Foreword

In the name of Allah, the loving and merciful. The greatest gratitude goes to Allah
SWT, for his blessing so that I could finish writing this assignment. I would like to give
my gratitude, respect, and appreciation to all people whose support, advice, and help
gave me a great spirit to finish this assignment:

 Our beloved family,

 All ourfriends and lecturer, always give spirit for doing this assignment.

For those people above and those I cannot mention their names, may Allah bless and
reward them. Finally, this assignment is not the perfect one but I hope it would be
benefical to those who interested in this field of study.

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 CONTENT

Foreword.....................................................................................................................................1
CONTENT..................................................................................................................................2
CHAPTER I...............................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................2
A. Background Of Study.......................................................................................................2
B. Problame Formula............................................................................................................3
C. Direction...........................................................................................................................3
CHAPTER II..............................................................................................................................4
EXPLANATION........................................................................................................................4
A. The Definition Of Cross Cultural Understanding.............................................................4
B. What Is Advantages For Learning CCU...........................................................................5
C. Concept Of Culture..........................................................................................................6
CHAPTER III............................................................................................................................9
CLOSING...................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................10

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 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background Of Study
Cultural differences are something that cannot be avoided in human life. Plurality and
dynamic conditions allow human culture to continue to develop and have more and
more diversity. Individual interests often clash with cultures outside the wider
community or environment. This allows the creation of an effort to introduce new
cultures which are the result of acculturation and inculturation. A traditional society in
today's global era, it is inevitable to open up and struggle with a new culture that brings
a new paradigm for the development of human civilization.
Seeing these conditions, cross-cultural understanding or better known as Cross-Cultural
Understanding(CCU) is one of the competencies needed by humans in this century.
Human activity is a product of culture, and these products will interact with each other
in a pluralistic society without boundaries. Positive and negative things interact with
new perspectives. Asian family culture is brought together and introduced to the
individualistic culture of western people (America & Europe). Eastern culture of
closedness is confronted with western culture of openness. And there are many more
cultural encounters between poles, nations and ethnicities at this time. This allows
humans to need to understand the culture of others, in order to communicate effectively
and efficiently. By recognizing cultural differences, activities, needs and habits, a
person is equipped to understand various forms of culture.
According to Bennett, Bennett & Allen (2003), cross-cultural understanding is the
ability to move from an ethnocentric attitude to an attitude of respect for other cultures,
eventually leading to the ability to behave appropriately in a different culture or
cultures. Cross-cultural understanding is basically like having a dual role. Corbett
(2003) states that cross-cultural understanding exceeds the ability to imitate native
speakers. Cross-cultural understanding is an ability that positions language learners in
the position of a messenger or diplomat, who is able to see and communicate with
different cultures through the point of view of people who have these communication
skills.

B. Problame Formula
 What is Cross Cultural Understanding?
 What Is Advantages for Learning CCU?
 What Is Concept Of Culture?

C. Direction
 To know more about Cross Cultural Understanding

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 CHAPTER II

EXPLANATION

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.
With the background that language and culture cannot be separated, when students learn
a language, at the same time they must learn the culture of the country of origin of the
language, besides learning to master four skills, namely speaking skills, listening skills,
writing skills and reading ability. Cross-cultural understanding simply refers to the basic
ability of people to properly recognize, interpret and react to people, events or situations
that are open to misunderstanding due to cultural differences.
Actually Cross Cultural Understanding is the learning a foreign language (not arranging
or choosing words). How to communicate with the owner of the mother tongue, because
of the different expressions, we cannot translate one by one or lexically, because it is
very closely related to customs and culture as well as situations and conditions.
Understanding Cross Culture is to understand the relationship between different
countries. This means that Cross Cultural Understanding is a way to understand cultural
differences in various countries so that there are no misunderstandings.
Cross-cultural understanding plays an important role in communicating with people
from different countries. Language and culture cannot be separated. Therefore, when
students learn a language, at the same time they must learn the culture of the country
and society from which the language originates, to avoid miscommunication and
misunderstanding. Cross-cultural understanding simply refers to the basic ability of
people to properly recognize, interpret and react to people, events or situations that are
open to misunderstanding due to cultural differences.Language events will be a serious
problem because language is a tool of cultural transmission, language is what people use
to talk about things that are important to them, language is a tool of interaction between
and among people.

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To be truly effective, cross-cultural partnerships must be free from cultural incidents of
either type. The importance of studying cross cultural understanding at the higher
education level will certainly open a wider student perspective on culture and language.
B. What Is Advantages For Learning CCU

The importance of learning Cross Cultural Understanding because learning a foreign

language is not part of learning the culture of the language user. This is to help them
avoid non-language errors, and to help with knowledge to understand those native
speakers of the language, furthermore if they have the opportunity to go abroad, they
can survive culture shock.
Cross cultural training has many benefits to be gained by both participants and
businesses. For participants in cross cultural training, the main benefits are that it helps:
1. People Learn About Themselves: Through cross cultural training, people are
exposed to facts and information about their own cultures, preconceptions,
mentalities and worldviews that they may otherwise not have contemplated.
Cross cultural training helps people learn more about themselves through
learning about others.
2. Encourage Confidence: Cross cultural training promotes self-confidence in
individuals and teams through empowering them with a sense of control over
previously difficult challenges in the workplace.
3. Break Down Barriers: All of us have certain barriers such as preconceptions,
prejudices and stereotypes that obstruct our understanding of other people. Cross
cultural training demystifies other cultures through presenting them under an
objective light. Through learning about other cultures, barriers are slowly
chipped away thus allowing for more open relationships and dialogue.
4. