ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPERS

CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

LECTURER

DZAKIAH, M.Pd.

created By Group 1 :

DWI ANGGRAINI LEMBA(211160042)

FIRMAN BUDIANSYA(211160063)
ARJAT(211160043)

ENGLISH TADRIS STUDY PROGRAM FACULTY OF TARBIAH

AND TEACHER TRAININGDATOKARAMA STATE ISLAMIC
UNIVERSITY 2023

1
 FOREWORD

Praise and gratitude we pray to the presence of Rabbi God Almighty who has bestowed His
grace, taufik, and guidance to me, without His help the compiler would not have been able to
complete it properly. Sholawat and greetings may be poured out in abundance on our lord
Prophet Muhammad SAW. With all humility, the author hopes that this work can be a useful
contribution.
Despite all that, I am fully aware that there are still shortcomings both in terms of sentence
structure and grammar. Therefore, with open arms and a sincere heart, I ask for criticism and
suggestions from readers so that I can improve this paper. We apologize if in this paper there are
errors in writing or during the delivery of the presentation there are errors, because we are simply
still in the learning process and the only one who is most correct is Allah SWT.

2
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER..........................................................................................................................................................1
FOREWORD………………………………….…………………………...……………….……………....2
LIST OF CONTENTS………...……………………………………………………………………………3
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………...4
Background....................................................................................................................................................4
CHAPTER II DISCUSSION……………………………………….………………,,,…………………….5
A. Cross Cultural Understanding....…………………….………………..…..………………………5
B. Cross Cultural Contact......................................................................................................................6
C. Cross Cultural Benefits.....................................................................................................................7
CHAPTER III CLOSING………………………………….…………………………………...…………..9
Conclusion……..…………………………………………………….………………………..……………9
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………..……………..…………10

3
 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCITION

A. backround
People who share a history, experience and geography develop a culture. Culture is made up of all the
ideas, beliefs, values, knowledge, language and way of life a group of people shares. We express our
culture through such things as foods, celebrations, music, art, laws, customs, rituals and language. Culture
is not taught. We learn our culture by living it. Our culture and life experiences determine how we make
decisions. We decide what is right or wrong and respectful or disrespectful, based on what our parents
and other important people in our life teach us. This code of behaviour is passed on from generation to
generation. Changes occur very slowly. We use this code of behaviour to help us decide how to think and
act; e.g., in our culture, it is acceptable to eat French fries with our fingers, use a spoon to eat soup and eat
our food from our own individual plate.
We subconsciously apply this code when we come across something new. We use it to determine whether
we think the unfamiliar is the “right” or “wrong” way to behave. Suppose you are from a culture where
you learned to eat in a different way. Perhaps you learned that the right way to eat was not with a spoon
or fork, but to use only the fingers of your right hand to take food from a shared common plate in the
centre of the table and to drink your soup from the bowl. If you saw a North American eating, you might
think about what you learned and think that people who eat as North Americans do have very bad
manners. Culture is more than just manners. It is also the way we speak. In some cultures, people may
speak in a way that North Americans think is too loud. They may also be very emotional in the way they
speak, or they may stand very close together to talk. It is perfectly normal for the people of that culture,
but we might think they are yelling at us or crowding us. They, on the other hand, may think we are not
very interested in talking to them. Unfortunately, people often think their own way is the right way.
Thinking that someone else is wrong or disrespectful because they do not follow our customs and beliefs
leads to cross-cultural misunderstanding.

B. Formulation Of The Problem

1. What Is Cross-Cultural Communication?
2. What is the meaning of cross culture?
3. What are the advantages of cross-cultural?

