Cultural Barriers - challenges to cross-cultural communication within an

organization. When people from different cultures who might speak different
languages, have different cultural beliefs or use different gestures and symbols to
communicate, their cultural differences might become barriers to workplace
success.

Some examples of Cultural Barriers are:

1.) Language
Language is considered as the most crucial barrier in cross-cultural
communication. Not speaking the same language well can cause
misunderstandings. Verbal communication is important in every context, but the
meaning of words can literally get lost in translation. If one person isn't aware of
the exact meaning of a word, it may be misunderstood or misinterpreted by the
other person and lead to a conflict of ideas.

2.) Stereotypes and Prejudice

Stereotypes are mostly negative images or preconceived concepts about a
specific community, group or culture. The basis of stereotyping can be many
things, though the most common are nationality, gender, race, religion and/or
age. Popular stereotypes, for example, are that most Filipinos are good at
singing, or that all Asians are good at math. This creates prejudice among
people of different cultures, and causes judgmental attitudes towards one
another. People look at other cultures with certain stereotypes as "bad" or
"difficult to work with", and treat them with contempt and disrespect. If things
get this far on a team, a group, or in a class, working together effectively could
be extremely difficult between people who resent and disrespect each other.
 3.) Behaviors and Beliefs
Cultural differences cause behavioral and personality differences like body
language, gestures, mindsets, communication, and manners, which may lead to
miscommunication. Eye contact, for example, is very important in some
cultures, but rude and disrespectful in others. People's varied religious or
spiritual beliefs can also lead to conflict and cross-cultural barriers. Different
cultures also have different understandings of time.

4.) Signs, Symbols, and Gestures

Non-verbal communication like signs and symbols differ from culture to
culture and can therefore not be relied upon in communication. For example,
the "thumbs up", known in the Western world as a sign of approval, is seen as
an insult in Bangladesh. While not quite as easily misinterpreted in a team
environment as the other factors, it can still lead to cultural faux-pas that may
take time to smooth over, that could be avoided in the first place.

It is important to avoid or overcome any kind of barrier for successful and

effective communication. Especially in context of cross-cultural communication, it
is important to avoid all types of cultural barriers. It will create tension between
different cultural contexts. The following are the points which we need to keep in
mind to avoid cultural barriers in communication:
  Ask questions politely when in doubt
 Provide space for mutual respect
 Open to new ideas
 Accepting and adapting the different culture
 Understand the context of communication
 Avoid Stereotyped notions
 Use simple words
 Use visual methods to communicate results
 Avoid slang words and phrases