CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

NAME : SILVI NURAINI

CLASS : AK 3C
NIM : 2005081074
SUBJECT : CORE ADVANCED ENGLISH
TEACHERS : DRA. HEDDY, M. HUM.
SEMESTER : THIRD
DAY/ DATE : MONDAY/ 01 NOVEMBER 2021

CULTURE is considered to be group specific behaviour that is acquired, at least in

part, from social influences. Some terms are included in cross culture understanding, such as:
ethnic groups/tribes, cultures, ethics/ethiquettes, values, norms, customs, life styles, traditions,
songs, dances, traditional festivals, languages/dialects, arts, paintings, beliefs/religions,
cuisines/culinary, fashions/clothings/appeal, sports, etc.
Instruction:
Add more terms you can think dealing to CULTURE. Give clear explanation to the mentioned
terms  above. Provide examples to your explanation.
Answer :
A. The Definition Of Cross Cultural Understanding
Cross Cultural Understanding derived from three words that cross, cultural, and
understanding, of the three words different meanings. Understanding of the Cross is cross-
culture, the culture between both countries that lasted through the mass media or through
other means mutually influence each culture. Culture is the "glue" that binds a group of
people together. (Douglas-Brown, 1994). Culture is an Elusive construct constantly that
shifts over time and According to who is perceiving and interpreting it. (Linda Harklau-
1999). In Classic, the culture is Called culture, which comes from the Latin word Colere, the
process or work. Can be also interpreted as to cultivate the land or farming. The word culture
is also sometimes translated as "culture" in Indonesian. Understanding Inter-Personal
(Interpersonal Understanding) is the desire to understand others. It is the ability to listen and
accurately understand the thoughts, feelings, other people's problems That cannot be uttered
or not fully delivered. This competency measure complexity and depth of understanding of
other people, also including cross-cultural sensitivity. So, the definition of cross-cultural
understanding are: All human beings experience the same felling Plus They travel to or live
in a different country or culture. (Obeg, 1998). Whenever someone goes overseas,he is like a
fish out of water. (Mason, 2000).
Terminology within the cross cultural communication field can sometimes be
baffling to those reading the literature ,websites or promotional material.Many ask what is
the difference between ‘intercultural’and ‘cross cultural’?what is’cross cultural awareness’as
opposed to ‘cross cultural knowledge’or,are’cultural sensitivity’and and cultural
competence’the same thing?
With a view to clarifying some of the above mentioned termonology,will examine
terms used in relation to building cross cultural understanding within the business world. 
Cross cultural understanding simply refers to the basic ability of people within
business to recognize, interpret and correctly react to people, incidences or situations that are
open to misunderstanding due to cultural differences. The fundamental intention of cross
cultural training is to equip the learner(s) with the appropriate skills to attain cross cultural
understanding.
Once the foundations of cross cultural understanding have been laid, the
learner(s), either through continued training or experiences within the workplace, gradually
attains a more acute appreciation of cultural differences. The different types of appreciation
are cross cultural knowledge, cross cultural awareness, cross cultural sensitivity and cross
cultural competence. Although all the terms may appear similar in meaning, subtle
differences exist between them.
'Cross Cultural Knowledge' is critical to basic cross cultural understanding.
Without it cross cultural appreciation cannot take place. It refers to a surface level
familiarization with cultural characteristics, values, beliefs and behaviors.
'Cross Cultural Awareness' develops from cross cultural knowledge as the learner
understands and appreciates a culture internally. This may also be accompanied by changes
within the learner's behavior and attitudes such as a greater flexibility and openness.
'Cross Cultural Sensitivity' is a natural by-product of awareness and refers to an
ability to read into situations, contexts and behaviors that are culturally rooted and be able to
react to them appropriately. A suitable response necessitates that the actor no longer carries
 his/her own culturally determined interpretations of the situation or behavior (i.e. good/bad,
right/wrong) which can only be nurtured through both cross cultural knowledge and
awareness.
'Cross Cultural Competence' is and should be the aim of all those dealing with
multicultural clients, customers or colleagues. 'Competence' is the final stage of cross cultural
understanding and signifies the actor's ability to work effectively across cultures. Cross
cultural competency is beyond knowledge, awareness and sensitivity in that it is the
digestion, integration and transformation of all the skills and information acquired through
them, applied to create cultural synergy within the workplace.

