COPING WITH THE CHALLENGES OF

INTERCULTURAL
Communicating to the people around us is crucial in our everyday life. We convey
and gather information, thoughts, opinions, as well as ideas through
communication. Communication in other words is the act of conveying meanings
from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs,
symbols, and semiotic rules.
Our culture affects the way of our communication, which means that different
culture is equivalent to different communication style. And one‘s way of
communicating may have the same or different interpretation to the other. This
may lead to miscommunication between the participants involved.
What is Intercultural communication? What are the barriers and challenges of
intercultural communication? How to cope with these challenges?

Image 3. Source: https://bit.ly/2MQY4d3

Communication is no denying an important part of a persons‘ life. People

communicate with one another to reach their own goals, whether it is to gather or
relay information and ideas, and they tend to communicate with the various people
from different races and culture to reach their aims.
What is Intercultural Communication?
Intercultural communication (or cross-cultural communication) is a discipline that
studies communication across different cultures and social groups, or how culture
affects communication. It describes the wide range of communication processes
and problems that naturally appear within an organization or social context made
up of individuals from different religious, social, ethnic, and educational
backgrounds. In this sense it seeks to understand how people from different
countries and cultures act, communicate and perceive the world around them.
Many people in intercultural business communication argue that culture
determines how individuals encode messages, what medium they choose for
transmitting them, and the way messages are interpreted. With regard to
intercultural communication proper, it studies situations where people from
different cultural backgrounds interact. Aside from language, intercultural
communication focuses on social attributes, thought patterns, and the cultures of
different groups of people. It also involves understanding the different cultures,
languages and customs of people from other countries.
Intercultural communication plays a role in social sciences such as anthropology,
cultural studies, linguistics, psychology and communication studies. Intercultural
communication is also referred to as the base for international businesses. Several
cross-cultural service providers assist with the development of intercultural
communication skills. Research is a major part of the development of intercultural
communication skills. Intercultural communication is in a way the 'interaction with
speakers of other languages on equal terms and respecting their identities'.
Identity and culture are also studied within the discipline of communication to
analyze how globalization influences ways of thinking, beliefs, values, and identity,
within and between cultural environments. Intercultural communication scholars
approach theory with a dynamic outlook and do not believe culture can be
measured nor that cultures share universal attributes. Scholars acknowledge that
culture and communication shift along with societal changes and theories should
consider the constant shifting and nuances of the society.
The study of intercultural communication requires intercultural understanding,
which is an ability to understand and value cultural differences. Language is an
example of an important cultural component that is linked to intercultural
understanding.

Functions of Intercultural Communication:

Private Function - are functions that indicated communication through the
communication behavior originating from an individual.

1. Express Social Identity - in the process of intercultural communication are

some of the communication behavior of individuals who used to express the
behavior of social identity is expressed through the act of speaking both
verbal and non-verbal of language behavior that is knowable and social
identity.

2. Declares The Social Integration - core concept of social integration is to

accept the unity between individuals, between groups but still recognizes
the differences of every element. It should be understood that one of the
goals of communication is to give the same meaning for the message shared
between the communicator and the communicant.
 3. To the Knowledge - often interpersonal and intercultural communication
increase knowledge together, to learn the culture of each.
Social Function- means the relation between social action and the systems of
which the action is a part, alternatively, as the result of social action.

1. Supervision - practice intercultural communication between different

communicators and communicant culture of mutual monitoring functions. In
any process of intercultural communication function is useful to inform the
"development" of the environment.

2. Connection Between Culture - in the process of intercultural

communication, the communication function is carried out between two
people of different cultures was a bridge over the differences between them.
The bridging functions can be controlled via messages they exchanged, the
two are explaining the differences of interpretation on a message that
produces the same meaning.

3. Value Socialization - socialization function is a function to teach and

introduce the cultural values of a society to another society.

4. Entertainment - entertaining functions are often performed in the process of

intercultural communication. For example, the arrival of outside artists
shows the differences between their cultures so that people learn the
language and follow their style.

Barriers to Intercultural Communication

1. Anxiety - when you are anxious because of not knowing what you are
expected to do, it is only natural to focus on that feeling and not be totally
present in the communication transaction. For example, you may have
experienced anxiety on your very first day on a new college campus or in a
new job. You may be so conscious of being new— and out of place—and
focus so much of your attention on that feeling that you make common
mistakes and appear awkward to others.

