We all are social creatures and we always communicate with each other.

Communication
is the exchange of information between its participants and it includes a special system of
signs and rules. Because of the traditions, special peculiarities and differences of each
culture there are some misunderstandings between participants. So it is necessary to be
aware of peculiar properties of cross-cultural communication and discourse.
(слайд 2) The term “cross-cultural communication” was at 1 st used in the article
published by Edward Twitchell Hall and George Leonard Trager in 1954. The term was
later developed by E. Hall, who was one of the first to treat the problem of cross-cultural
communication. Nowadays this topic is still very popular and relevant and is being
studied by various sciences.
(слайд 3) Americans are direct communicators, who tend to convey their entire message
verbally, paying less attention to body language. They are considered to be enthusiastic,
assertive and persuasive in their speech. Being not very modest Americans prefer to
speak on their own behalf instead of waiting for someone to tell of their achievements.
They grow uncomfortable when social chat is punctuated with long periods of pause and
try to fill the gap in conversation. Although Americans do not appreciate emotional
outbursts it`s typical for them to speak at higher volumes in public spaces. Rather
important are non-verbal means of communication. Eye contact maintained directly
demonstrates warmth, openness, honesty and approachability. Many Americans smile
when passing strangers in the street as a simple gesture of goodwill. They like to be given
a fair amount of personal space, it's advisable not to encroach on it during a conversation.
It`s necessary to keep in mind that touching someone of another gender can be
misinterpreted as sexual harassment as Americans are not very tactile outside of close
relationships.
However there are differences between Anglo-Americans, Latinos, African-Americans
and members of other ethnic groups that make up the population of the USA. For
example, according to one study the African-American students tended to argue more
persistently with each other for their positions and to take more control of the interaction
than did white students, who appeared to prefer compromise or solution-oriented
strategies in resolving their conflicts. Furthermore, all males regardless of ethnicity were
more likely to engage in indirect, nonconfrontational strategies (e.g. silence) than
females, who tended to use more active strategies.
(слайд 4) The British are relatively indirect communicators: they strongly avoid
creating conflict and therefore take all necessary measures to remain polite throughout
discussion. This involves making indirect statements that vaguely communicate their
message without ‘rocking the boat’. Besides, the British are quite self-deprecating in
conversation in an effort to come across as humble, honest and relaxed about themselves.
Humour is used a lot throughout British communication. That being said, British sarcasm
and understatements can be very subtle and nuanced, sometimes making it difficult for
outsiders to detect whether they are kidding or not. Moreover, the British are polite
listeners, rarely interrupting others unless they need clarification about something. The
British also widely use their non-verbal communication skills. Firstly, they do not always
give away their emotions via facial expressions. For example, they may not show it if
they have been offended. Secondly, the British like to be given a fair amount of personal
space, and may feel uncomfortable if someone sits or stands too close when other space is
available. Thirdly, British culture is generally quite reserved. People are generally
comfortable touching those they know well. However, women tend to be more physically
affectionate with one another than men. Besides, gestures are usually quite reserved,
polite and less demonstrative. For example, tapping the side of one’s nose means that
something is confidential or to be kept secret. Last but not least, it is best to make direct
eye contact that breaks away now and again. Prolonged eye contact can make people feel
uncomfortable, and staring is impolite.