B. Definition of Culture
Culture is the whole communication system that binds and allows operation of a
set of people called the public. Thus culture can be defined as a "system of rules of
communication and interaction that allows a society occurs, preserved, and preserved".
Culture that gives meaning to all business and human movements. (Nababan, 1984: 49)
Based on the above definition, clearly shows that between humans and culture are
inseparable. Similarly, between the Indonesian and Indonesian culture. This is because
human beings live alongside Indonesia in a unit area of ethnic communities, also live in a
unity of the Republic of Indonesia. In this regard, they hold one culture, according to the
conception of insight archipelago, Indonesia is the national culture (Geriya, 1996: 71).
Culture can also be interpreted as "the activities and the creation of the mind
(reason) people like: faith, art, etc." For example, Chinese Culture, Culture of Indonesia, and
Javanese culture. (Poerwadarminta, 1983: 157). Based on this understanding, we can say that
only humans have culture. This is due to living things is people who have sense and reason to
generate culture.
In a culture we can find so many things that are called the features of Culture. The
Feature of Cultures are :
1. Behaviors.
In terms of biology, behavior is an activity or activity of the organism (living thing) in
question. Basically all organisms (living things) behave. So that what is meant by human
 behavior is all activities or activities of humans, both those that can be observed directly
or which cannot or can be observed by outsiders.
Examples of human behavior as social beings:
1. Work together to clean up the village.
2. Visiting the sick
3. Religious norms or religious norms are norms whose sources are from God.
4. This Moral Norm is a norm whose source comes from the human conscience who
behaves both good and evil.
5. Norms of decency are rules whose sources come from the community or also from the
community.
6. Legal norms are norms that are officially made by the community which can or can
be enforced by force.

2. Communication
The relationship between communication and culture is a very complex and
intimate one. First, cultures are created through communication; that is, communication is
the means of human interaction through which cultural characteristics— whether customs,
roles, rules, rituals, laws, or other patterns—are created and shared. It is not so much that
individuals set out to create a culture when they interact in relationships, groups,
organizations, or societies, but rather that cultures are a natural by-product of social
interaction. In a sense, cultures are the "residue" of social communication. Without
communication and communication media, it would be impossible to preserve and pass
along cultural characteristics from one place and time to another. One can say, therefore,
that culture is created, shaped, transmitted, and learned through communication. The
reverse is also the case; that is, communication practices are largely created, shaped, and
transmitted by culture.
for example, partners develop their own history, shared experiences, language
patterns, rituals, habits, and customs that give that relationship a special character—a
character that differentiates it in various ways from other relationships. Examples might
include special dates, places, songs, or events that come to have a unique and important
symbolic meaning for two individuals.
 Groups also develop cultures, composed of the collection of rules, rituals, customs, and
other characteristics that give an identity to the social unit. Where a group traditionally
meets, whether meetings begin on time or not, what topics are discussed, how decisions
are made, and how the group socializes are all elements of what, over time, become
defining and differentiating elements of its culture

3. System of Knowledge
According to Webster’s dictionary, to “know” is to “hold something in one’s
mind as true or as being what it purport to be”…[this] “implies a sound logical or factual
basis.” It also means “to be convinced of.” By extension, knowledge refers to the “fact or
condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or
association." Accordingly, what is ‘known’ is that which is ‘generally recognized.'
We extend this standard view of knowledge to take into account a cluster of
understandings that we refer to as a knowledge system. Thus, we define a knowledge
system as:
An organized structure and dynamic process (a) generating and representing
content, components, classes, or types of knowledge, that is (b) domain specific or
characterized by domain-relevant features as defined by the user or
consumer, (c) reinforced by a set of logical relationships that connect the content of
knowledge to its value (utility), (d) enhanced by a set of iterative processes that enable the
evolution, revision, adaptation, and advancement of knowledge, and (e) subject to criteria
of relevance, reliability, and quality.

4.  Pattern
cultural pattern is the way of behavior of the people. A large number of people
following certain behavior make it a custom. This custom when growing popular among
the people becomes a precedent and a rule of social life. This rule of social life is pattern
of culture. It is that ideal which is presented as an example to the people. These people are
expected to behave according to cultural patterns. A culture develops patterns of behavior
in all social situations. These patterns are also the normative orders of society. Violation
of these patterns is disliked in society by condemnation.
5. Cultural Trait
Trait is the smallest unit of a culture. It exists and functions with the organization
of other related traits. The parts of a watch are traits and all the parts when organized
together function as a whole in the watch.
Hoebel defined cultural trait as, “a reputedly irreducible unit of feared behavior pattern or
material product thereof.” Horton and Hunt gave examples of a nail, the screw driver, the
pencil and the handkerchief in material culture. The shaking of hands, driving to the left
and the salute to the flag are the examples of non-material culture.

6. Cultural Complex
A complex is intermediate between the trait and the institution: A cluster of
related traits is called ‘culture complex’. A number of traits when organized together
make a culture complex. A watch, football match, attitudes and actions, prayer, Hajj, Eids,
agriculture system, market system, a political party, a constitution, an industrial unit, an
examination system are the examples of culture complex.
An institution is a series of complexes centering upon an important activity. It means
when a number of cultural complexes unite together on a certain point make an institution.
Marriage is an institution with betrothal, nikah, dowry and marriage party as its
complexes.

7. Cultural Area
It is that geographical area in which a cultural trait is originated. The place where
that trait is born is called the ‘place of origin’. This trait spreads around through diffusion
and covers an area. This area is called cultural area.