C. Formulation Of The Problem

1. Understanding Cross-Cultural Knowledge
2. Knowing Culture Contact
3. Benefits Of Knowing Across Culture

4
 CHAPTER II
DISCUSSION

A. CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

Cross-cultural understanding is more than realizing another culture is different from ours. The
way to cross-cultural understanding is to learn to recognize individual differences and gain an
appreciation, respect and knowledge of other cultures that are different from our own. If you put on a pair
of sunglasses with pink lenses, everything will take on a rose- coloured tint. If the lenses are green, then
the world will take on a green tint. Our culture acts as a lens through which we look at the world. We
have a “tinted” view of the world so it looks more like what we already know. This acts as a filter,
straining out the other’s point of view and enhancing our own. Cultural filters can get in the way of
understanding people from other cultures because they appear different. We cannot get rid of our cultural
filters but we can be open-minded about cultural differences. We can set aside our biases. This is more
than just realizing that another culture is different from ours. Cross-cultural understanding means learning
to value other cultures and respect their views. This comes when people move from thinking that
“different” means “wrong,” to thinking that there might be another way, to being tolerant and accepting.
Projects to promote cross-cultural understanding In the past, Europeans thought that their culture was
better than any other. When they came in contact with other cultures, they tried to impose the European
culture on them. That has changed. Canadians, working through the Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA), make every effort to develop an understanding of other cultures when they interact with
them. CIDA sponsors a number of projects to promote cross-cultural understanding. Helping Canadian
youth develop cultural understanding: CIDA manages the federal government’s International Youth
Internship Program (IYIP). It is part of the Canadian government’s larger Youth Employment Strategy.
The program offers Canadian university and college graduates careerrelated work in a United Nations
setting. The CIDA-funded internships are in countries such as Namibia, Cambodia, Mali, Laos and
Rwanda. The interns receive cross-cultural training before they travel to the project countries. Training
youth for work abroad: CIDA finances an intern program to help young people work overseas. They
receive training in cultural understanding and work in such areas as business development and education.
They believe that the program not only makes them a more aware global citizen, but a better Canadian
citizen as well. Launching immigrant and refugee artists: Working with the Creativity and Innovation
Company, CIDA is helping immigrant and refugee artists practise their craft and earn a living.
Participants work one-on-one with an advisor to expand the audience for their work and build connections
across the country. The program will also break down cultural barriers and build cultural understanding.
Cross-cultural understanding means learning to value other cultures and respect their views. This comes
when people move from thinking that “different” means “wrong,” to thinking that there might be another
way, to being tolerant and accepting. Projects to promote cross-cultural.
Culture is a way of thinking and living whereby one picks up a set of attitudes, values, norms and beliefs
that are taught and reinforced by other members in the group. This set of basic assumptions and solutions
to the problems of the world is a shared system that is passed on from generation to generation to ensure
survival. A culture consists of unwritten and written principles and laws that guide how an individual
interacts with the outside world. Members of a culture can be identified by the fact that they share some
similarity. They may be united by religion, by geography, by race or ethnicity.

5
Our cultural understanding of the world and everything in it ultimately affects our style of communication
as we start picking up ways of one’s culture at around the same time we start learning to communicate.
Culture influences the words we speak and our behavior.
Cross cultural communication thus refers to the communication between people who have differences in
any one of the following: styles of working, age, nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation,
etc. Cross cultural communication can also refer to the attempts that are made to exchange, negotiate and
mediate cultural differences by means of language, gestures and body language. It is how people
belonging to different cultures communicate with each other.

Each individual can practice culture at varying levels. There is the culture of the community he
grows up in, there is work culture at his work place and other cultures to which one becomes an active
participant or slowly withdraws from. An individual is constantly confronted with the clash between his
original culture and the majority culture that he is exposed to daily. Cultural clashes occur as a result of
individuals believing their culture is better than others.

Cross cultural communication has been influenced by a variety of academic disciplines. It is

necessary in order to avoid misunderstandings that can lead to conflicts between individuals or groups.
Cross cultural communication creates a feeling of trust and enables cooperation.The focus is on providing
the right response rather than providing the right message.

When two people of different cultures encounter each other, they not only have different cultural
backgrounds but their systems of turn – talking are also different. Cross cultural communication will be
more effective and easier if both the speakers have knowledge of the turn taking system being used in the
conversation (For example: One person should not monopolize the conversation or only one person
should talk at a time).
LarayBarna’s Sources of Miscommunication in Cross Cultural Exchanges
1) Assumption of similarities : This refers to our tendency to think how we behave and act is the
universally accepted rule of behavior. When someone differs, we have a negative view of them
2) Language Differences : Problems occur when there is an inability to understand what the other is
saying because different languages are being spoken. Talking the same language itself can sometimes
lead to discrepancies as some words have different meanings in various contexts, countries or cultures
3) Nonverbal Misinterpretation : The way we dress, the way we express ourselves through our body
language, eye contact and gestures also communicates something. A simple gesture like nodding the head
is considered to be YES in certain cultures and NO in others
4) Preconceptions and Stereotypes : Stereotypes involves putting people into pre-defined slots based on
our image of how we think they are or should be. It may consist of a set of characteristics that we assume
that all members of a group share. This may be true or may be false. But stereotypes may lead to
wrongful expectations and notions. A preconceived opinion of another can lead to bias and discrimination
5) Tendency to evaluate : Humans tend to make sense of the behavior and communication of others by
analyzing them from one’s own cultural point of view without taking into consideration why the other
person is behaving or communicating a certain way.
6) High anxiety : Sometimes being confronted with a different cultural perspective will create an anxious
state in an individual who does not know how to act or behave and what is considered to be appropriate 1
(For example: A Japanese man and an American having a business meeting where both are unsure of the
other’s cultural norms)
1
Sir Edward Burnett Tylor(1874) defines culture as "the complex whole which ncludes knowledge, belief, art,
morals, law, custom, and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a membersociety” (Reisinger, 2009).
 To reduce the above barriers to cross cultural communication, one can take the effort to develop
one’s listening skills. This will ensure that we start hearing the real meaning of what is being said instead
of understanding at face value. Becoming aware of our perceptions towards others will ensure that we
take steps to not prejudge a person or stereotype them. By accepting people and their differences and
acknowledging that we don’t know everything will make us open up to people and their differences
resulting in us using contextual information for better understanding. Seeking feedback and taking risks to
open up channels of communication and being responsible for our feelings and actions will go a long way
in ensuring that miscommunication is mitigated.

