Cross-Cultural Communication

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Cross cultural communication refers to the communication between people of the same background, ethnicity among themselves and with people of different backgrounds and ethnicity. Communication of any kind is important in global connection as people have to understand each other effectively in order to connect. Cross cultural communication is an important tool in making the world a global village with free and open communication lines which can only be effective when the parties understand each other. Amy Tan is a writer who has taken time to document some of her experiences together with her mother’s challenges with the English language. Much like me, she is also an immigrant whose first language is not English.

An individual’s first language greatly affects the way they speak and view their environment. People brought up speaking Arabic as I was find it difficult to learn another language like English or Chinese. In an environment where only the native language is spoken, then the people within that confine see each other as equals on the basis of language. On the other hand, an English speaking lady in a crowd of Arab speaking individuals will feel inferior as they cannot contribute in a conversation. There is also the culture attached to a certain language. For instance, in the Arab countries women are not allowed to voice their opinions, the opposite is true in the United States. An Arab man even without understanding English will find Americans ill-behaved when he sees a woman voicing her opinion and men quiet listening to her.

Amy Tan in her essay “Mother Tongue” tells us about the struggles that her mother went through because she could not speak English as well as the natives could speak. Amy Tan gives an example of how at one time before she acted on behalf of her mother, her mother was treated badly by the hospital staff where she had gone to seek treatment. She had gone to the hospital to discuss the diagnosis of her brain ailment with the doctor but was told that the CAT scan that was to be used had been lost. Tan’s mother was not attended to until she came with her in order to help in communication with the doctors.

In the United States, being bilingual is quite interesting. Just like Amy Tan’s Mother, the first time I came to the United States I also struggled with speaking fluent English. I had come from Saudi Arabia where I would mostly speak in Arabic. My English was not as good as it is right now. When I went to the shop with my friend, most of the time I would let him speak to the attendant because he spoke better English than I did. There are many times when I spoke to people and would have to repeat a couple of times for them to understand what I meant. However, over the years my command in spoken English has improved.

I was brought up in Saudi Arabia where only Arabic was spoken around the house, school and even the shopping mall. This for me meant that I only grew up speaking, hearing and even writing Arabic. There was no other language to be socialized with until I came to the United States. This kind of socialization in Arabic, limited me to the Arabic environment and to say that on arrival to the United States I suffered from a culture shock would be an understatement. The United States society is so diverse yet at the same time the rate of discrimination is very high. Just like Tan’s mother, I had difficulties in getting services at many places including restaurants where people did not understand the little scarps of English that I spoke at the time. As I learnt English I came to realize that the source of discrimination went beyond the people not understanding me, to profiling me as a terrorist due to my appearance and language.

Learning English is becoming a common thing in Arabia. While people strive to learn English. It gets distorted when spoken and sounds like what Tan refers to as limited English. This English comes about as a result of direct translation of the statement from the first language and to English. Learning English as a second language and speaking it effectively is an art which one can only perfect with practice. It is important to recognize the presence and influence of the first language so that learning English is made easy. Learning the difference of the two languages prevents the urge to direct translate native phrases into English. The cross cultural communication encourages people to learn as many languages as possible especially those who travel the world frequently. This will assist people to relate with strangers with ease and at least ask for help where need be. It is difficult to get assistance once one cannot effectively communicate.

I have at one time been embarrassed in Arabia when I invited my friend to visit. He tried so hard to fit in but the difference was very evident. He has mastered a bit of spoken Arabic but when he speaks, some words come out sounding totally different from what he means. Sometimes the word that comes out is an embarrassing term when they only mean well. Considering the overly conservative nature of the Arabic society, the visit was embarrassing. However, it gave me the perspective of what it was like for my friend when I was not well conversant with English back in the United States. I can say that I am now better informed about cross cultural communication compared to before I learnt English and invited my friend over to Arabia.

There is definitely need for better developed avenues for communication skills to be passed to all citizens of the nation. This will go a long way in ensuring that people can communicate without a section of them feeling like less people when they cannot express themselves effectively. Nations can change the current situation by ensuring that people relocating or staying within the country for extended periods of time receive basic knowledge of the local language. This is an undertaking that though tedious initially, will have an advantage to the status of cross-cultural communication within the country. 

In conclusion, when talking about cross cultural communication, Tan’s input is very important. She articulates very elaborately on the experiences of being an immigrant in a country whose national language is very different from one’s own native language. Communication is an important society building tool because without it, there is no way development can take place. Human beings are social beings and to a great extent, without communication, it is difficult for us to survive. 

References

(n.d.). Tan, A. (n.d.). Mother Tongue. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://theessayexperiencefall2013.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/files/2013/09/Mother-Tongue-by-Amy-Tan.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwiajNe9iIvQAhXC0hoKHRaxCKsQFgg_MAM&usg=AFQjCNFvh088tl36UUBIr2UQi5jIO1Erjw&sig2=vh5EHOtZVqZMOiD