October 15th/2020- Week 5 - Cultural Miscommunication

 

CULTURAL MISCOMMUNICATION

We all come from different cultures and have ingrained in us certain attitudes, reactions, and ways of seeing and doing things. Culture is our way of life, but the way we live and interpret life is not the same for all of us. There is a saying that goes “When in Rome, do as Romans do”. Having these in mind, it would be good practice when we are around people from other cultures to learn about their culture and to sometimes check with them if there is anything about our way of doing things that bothers them.

Something that may be seen positive in a culture might be negative in another. For example, in some countries, burping after a meal is considered as a sign of satisfaction for the meal, while in my country, that would be considered as something very rude. In my country, putting the thumbs up to show approval is fine, while in Iran, people will take the sign as an insult. Where I live, when people meet, it is normal to give a kiss on the cheek as a way of saluting (a kiss on only one cheek, because I know that in countries like France they kiss on both cheeks). My wife has a cousin that was born and raised in the USA, and when he visited Argentina several years ago, he didn’t understand why girls, and even boys, would come and kiss him in the cheek without knowing him.  

Several things can lead to cultural miscommunications, and that is why we have to be aware of other cultures, try to learn from them, and especially being respectful. As future TESOL educators, we should encourage our students to learn from others, and by doing this broaden their view of the world. They will not only learn about other cultures, but they will also learn to be more respectful and tolerant, attributes that our world certainly needs today.