CROSS-CULTURAL NOTES

1. Many people from Vietnam have said that, “How much do you weigh?” This is
a common and acceptable question in the Vietnamese culture. Many
Vietnamese students were surprised when their American teacher told them, “I
would never tell my weight to anybody, not even my husband!”

2. “One time I met an older American woman at a local city college. She seemed
to be over fifty and was taking a class with her husband. She was sitting
outside, getting some sun. I walked up to her and said “Hello” and we began
talking. I told her something about myself and she told me about herself. She
was very warm and friendly, just like an old friend. When I asked her, “How
old are you?” she told me that I shouldn’t ask that. Most older American
women don’t like that question, but she was very nice. She said, “Because you
come from another country, it’s O.K. that you asked. I don’t mind.” Finally, she
told me her age: “Fifty-four years old.” Older women in my country [China]
like people to ask about their age. They want to let people know that they have
lived a long life. The culture is very different.”
__Chinese Immigrant in the U.S

3. In some cultures, people really enjoy having heating discussions. For example,
a man from Spain said that a conversation is always more interesting if people
disagree about something and then discuss their reason. A man from Israel said
that heated discussions are very common in his country. He said, “If I go to a
party and nobody is arguing about politics, there’s something wrong with the
party!”

4. An Ethiopian man who worked in an American hotel restaurant talked about a

frustrating experience: “When the kitchen staff have a meeting, I never ask any
questions or say anything. Sometimes I want to, but by the time I decide how to
say what I want to say, it’s too late. They’re already talking about something
else.”

5. Sometimes in meetings or in group discussions, Americans will forget to give

you thinking time and translation time. This is especially true if they have never
learned to speak another language or if they have never lived in another
country. You may need to explain to them that you sometimes need to think of
responses in your language, translate them into English, and then say them out
loud. If you are able to speak fairly quickly and communicate your ideas well, it
may even be harder for you. People may forget that you sometimes still need
extra time for thinking and translating.

6. Mark, an American doctor, was working in a hospital in Arizona where many

of the patients and nurses were American Indians. Mark said to one Indian
nurse, “We need to get information on the patient in Room 62.” When the nurse
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 did not answer, Mark became annoyed and said, “Alright, I’ll go get it myself!”
Then the Indian nurse realized what had happened. She explained, “The
information is on that table. I pointed with my lips. I guess you didn’t notice. In
our culture, it’s okay just to point with your lips.”

Cross-Cultural Exercise: Adapting behavior

1. The following dialogue is between an older American employee, Sam and his
younger Chinese supervisor, Son. The dialogue takes place in a company in the
U.S. Son is unable to act in a way that his employee, Sam wants him to act. Sam
expects Son to treat him as an American supervisor would. Read the dialogue and
answer the questions following it.

Sam: Well, how am I doing?

Son: (Thinking, “Sam makes a lot of mistakes, but I don’t want him to feel
discouraged, so I won’t tell him.”)
Just fine. You’re doing just fine. You learn very quickly.

Sam: (Thinking, “Why is he complimenting me? I don’t think I’m doing a very good
job.”)
“How about this part? Is this okay?”

Son: (Thinking, “It’s hard for me to say this! If he thinks he made a mistake, why
doesn’t he say so?”
-Oh, yes. . well, . . . um. I think maybe you need to work … a little more slowly . . . ah
. . . I’m sorry, I don’t mean to criticize . . .

Sam: (Thinking, “Why is he afraid to criticize me?”)

-No, no, I want to know what needs improvement. I didn’t do this part correctly, did
I?”

Son: (Thinking, “You’re right. You did it all wrong.”)

- Oh, I didn’t mean that. Really, your work is time.
(He wonders, “What does he want me to say?”)

Questions:

1. What exactly does Sam want Son to do?

2. What is Sam doing that makes Son uncomfortable?

3. Should Sam or Son adapt his behavior in any way? Explain.

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2. Read the following cross-cultural interaction, which shows a more successful
communication between Pali and Joe.

Joe: “Hi, Pali. How’s it going?”

Pali: “O.K. How are things with you?”

Joe: “Not too bad. In fact, pretty good! Did I tell you that I got a new job?”

Pali: “No you didn’t. That’s good news!”

Joe: “Well you knew that I was laid off last month. I heard about a job opening in
another company. I applied and had an interview. Three days later someone called to
tell me that I got the job.”

Pali: “That’s great. How do you like the job?”

Joe: “I like it. The salary’s a bit higher than on my last job and the benefits are very
good.”

Pali: “I’m glad to hear that.”

Joe: “Yeah. The other job was really starting to get me down. There was never enough
work. Also I can get a good raise in six months if I do well.”

Pali: “Sounds good. How long does it take you to get to your new job?” (Joe and Pali
continue talking.)

Questions:

1. How successful is the communication?

2. Why do you think the communication is successful?