(слайд 5) The Japanese communication pattern is very indirect and far less verbose than
what the English-speaking West is familiar with. They rely less on words to convey
context and are more attentive to the posture, expression and tone of voice of the speaker
to draw meaning from a conversation. Japanese tend to avoid giving a flat “no” or
negative response. The interlocutor must focus on hints of hesitation and listen closely to
what they say, but also pay careful attention to what they implicitly mean. When
communicating bad news, a Japanese person may smile and laugh to diffuse the
uncomfortable situation. The Japanese do not gesture very much while speaking as their
body language is largely restrained. Instead, they often hold their hands together as they
speak which prevents them from gesturing throughout conversation. The Japanese avoid
eye contact with strangers as it is considered rude to stare. It is also common for Japanese
people to maintain a placid expression and smile during an interaction regardless of the
topic. It’s a characteristic feature of Japanese to inhale air through their teeth, if they
disagree. Japanese can beckon only people who they are close friends with. It is done by
facing the palm of the hand to the ground and waving one’s fingers towards oneself.
Individual fingers should not be used. When they point, they use the entire hand unless
referring to oneself, in which case they place their index finger on their nose. When
Japanese shake the hand with the palm facing forward from side to side it means “no”. A
Japanese person may clasp their hands together in front of their chest when apologizing
or accepting something. This expresses gratitude and respect.
(слайд 6) Iraqi culture in communication has also its peculiar features. For avoiding
embarrassment or offence and showing the respect to the partner in the conversation,
Iraqis communicate in an indirect fashion. It is also important not to perceive their raised
voice aggressive. On the contrary, in that way they show their signifier of sincerity in the
expression of genuine feeling. Having strong religious beliefs it is not accepted to touch
any person of the opposite gender, especially bad-known. Moreover there is a strong need
to give people of the opposite gender a respectful amount of personal space during the
communication and avoid sustained eye contact with each other. This is considered
respectful and observant of the partition between genders. There is also an interesting
traditional belief that the left hand is used for cleaning, so the person shouldn’t wave, eat
or offer items with the left hand. Trying to beckon or attract somebody’s attention Iraqis
do not use one’s index finger, instead, they put their hand out with the palm facing the
ground and curling their fingers back towards themselves.
The importance of cross-cultural communication creates a network and helps establish a
strong chain both internally and externally. As business is expanding globally, culture is a
concern that affects communication all time. The knowledge of cross-cultural
communication rules helps to avoid miscommunication, create a work environment of
equal opportunity and enrich human resources.

(слайд 7) It is important to know basic communication differences between Western

and Chinese cultures. When the westerners meet each other, familiar and unfamiliar
person greet each other with different patterns. If they run into an unfamiliar friend, they
will only say “Hi!”, “Good morning (afternoon)” or “Hello!” and so on. If it is their first
meeting, they will say “How do you do?”, but not the “How are you?”. If they meet with
a quite familiar friend, they will discuss frequently some topics such as the related
weather, the transportation and the test and so on. If Chinese run into an old friend, they
will say frequently “hello, my old friend, these days you have become fat.” Or in a very
friendly way, “you are thin; you should pay attention to your body.” Hearing these words,
the people will not be angry. But when the westerners hear these words, they will be very
awkward. The second point is that, if a Chinese runs into a westerner who is repairing a
vehicle, you would rather say “Hi!” or “hello!” than “You are repairing your car?”. If you
speak the latter, the westerner will stare at you and be full of puzzle, he will possibly
reply “Yes!”, but in fact he is thinking at heart “do you have any problem? Even if you
have seen what I am doing, why do you ask so yet.” Another important difference lies in
the fact that when meeting with each other, Chinese may shake hands warmly, a
Westerner may warmly embrace, but the later often happens between relatives or familiar
friends in China. Moreover, in China or many other countries, a nod can express an
agreement and shaking the head is able to express the opposition, but in Sri Lanka,
Nepal, Bulgaria, Algeria and Greece the situation is just the opposite. Besides, in China,
many people think that it is unusual to smile on a stranger in the public area, even if it is a
doubtable behavior. However, many Americans smile on the strangers comfortably in the
public area. In China one should stare fixedly at the leader and lower one's head when the
leader talks to him, otherwise the leader will consider he does not respect him.

1. Tarasenko T., Kulykova L. The ways of overcoming misunderstanding cross-cultural

communication.. Науковий вісник Мелітопольського державного педагогічного
університету імені Богдана Хмельницького. Серія: Педагогіка, 2 (21). pp. 40-44. URI:
http://surl.li/tfgz
2. Paula Schriefer. What’s the difference between multicultural, intercultural, and cross-cultural
communication? URL: http://surl.li/tffz
3. American culture. Communication. Cultural atlas. URL:http://surl.li/tfgi
4. Zdenek Salzmann, James M. Stanlaw, Nobuko Adachi. Language, culture, and society: an
introduction to linguistic anthropology. Westview Press, 2012. p. 302-307. URL:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GiOEQNJLGjHNhjY9gI_Tqtsjr0vKHzsL/view
5. British Culture. Communication. Cultural Atlas. URL: http://surl.li/tfgk
6. Lijun Yang. Comparison of Chinese and Westerners’ Communication Pattern. URL:
https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/12616.pdf
7. Japanese Culture. Communication. Cultural Atlas. URL: http://surl.li/tfgm
8. Indian Culture. Communication. Cultural Atlas. URL: http://surl.li/tfgo
9. Iraqi Culture. Communication. Cultural Atlas. URL: http://surl.li/tfgq
10. Importance of Cross-Cultural Communication. URL: http://surl.li/tfgr