2. Assuming Similarity Instead Of Dissimilarity - when people are acting in a

home manner in the different culture it might cause a lot of problems. In
order to prepare yourself for various circumstances it is very important to
assume laws, habits, and attitudes of another society.

3. Ethnocentrism – ethnocentrism or negatively judging aspects of another

culture by the standards of one‘s own culture. To be ethnocentric is to
believe in the superiority of one‘s own culture. Everything in a culture is
consistent to that culture and makes sense if you understood that culture.
For example, assume that global warming is a fact and, as a result, assume
that summers in the United States average 43° C (109° F). It would be
 logical to make adjustments: Rather than air condition buildings all day, you
might close schools and businesses in the afternoons to conserve energy.
Such adjustments would make sense. Why then do some people attribute
sensible midday siestas in hot climates to laziness?

4. Language Problems - according to Jandt (2000) the definition of language is

the set of symbols shared by a community to communicate meanings and
experiences. There are five actual factors that generally produce the
difficulties in the translation. They are lack of equivalences in vocabulary,
idioms, grammar and syntax, experiences, and concepts. Indonesian
students are having a lot of inconveniences with studying foreign languages
for the reason that in Indonesian language there is no gender rules. That is
very complicated for them to understand why for example the French word
―une table‖ is feminine.

5. Nonverbal Misinterpretations - as another barrier to communication, it can

be stated that in a conversation this is more problematical to understand the
nonverbal symbols without sharing the same nonverbal codes. There are
more than a few types of nonverbal interaction: proxemics, kinesics,
chronemics, paralanguage, olfactics, clothing appearance, haptics,
oculesics, etc. All of them are very different in every culture. As an example,
in a society where people don‘t kiss when they great each other, a kissing
person might be judged as a vulgar and without manners.

6. Stereotypes and Prejudices – both of them are to make a judgment about

individuals according to group membership. Stereotypes are the perceptions
about that certain people have particular qualities or abilities because they
belong to a particular race, sex, or social class. They can be positive and
negative. Usually they are based on half-truths. Positive examples of
stereotyping are: Japanese people are good in mathematical sciences;
French are the gods in the kitchen. Negative: Russians– Mafia–Vodka–
Prostitution –Cold winter; the Arabs are terrorists. Prejudice can be defined
as an unreasonable dislike and distrust of people who are different from you
in some way, especially because of their race, sex, religion, etc. For
instance, talking about Indian people in Arabic countries, it can be affirmed
that Indians do get less salary than other nationalities. The reason for this is
that Middle Eastern people are sure that the Indian race does not deserve
something more, because it is Indian.
Challenges of Intercultural Communication
Any moment that we‘re dealing with people different from ourselves, the likelihood
is that they carry a similar list of hopes and fears in their back pocket. Culture" is
often at the root of communication challenges. Our culture influences how we
approach problems, and how we participate in groups and in communities. When
we participate in groups we are often surprised at how differently people approach
their work together. Our culture influences how we approach problems, and how
we participate in groups and in communities.
Six Fundamental Patterns of Cultural Differences
•Different Decision Making Styles. The roles individuals play in decision-making
vary widely from culture to culture. For example, in the U.S., decisions are
frequently delegated. In many Southern European and Latin American countries,
there is a strong value placed on holding decision-making responsibilities oneself.
Be aware that individuals' expectations about their own roles in shaping a
decision may be influenced by their cultural frame.
•Different Attitudes towards Disclosure. In some cultures it is not appropriate to
be frank about emotions, about the reasons behind a conflict or a
misunderstanding, or about personal information. Variation among cultures in
attitudes toward disclosure is also something to consider before you conclude
that you have an accurate reading of the views, experiences, and goals of the
people with whom you are working.
•Different Approaches to Knowing. Notable differences occur among cultural
groups when it comes to the ways people come to know things. European cultures
tend to consider information acquired through cognitive means, such as counting
and measuring, more valid than other ways of coming to know things. Compare
that to African cultures preference for affective ways of knowing, including
symbolic imagery and rhythm. These different approaches to knowing could affect
ways of analyzing a community problem or finding ways to resolve it. Some
members of your group may want to do library research to understand a shared
problem better and identify possible solutions. Others may prefer to visit places
and people who have experienced challenges like the ones you are facing, and get
a feeling for what has worked elsewhere. These are ways in which cultures, as a
whole, tend to vary from one another.
•Different Communication Styles. The way people communicate varies widely
between, and even within, cultures. Across cultures, some words and phrases are
used in different ways. For example, even in countries that share the English
language, the meaning of "yes" varies from "maybe, I'll consider it" to "definitely
so," with many shades in between.
•Different Attitudes toward Conflict. Some cultures view conflict as a positive
thing, while others view it as something to be avoided in many Eastern countries,
open conflict is experienced as embarrassing or demeaning; as a rule, differences
are best worked out quietly.
•Different Approaches toward Completing Tasks. From culture to culture, there
are different ways that people move toward completing tasks. Asian and Hispanic
cultures tend to attach more value to developing relationships at the beginning of
a shared project and more emphasis on task completion toward the end as
compared with European-Americans. European-Americans tend to focus
immediately on the task at hand, and let relationships develop as they work on
the task. This does not mean that people from any one of these cultural
backgrounds are more or less committed to accomplishing the task, or value
relationships more or less; it means they may pursue them differently.
Respecting Our Differences and Working Together
An appreciation of patterns of cultural difference can assist us in processing what
it means to be different in ways that are respectful of others, not faultfinding or
damaging. We can learn to collaborate across cultural lines as individuals and as a
society. Being aware of cultural differences doesn‘t have to divide us but should
instead help us communicate with each other more effectively. Communicating
with people who are different from us, gives us hope and energizes us to take on
the challenge of improving our communities and world as a whole.

