Saturday, 20 October 2018

09:41 - 1 comment

TESOL 103: 10/20/18; Cultural Misinterpretation

Imagine for a moment that you are in a Kindergarten classroom, and there is a Chinese student that has done exceptionally well in the class. As the teacher, you want to reward the student by naming the child "student of the week." This entails placing the students picture in the hallway with samples of the students work, so that the other students in the school can see. Your intention is to praise and reward the student, so you are surprised when the student starts to cry, and you get an angry phone call from the students parents. What went wrong? This is a classic case of cultural miscommunication, and is exactly what Professor Iver's wife experienced as a kindergarten aid. Professor Iver's is an instructor at Brigham Young University, and he taught a lecture on cultural miscommunication.

So why was the little Chinese student and the parents upset? In many Asian countries, it is apart of the culture to blend in, and not be set apart from others. There is a phrase the Iver's repeats: "The nail that stands out gets hammered down." The student interpreted the praise incorrectly. Both the student and the parents felt that the class was placing the student in a position to be ridiculed for standing out. It would have been better for the teachers to privately praise the student, instead of bringing the attention to the public.

Understanding different cultures can help in avoiding cultural misunderstandings, but it is nearly impossible to avoid them all together. In Bulgaria, nodding your head actually mean no, while shaking your head means yes. Giving a thumbs up in Russia, is like giving someone the middle finger in the North America. Patting a child on the head from China is an invasion of sacred space. The list can go on. Eating everything on your plate in Japan is questioning your hosts generosity. It might help to learn about a new culture that you are faced. Be patient with yourself and others if an understanding occurs, because a misunderstanding now might help you avoid one in the future.

I got to watch a video that shows a series of cultural misunderstandings. It is a humorous anecdote for cultural misunderstandings. It may just help you work with other cultures with less misunderstandings


I also found a website that lists many different unspoken communication gestures, and how they can be interpreted in other cultures. Unspoken Communication Misunderstandings

Works Cited

“Cultural Miscommunication.” BYU-Idaho, video.byui.edu/media/04 Cultural Miscommunication /0_3aaa6xxh/28027982.

ipegmarc. “Series of HSBC Ads about Culture.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 June 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALWwK7Vz4gY.

Media, ShermansTravel. “18 Gestures That Can Cause Offense Around the World.” Shermans Travel, www.shermanstravel.com/advice/18-gestures-that-can-cause-offense-around-the-world.

1 comments:

I really liked your blog, the examples that are presented are cases in which we can be ourselves or our children, as teachers there is a lot of work to do and see the opportunity to learn about our students from different cultures, share it with the other students, without exposing or doing feel bad.
Explaining, giving examples and being respectful is the key to reducing the problems of miscommunication.

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