8. Ethnic groups/tribes,
"Ethnic group," in contrast to "tribe," refers to larger, culturally distinct groups
that recognize the legitimacy of the central state and compete with other culturally
distinct groups for control of a share of the benefits that accrue from manipulating or
dominating central governments.
Example:
 Most African peoples, at the time of independence, were thought to be in the
process of becoming ethnic groups and living in plural societies where cultural differences
would be accepted. This has not happened.
After independence, sub-Saharan African countries were expected to develop
political systems styled after Western democracies. It was assumed that ideology and class
alliances would counter the potentially harmful effects of tribalism. In fact, however, it
quickly became apparent that the political parties which were formed in most new states
rarely represented more than one or two cultural groups. As different parties came to
power, they ruled with their own group's interests coming first. Plural societies did not
develop. In an attempt to create the appearance of political unity, dominant groups began
to ban, or make unconstitutional, other political parties. As a result, secessionist
movements, one-party states and military governments became the norm. Today, of the
more than forty sub-Saharan governments, only five allow opposition parties, the rest are
divided equally between one party states and military dictatorships.

9. Cultures,
Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people,
encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. The Center for
Advance Research on Language Acquisition goes a step further, defining culture as shared
patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are
learned by socialization. Thus, it can be seen as the growth of a group identity fostered by
social patterns unique to the group. 
"Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it,
our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table,
how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things,"
Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London, told Live
Science.
The word "culture" derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the
Latin "colere," which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture. "It
shares its etymology with a number of other words related to actively fostering growth,"
De Rossi said.
Example:
Western culture
The term "Western culture" has come to define the culture of European countries
as well as those that have been heavily influenced by European immigration, such as
the United States, according to Khan University. Western culture has its roots in the
Classical Period of the Greco-Roman era and the rise of Christianity in the 14th century.
Other drivers of Western culture include Latin, Celtic, Germanic and Hellenic
ethnic and linguistic groups. Today, the influences of Western culture can be seen in
almost every country in the world.

Eastern culture
Eastern culture generally refers to the societal norms of countries in Far East Asia
(including China, Japan, Vietnam, North Korea and South Korea) and
the Indian subcontinent. Like the West, Eastern culture was heavily influenced by religion
during its early development, but it was also heavily influenced by the growth and
harvesting of rice, according to the book "Pathways to Asian Civilizations: Tracing the
Origins and Spread of Rice and Rice Cultures" by Dorian Q. Fuller. In general, in Eastern
culture there is less of a distinction between secular society and religious philosophy than
there is in the West.

Latin culture
Many of the Spanish-speaking nations are considered part of the Latin culture,
while the geographic region is widespread. Latin America is typically defined as those
parts of the Central America, South America and Mexico where Spanish or Portuguese are
the dominant languages. Originally, the term "Latin America" was used by French
geographers to differentiate between Anglo and Romance (Latin-based) languages,
according to the University of Texas. While Spain and Portugal are on the European
continent, they are considered the key influencers of what is known as Latin culture,
which denotes people using languages derived from Latin, also known as Romance
languages.
 Middle Eastern culture
The countries of the Middle East have some but not all things in common. This is
not a surprise, since the area consists of approximately 20 countries, according to PBS.
The Arabic language is one thing that is common throughout the region; however, the
wide variety of dialect can sometimes make communication difficult. Religion is another
cultural area that the countries of the Middle East have in common. The Middle East is the
birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

African culture
The continent of Africa is essential to all cultures. Human life originated on this
continent and began to migrate to other areas of the world around 60,000 years ago,
according to the Natural History Museum in London. Other researchers, like those from
Estonian Biocentre in Tartu, believe that the first migration may have been much earlier,
as early as 120,000 years ago. Researchers come to these conclusions by studying human
genomes from various cultures to trace their DNA to common ancestors. Fossil records
also factor into some of these theories. 
Africa is home to a number of tribes, ethnic and social groups. One of the key
features of this culture is the large number of ethnic groups throughout the 54 countries on
the continent. Nigeria alone has more than 300 tribes, for example.
Currently, Africa is divided into two cultural groups: North Africa and Sub-
Saharan Africa. This is because Northwest Africa has strong ties to Middle East, while
Sub-Saharan Africa shares historical, physical and social characteristics that are very
different from North Africa, according to the University of Colorado. The harsh
environment has been a large factor in the development of Sub-Saharan Africa culture, as
there are a number of languages, cuisines, art and musical styles that have sprung up
among the far-flung populations.

10. Ethics/ethiquettes,
Ethic” has more to do with moral principles and “etiquette” with manners,
although both govern the way people behave.
 The term is “work ethic”. Someone with a strong work ethic, for example,
believes that he must work conscientiously at everything he does, and that means working
hard, carefully and honestly.
“Etiquette” is the accepted code of behaviour among people in a group or society.
For example, it’s considered bad etiquette for a student to be sending SMS messages via
his handphone to his friends while a teacher is teaching in a classroom. But it is downright
unethical for students to be SMSing answers to Multiple Choice Questions to one another
during an examination.
 DAFTAR PUSTAKA
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