B. CROSS CULTURAL
Cross culture is a concept that recognizes the differences among business people of
different nations, backgrounds. and ethnicities, and the importance of bridging them. With globalization,
cross culture education has become critically important to businesses.
Cross-cultural interactions help to develop some important interpersonal skills. Working
with people from other cultures develops empathy, acceptance and tolerance. It empowers people to be
more open-minded to others' ideas, talents and experiences.
Basic Elements of Cross-Cultural Communication
With each passing year, you’re more and more likely to find yourself in cross-cultural
situations. Here are three basic elements of all forms of cross-cultural communication:
1. Language: Verbal communication is how people most explicitly convey information
from one person to another, so knowing how to speak different languages greatly empowers people to
connect across cultural divides. Once you overcome language barriers, you remove the greatest obstacle
to free-flowing communication. A conversational level of fluency might be all that is necessary.
2. Nonverbal communication: Sometimes body language—such as eye contact or facial
expressions—might be all it takes to communicate certain information across cultures. Still, nonverbal
communication often takes on different meanings among different cultural groups. For instance, an
inoffensive hand gesture in one culture might be offensive in another.
3. Social norms: Different cultural norms lead to different communication styles. For
example, in high-context cultures (such as in Japan and China), people talk around a subject gingerly
rather than take a more blunt approach. By contrast, low-context cultures (such as in the United States and
Germany) generally prefer more direct forms of communication.
‘’Effective’’ Cross-Cultural Communication Strategies Cross-cultural communication takes finesse and
hard work. Try out these strategies to start honing your cross-cultural communication skills:
Be friendly. Though people of different cultural backgrounds might characterize the specific actions of
friendliness differently, approaching intercultural communication with a friendly attitude is easy to
appreciate universally. When you act with common courtesy and goodwill, team members will
understand your desire to communicate with them in their own cultural vernacular—even if you might
occasionally miscommunicate or misinterpret what they’re saying
.
Educate yourself. Try your best to increase your cultural understanding on your own. It can prove
offensive when you act as if it’s another person’s responsibility to tell you how to adapt to and interact
with someone of their culture. Consult trusted advisors and resources on how to best converse across
cultural boundaries. Human resources departments for a wide variety of companies are also doing what
they can to provide cultural training resources for employees of all backgrounds.
Embrace humility. Surmounting cultural barriers might lead to embarrassing miscommunications or
unfortunate misinterpretations at times, so remain humble, forgiving, and open-minded in these
circumstances. A culturally sensitive work culture will allow for occasional mistakes like this, so long as
it’s apparent they were made in good faith.
Keep an eye out for unconscious biases. You might believe you have no preexisting points of view about
various cultures, but keep a vigilant eye out for signs you might be acting out of prejudice or bias. By
addressing these sorts of preconceptions and stereotypes, you lessen the chances of acting on them and
decrease the possibility of offending someone.
Remain adaptable. Keep an open mind in any work environment or situation in which you might need to
engage in cross-cultural communication. Adaptability will serve you and your team members well as you
seek to understand one another’s different cultural contexts and work together as optimally as possible.
C. CROSS-CULTURAL BENEFITS
The 7 benefits of choosing a cross-cultural experience
1. Learn a foreign language
The first obvious benefit of travelling or moving to a new country is to learn the local language. Every
day, you’ll have to talk to people to get around places. This is a unique opportunity to practice a new
language. Learning a new language will also help you to become a better listener. When you don’t fully
understand what is being said, you have to pay extra attention. Practising deep listening for many weeks
or months will give you superior listening capabilities.
2. Meet new people and raise your cultural awareness
Whether you’re on your own or with a group of friends, going abroad gives you the chance to meet many
new people. There is a good dynamic between foreigners who recently arrived in a country — they want
to help each other and be socially active. Many local people are also interested to know why you decided
to come to their country and will want to show you around. This makes the perfect setting to meet new
people and extend your network. Meeting new people from diverse cultures and backgrounds will help
you forget stereotypes and understand others more deeply. Thanks to your new level of empathy and
cultural awareness, you will start to embrace and appreciate diversity in a new way 2.