Guidelines for Multi-Cultural Collaboration

As we set to work on multicultural collaboration in our communities, we should
keep the following guidelines in mind:
•Learn from generalizations about other cultures, but don't use those
generalizations to stereotype, or oversimplify your ideas about another person.
•Don‘t assume that there‘s only one write way (yours) to communicate.
•Listen actively and empathetically.
•Respect other‘s choices about whether they would like to engage in
communication with you.
•Suspend judgment and try and look at the situation as an outsider.
•Develop an understanding from the other person‘s point of view.
•Be aware of current power imbalances.

SUMMARY:
Intercultural communication (or cross-cultural communication) - is a
discipline that studies communication across different cultures and social groups,
or how culture affects communication. It describes the wide range of
communication processes and problems that naturally appear within an
organization or social context made up of individuals from different religious,
social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. In this sense it seeks to understand
how people from different countries and cultures act, communicate and perceive
the world around them.
There are two functions of intercultural communication; private functions
(express social identity, the social integration, and to the knowledge) and social
functions (Supervision, Connection Between Culture, Value Socialization, and
Entertainment).
Barriers to Intercultural Communication

1. Anxiety - when you are anxious because of not knowing what you are
expected to do, it is only natural to focus on that feeling and not be totally
present in the communication transaction.
 2. Assuming Similarity Instead Of Dissimilarity - when people are acting in a
home manner in the different culture it might cause a lot of problems
3. Ethnocentrism – ethnocentrism or negatively judging aspects of another
culture by the standards of one‘s own culture.
4. Language Problems - according to Jandt (2000) the definition of language is
the set of symbols shared by a community to communicate meanings and
experiences.
5. Nonverbal Misinterpretations - as another barrier to communication, it can
be stated that in a conversation this is more problematical to understand the
nonverbal symbols without sharing the same nonverbal codes.
6. Stereotypes and Prejudices – both of them are to make a judgment about
individuals according to group membership.
• Stereotypes are the perceptions about that certain people have particular
qualities or abilities because they belong to a particular race, sex, or
social class.
• Prejudice can be defined as an unreasonable dislike and distrust of
people who are different from you in some way, especially because of
their race, sex, religion, etc.
Six Fundamental Patterns of Cultural Differences:
• Different Decision Making Styles. The roles individuals play in decision-
making vary widely from culture to culture.
• Different Attitudes towards Disclosure. In some cultures it is not appropriate
to be frank about emotions, about the reasons behind a conflict or a
misunderstanding, or about personal information.
• Different Approaches to Knowing. Notable differences occur among cultural
groups when it comes to the ways people come to know things.
• Different Communication Styles. The way people communicate varies widely
between, and even within, cultures. Across cultures, some words and phrases are
used in different ways. For example, even in countries that share the English
language, the meaning of "yes" varies from "maybe, I'll consider it" to "definitely
so," with many shades in between.
• Different Attitudes toward Conflict. Some cultures view conflict as a positive
thing, while others view it as something to be avoided.
• Different Approaches toward Completing Tasks. From culture to culture,
there are different ways that people move toward completing tasks.