跨文化交际常见问题.docx

1、跨文化交际常见问题跨文化交际常见问题1. What are the reasons which might contribute to an increase of intercultural contacts in the world?Nowadays, the increasing trend of intercultural contacts can be ascribed to four main factors: the advancement of technology, immigration, economic globalization and the emergence o

2、f multiculturalism. A. With the development of technology, the transportation systems and communication systems have witnessed great advancement. Trips once taking days are now measured in hours, making it possible for people to go to anywhere of the world in one day, and thus speeding up intercultu

3、ral contact. Moreover, the advanced communication technologies, such as Internet, mobile phones and cable TV transmission equipment, have give people access to sharing and exchanging information and ideas instantaneously. B. Changes in population migration have also contributed to the development of

4、 increasing intercultural contact. Pursuing a better job or endeavoring for a better life, people from all over the world leave their country while bringing their own culture, habits, language and so on to the other. C. Economic globalization is another factor for increasing intercultural contacts.

5、With the accelerated trend of economic globalization, the world we lived in is more and more interdependent and interrelated. And each countrys economy is tied to the economy of other countries. Therefore, the intercultural contacts between regions, countries and continents are inevitably increased.

6、 D. Multiculturalism is the view that the various cultures in a society merit equal respect and scholarly interest, describing the coexistence of many cultures in a locality, without any one culture dominating the region. Therefore, with the increasing of the trends of multiculturalism, the communic

7、ations between regions and cultures will inevitably strengthened and increased. 2. What are characteristic of communication and culture common to all human beings?Although communications are different from one another in their forms and norms, all communication systems around the world share certain

8、 characteristics.A. Indirect: one characteristic of communication is that people can only obtain messages from others words and behaviors instead of obtaining from the mind of others. B. Interactive: Communication takes place between at least two individuals, and each one in a communication process

9、will affect or be affected by the others words or behaviors, and as a consequence, he/she will immediately modify or alter his/her responses either in words, tones, gestures, and so on.C. Dynamic: as all communication processes and their consequences are affected by the specific time, place, occasio

10、n and the number of people with their particular rules, values, customs, and so on, the communication can be perceived as an ongoing and ever-changing activity. D. Self-reflective: as human beings have a unique ability to think about themselves, to watch how they define the world, and to reflect on

11、their past, present, and future, all forms of communication will inevitably involve and behind by their ancestors through language, and leave their culture to descendants through language. For example, if we want to know the Chinese culture 1000 years ago, we can research the records of that time. T

12、herefore through language, civilization passes over from generation to generation. The society will then make progress step by step.In fact, we can know other cultures by reading books. We dont need to go to go abroad to know about cultures of foreign countries. Language brings us convenience to lea

13、rn different cultures. C. Culture affects languageFrom the definition of culture, we know that culture includes geography, religion, tradition, custom, value and so on. In fact, culture often affects language through them.Every nation lives and works in a certain natural environment, which is reflec

14、ted by its language. People from different regions may have different languages. They use different words, metaphors to express their views towards their environment. Nearly every nation has its religion. Religion is an important part in culture. Many daily used words are from religion. For instance

15、: Adams apple (喉结); my rib(我妻); Judass kiss(背叛)。Every culture has its specific features, which is reflected through language. Chinese people from some regions are accustomed to sleep on a 炕（a heatable bed）. They eat 冰糖葫芦（candied haws on a stick）. Whereas westerners go to motel eat hamburger.People f

16、rom different cultures have different values. Sometimes, the differences cause misunderstandings. People should pay attention to the different values of different cultures.Culture background determines a mans native language. For example, if a Chinese infant is adopted by an American couple who live

17、 in American, he or she will grow up speaking perfect English.4. How does the perception of communication due to cultural differences affect intercultural communication? Culture strongly influences our subjective reality and there are direct links among culture, perception, and behavior. There are s

18、ome factors in cultural belief, value, and patterns that might influence both perception and communication. Firstly, belief systems are significant to the study of intercultural communication, because they are at the core of our thoughts and actions. They are our conviction in the truth of something

19、. They tell us how the world operates. Belief systems are important because they are learned and hence subject to cultural interpretation and cultural diversity. We must be able to recognize the fact that cultures have different realities and belief systems. Beliefs are such an influential factor in

20、 intercultural communication because they affect our conscious and unconscious minds, as well as the manner in which we communicate.Secondly, one of the most important functions of belief system is that they are the basis of our value. Formally, a value may be defined as an enduring belief that a sp

21、ecific mode of conduct of end-state of existence is personally of socially preferable to another. An awareness of cultural value also helps us understand our own behavior. Thus, value is another very important factor to affect intercultural communication.Thirdly, cultural patterns can affect intercu

22、ltural communication; culture is extremely complex and consists of numerous interrelated cultural orientations besides beliefs and value. Cultural patterns refer to both the conditions that contribute to the way in which a person perceives and thinks about the world, and the manner in which they liv

23、e in that world.These three factors make people have different culture, and also affect both the perception and communication.5. How do you understand about globalization? What factors may lead to the growth of globalization? Globalization: An overviewNow people from all over the world are more conn

24、ected to each other than ever before. Information and money flow more quickly than ever. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world. International travel is more frequent. International communication is commonplace. This phenomenon is ca

25、lled “globalization”.Globalization describes the political, economic, and cultural atmosphere of today.While some people think of globalization as primarily a synonym for global business, it is much more than that. The same forces that allow businesses to operate as if national borders did not exist

26、 also allow social activists, labor organizers, journalists, academics, and many others to work on a global stage.While coming up with a definition is difficult, an even greater challenge is deciding whether globalization is a good thing or a bad thing. Globalization is much like fire. Fire itself i

27、s neither good nor bad. Globalization can be incredibly empowering and incredibly coercive. It can democratize opportunity and democratize panic. It makes the whales bigger and the minnows stronger. It leaves you behind faster and faster, and it catches up to you faster and faster. While it is homog

28、enizing cultures, it is also enabling people to share their unique individuality farther and wider.Globalization will always have cheerleaders who are blind to the destruction globalization can cause. And it will always have strident opponents blind to the way globalization gives some people their f

29、irst opportunity to fulfill basic aspirations. Some factors contributing to globalizationThe current era of globalization began shortly after the end of World War II with the victorious western powers supporting a worldwide “open” trade and investment policy (Yan Ming, 2006).1. New technologyTechnol

30、ogy is one reason for the globalization phenomenon. Computers, which have eased telecommunication burdens, are cheaper now than they have ever been and more powerful, too. New technology will lead to even further global business integration, as the internet becomes more accepted as a business medium

31、 worldwide.2. Open marketThose who argue that globalization is a good thing say companies dealing on the world stage will eventually become much more efficient as they benefit from large economies of scale. Productivity will be boosted and living standards everywhere have the potential to rise as th

32、e world becomes richer and more prosperous because of globalization. 3. Overseas job opportunitiesGlobalization creates more jobs than it actually destroys, but they are in different sectors and in different geographic regions. It takes more skill, education and mobility to be employable. The jobs l

33、ost in Europe and North America over the decades have generally been those requiring relatively uneducated workers. Indeed, wage differences between the skilled and unskilled will likely increase. Both sides can point to ample examples to support their cases. What is irrefutable is that the world econo