7
3. Become a better team player

2
Hofstede (2001), which suggests that culture is a phenomenon collectively generated by people who share the
same social environment and are mentally programmed in a way that distinguishes them from other social groups.
By meeting new people and improving your listening skills, your communication abilities will
significantly advance too. This will inevitably make you a better team player.
In our globalized world, companies are increasingly looking for adaptable profiles that are comfortable
working in international teams. Thanks to your cross-cultural experience, we’ll be able to show your
understanding of cultural differences and instantly prove that you have what it takes to be a great team
player.
4. Get rid of your cognitive biases and blind spots
Every culture is biased in one way or another. The only way to find out your cognitive biases and blind
spots is to live a cross-cultural experience. This will give you a new perspective on life and indeed help
you better understand who you are.
5. Broaden your horizon
Living, studying, and working abroad all give you a global mindset. You stop seeing the world from your
native country’s perspective, and you might even start to identify as a global citizen.
This mindset will expand your career opportunities by breaking mental limitations that you might have
had in the past.
6. Improve your self-confidence and resilience
When travelling, you’ll meet many people who are willing to help you. Ultimately, though, you are the
only person responsible for how your life turns out abroad.
It can be a harsh discovery, but this is one of the most transformative aspects of international experiences.
After that, you’ll be fully confident that you can rely on yourself when required.
7. Work on your adaptability and open-mindedness
Every country has its own ways of doing things. There are countless situations where people will deal
with problems in a way that wouldn’t have occurred to you. Learning from those situations will make you
a more adaptable and open-minded person.
Cross-cultural understanding makes it easier for you to understand other cultures and allows us to
understand those cultures more objectively. Through learning about different cultures, these barriers will
be removed and allow you to create closer relationships and better conversations.
Cross-cultural communication theory explores how people of different countries, ethnicities, and cultures
can work together to communicate most effectively. This means overcoming language differences,
understanding multicultural nonverbal cues, and working together to understand how to best convey ideas
across cultural divides3.

8
CHAPTER III
CLOSING
3
Culture provide the means to satisfy physiological, psychological, and social needssocial
(Herbig and Dunphy, 1998).
Effective cross-cultural communication is necessary to bridge potential divides in the workplace,
including differences in the following: Language: Completely different languages, dialects of the same
language—even heavy regional accents. Cultural norms: For example, shaking hands vs. bowing when
you meet someone.
Given the prevalence of remote work and the continued globalization of the economy, cross-cultural
communication is likely to become more important than ever in the years ahead.
What are the advantages of cross-cultural?
~The benefits of cross-cultural, cultural awareness and cultural competency training,
~Cultural competency equals stronger, more effective teams.
~Become more competitive with intercultural training
~Build stronger relationships with cross-cultural business partners. and
~Cultural training can advance careers.
Cross-culturally creating values to determine what is appropriate and what is acceptable to other cultures.
Cross-culturally makes humans able to communicate well in the end, cross-culturally can strengthen other
human bonds and provide uniqueness to humans and society.

9
BIBLIOGRAPHY
• CIDA’s work with the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy at
http://international.bowvalleycollege.ca/ projects-partnerships/internships/storiesfrom-the-field • CIDA’s
work with the International Youth Internship Program (IYIP) at http://www. accc.ca/international/9899-4-
1/internship. htm
• Cross-cultural understanding at http://www. peacecorps.gov/wws/educators/lessonplans/ section.cfm?
sid=4.
https://www.google.com/search?
q=cross+cultural+understanding&oq=CROSS+&aqs=chrome.069i59j69i57j46i512j0i512j46i512j0i512j0
i10i512j0i512l3.6996j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://escpbachelorblog.com/the-importance-of-a-cross-cultural-experience/
https://rickyanggili.blogspot.com/2017/02/cross-cultural-understanding-ccu.html

10