UNIT 7: CULTURES

The difficulties of cross-cultural communication

By William Barnes
English has frequently been compared to Latin, which flourished for centuries as an international language, even
after the collapse of the Roman Empire, becoming a shared resource for much of the globe. English is rapidly becoming
an international lingua franca, as it becomes the essential skill of any manager with ambition. It is a language that in some
ways is becoming separated from its origins. One consequence is that non-native speakers may be better at using English
with each other than native speakers.
David Graddol, an applied linguist and consultant, observes: ‘Conventional wisdom has it that native speakers
must be best at communicating in English. That may not be true. In fact, native speakers may be poor at using English as
an international language. What is more, the presence of native speakers may hinder communication within a group of
non-native speakers.’
Mr Graddol says research shows that, whereas intelligibility is the most important thing for non-native speakers,
native speakers – who have never been challenged to acquire the ability to make themselves clear to ‘foreign’ speakers –
may struggle to overcome what may be, by international norms, their personal usage. It is likely that any manager
working in Asia will agree that merely speaking a common language does not amount to mutual comprehension, let alone
a guarantee of trust or friendship.
It used to be thought in the high days of the British Empire that everything worth knowing could be known in English. We
are more likely to feel these days that a language carries with it certain cultural baggage, ways of thinking that cannot be
expressed well in another language.
A man who runs a design company in Bangkok thinks that foreign-educated Thais often do not fit well into his
work teams. ‘They think that because they are fluent in the “global language”, they somehow know all the secrets of the
world. In acquiring an “international” culture, they have lost some of their cultural yardsticks and consequently often
don’t communicate as well as they think they do,’ says this continental European, who has worked in Asia for more than
30 years. They are, he explains, Thais who have forgotten how to switch between their social personalities.
As a first language, English has already peaked – the number of native speakers is growing, but not nearly as fast
as non-native speakers. There are many experts who say that the future of English is uncertain, as the economic center of
the world shifts east.
Nevertheless, its current global use appears as strong as ever. China alone adds 20 million to the global
community of English speakers every year. Many native English speakers who have worked in Asia will not necessarily
accept Mr Graddol’s warning about the ‘native-speaker problem’, while accepting his idea that cross-cultural
communication is a tricky thing - a matter of more than just language.
Activity 1: Look at how the expressions in italic are used. True or false.
a) If something flourishes, it is successful.
b) A shared resource can only be used by one person.
c) A lingua franca is only spoken by a small number of people in one country.
d) The origin of something is where it comes from.
e) A native speaker of a language learns it as their first language.
f) Conventional wisdom consists of opinions that only a few people believe.
g) Someone’s presence in a place refers to the fact that they are there.
h) If something hinders something else, it helps it.
Activity 2: Find two-word expressions in paragraphs 4 and 5 that mean the following.
a) countries that used to belong to the UK
b) ways of thinking that belong to a particular country, group, etc., that might not be helpful in another country, etc.
c) a language spoken all over the world
d) way of judging things in a particular country, group, etc.
e) someone from Europe but not the UK or Scandinavia
f) the way someone behaves differently depending on the context
Activity 3: Answer these questions (Using the words given and information from paragraphs 6 and 7 of the
article.)
Is …..
a) the number of English speakers rising as fast as it was? – No, it has peaked.
b) the centre of economic power moving? – Yes, it ……………………
c) English declining as a world language? No, its……………………
d) the number of English speakers in China rising? – Yes, it……………………
e) David Graddol right about the “native speaker” problem? – Not necessarily, but it’s true that …………………………
Activity 4: Choose the best answer
1. What is the most important point in paragraphs 1 and 2?
A. English is like Latin, as it is now spoken everywhere and is used as a language of international communication.
B. Most people think that native speakers are the best speakers of English, but this may not be true when considering
English as a language for international communication.
C. Some native speakers make great allowances when they speak with non-native speakers and are careful to avoid using
unusual expressions.
D. English is becoming separated from its origins.
2. According to the article, which of the following statements is false?
A. The center of economic power is moving.
B. The number of English speakers in China is rising.
C. The number of English non-native speakers is growing faster than native speakers.
D. English is an international language because you can express all ways of thinking well in English.
3. According to someone in paragraph 5, Thais who speak good English …
A. think they know all secrets of the world
B. forget how to switch between their social personalities
C. lose some of their cultural yardsticks
D. All of them are correct
4. According to the article, English may lose its position as the dominant language because
A. It has already peaked.
B. It’s too difficult to learn.
C. The world’s economic map can be changed.
D. Learning Chinese brings us more
Activity 5: What does the underlined word refer to?
1. That may not be true. (paragraph 2)
2. Nevertheless, its current global use appears as strong as ever. (the last paragraph)
Activity 6: Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the word.
1. essential
Advertising is a part of communication activity of a firm, alongside with publicity and stimulation of selling but it
…………………. imposes the goods on the buyer.
2. consequently
A man of……………. has gone to England about the business, and if he makes the arrangements as he expects, I
shall myself have a hand in the business.
3. acquire
Customer ………………., especially in the early stages of a company, is a crucial task for a young company –
both in terms of cash, but also in terms of idea validation and increasing its appeal to potential investors or acquirers.
4. trust
That leads to the reduction of productivity and the company can have problems with its own clients and can lose
its opinion as a ……………… firm.
5. tricky
To more fully comprehend the ………………..of these negotiations, you need to have experience in the field.