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INTERCULTURAL EFFECTIVENESS DEVELOPMENTAL PLAN

by Name

Course Number

Professor’s Name

Date
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Intercultural Effectiveness Developmental Plan

Intercultural effectiveness is the state of being able to work and live comfortably within an

environment with diverse cultural differentiation. An individual who is interculturally effective is

able to communicate with individuals from a different culture in a style that will provoke respect

and trust. These individuals are also flexible enough to make their professional skills in line with

the local strains and conditions. Finally, such individuals are able to adjust to the new host

culture without any trouble. This essay will give a vivid description of my cultural effectiveness,

my personal development and an action plan to improve my future intercultural effectiveness.

My weakness for instance is language barrier since I come from a different cultural background.

I am an Indonesian studying at RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and English is my

second language. Being the minority in a country that does not use my language has been

extremely difficult especially when it comes to instances of making a phone call order, asking for

directions or even making emergency phone calls. Most of the local residents expect me to be

able to communicate using English which is highly expected given I live in Australia. It therefore

takes a while to make it clear that I may actually be foreigner and a bit slow in my English which

is why it is necessary for me develop an intercultural effective personality by coming up with a

plan.

Language barrier is very common with individuals who live with hosts who are of different

cultural backgrounds from theirs. It is important to note that “for efficient communication there

should be a language” (Krishnan et al. 2017, p.5). However, when an individual is inadequate in

the language, some form of miscommunication occurs and that is what I experience most of the

time. After thorough observation I have come to learn that instances of language barrier occur

due to insufficient vocabulary in my diction. Other instances are as a result of direct translation
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from my first language which then results in a statement that communicates a completely

different message. The reaction of the audience most of the time after realizing that I am from a

different cultural background would be to use the context of the situation to decode what I could

be trying to say. There are varying reasons why I experience this weakness in communication but

most of the time it is because of bad translation. Much of the time the translation is made by me

and results in misinterpretation and misdiagnosis of my statement. It is therefore very important

to solve this language barrier so as to ensure the diverse cultural presence does not hinder us

from making an effective team. Three components are necessary to make a team and good

relations is one among individual gain and completion of a task (Vegh, J. and Luu, L.A.N. 2019).

The other factor that result in language barrier is failure to manage diversity by anticipating the

difference in language, lack of coordination while undertaking responsibility, not taking up equal

power to be the change and most importantly lack of respect. Furthermore, Regional accents and

use of words differ with people and places and this may result in language barrier. People may

speak English but the accent and dialect may sound different resulting in miscommunication.

Also, there may be some simplified versions of English which simplifies the language making it

completely different from the original English language. Another cause of language barrier is an

instance where someone speaks in a small tone that is hard to understand. This individual may be

speaking English but do to the difficulty in hearing the message may be completely

misunderstood. Different fields have different jargon therefore communication may be made

hard when people from different field like doctors and lawyers try to communicate (He et al.

2017). Similarly, the use of slang highly affects communication since slang is subject to time and

may differ according to time and age. Word choice is another major cause of language barrier
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and careful considerations should be made before using homonyms. Language barrier is

therefore a common weakness and an action plan is necessary to mitigate it.

Based on the above stated causes of language barrier it is evident that there is urgency in

mitigating it. Guven, C. and Islam A. (2015, p. 513-542) argue that “understanding that we are

the people in the components of a team is key in solving the language barrier weakness”. Since

communication is necessary in developing a team then effective communication is useful and

that can be achieved by formulating mechanisms that will counter that weakness. It is key to use

plain language during discussions or any form of communication to avoid word misuse or

confusion. Use of jargon as earlier mentioned is an opening to miscommunication and should be

avoided by all means (Hall, J. and Krummrich, P. 2017). Another action plan would be to find a

translation service that can be trusted. This is highly useful when it comes to written

communication in the work place. Documents that are of high value should not be wrongly

translated hence the trusted and vetted translation service should be put to use. In addition, since

words are the main cause of language barrier, visuals can be used for communication. A diagram

that demonstrates picturized steps for instance is easier to understand than using words instead.

Applying repetition during communication is also useful since the human mind grasps words that

are regularly repeated (Yu et al. 2016). Language barrier can further be regulated through

diversity management. This is made possible by understanding that people are diverse by

recognizing the cultural difference and being prepared. Employers should take up responsibility

in ensuring diversity by coordinating the work place to ensure that each individual despite the

cultural difference, gets a chance to actively contribute to the common goal of the work place.

Applying the above stated action plan reduce if not prevent instances of language barrier.
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Reference list

Krishnan, L.A., Masters, C., Holgate, H., Wang, C. and Calahan, C.A., 2017. Structured study

abroad enhances intercultural competence. Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences

& Disorders, 1(1), p.5.

He, Y., Lundgren, K. and Pynes, P., 2017. Impact of short-term study abroad program: Inservice

teachers' development of intercultural competence and pedagogical beliefs. Teaching and

Teacher Education, 66, pp.147-157.

Vegh, J. and Luu, L.A.N., 2019. INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENTAL

MODELS–THEORY AND PRACTICE THROUGH COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS. PEOPLE:

International Journal of Social Sciences, 4(3).

Hall, J. and Krummrich, P., 2017. Breaking the Language Barrier.

Guven, C. and Islam, A., 2015. Age at migration, language proficiency, and socioeconomic

outcomes: evidence from Australia. Demography, 52(2), pp.513-542.

Yu, B. and Wright, E., 2016. Socio-cultural adaptation, academic adaptation and satisfaction of

international higher degree research students in Australia. Tertiary Education and

Management, 22(1), pp.49-64.
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