange will involve Internet and electronic exchange initiatives between schools and community groups in the Gambia and the U. S. The computer aspect of the project will work closely with SchoolNet Africa, an initiative to enable schools in Africa to be networked together and to share ideas and experiences. The African Cultural Exchange (Africulex) project will seek computers and equipment for schools and community groups in The Gambia. The African Cultural Exchange (Africulex) technical assistants including teachers and other educational personnel will provide training and assistance to local school staff and community groups to set-up and maintain the systems. The main thrusts of the project lies in cultural exchange through electronic exchange of information, ideas and experiences across cultures with a view towards improvement of understanding of the respective cultures.⁷
THACE sponsors a medical education program for individual medical and dental residents to spend a one-month educational elective working with African medical educators to learn about health care delivery in a developing nation. In addition to project sites in The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Kenya, future sites include Senegal, Ghana, Guinea, and South Africa.
Medical Relief
The organization provides coordination of medical relief response teams to areas of natural and civil crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa. The teams are composed of medical personnel from all levels of the health care system as well as administrative and technical assistants. The projects look to provide a bridge from crisis to sustainable recovery. Current work focuses on Sierra Leone.
This Spring Break 2019 project is designed as an introductory mission to Africa for college students and others with an interest in discovering the culture, history and people of West Africa. The mission is designed to give the participant an in-depth look into the daily lives of the people of the 2 host countries by including counterpart discussions, village visits and a rural teaching experience. The SBCDM is an exploration experience that draws on the expertise of The African Cultural Exchange in fostering educational and cross-cultural partnerships between counterparts all around the continent of Africa. These partnerships provide the framework for continued relationships that lead to two-way benefit and participants often gain insights and inspiration that provide benefit throughout their professional development. These partnerships are encouraged by the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-17) to create Global Partnerships for sustainable development to support the UN 2030 Agenda for Development-Transforming our world.⁸
Here we use the word language broadly to mean any system of communication: that is, any system for transferring information from one party to another. This includes body language and mathematics, as well as speech and writing. It includes communication among animals, between humans and animals, and between humans and objects such as clocks or computers.
People use languages to express their experience. However, each language is uniquely adapted for expressing only certain parts of our experience and is less effective for describing other parts. We cannot completely describe a painting in words, or describe emotions with numbers. And because experiences differ widely from one culture to another, we cannot completely express the concepts and nuances of one culture in the languages of another. The Ohlone Indians of the western United States, who had a stable population for 5,000 years before the Spanish arrived, had no word for “famine,” presumably because they had never experienced that condition.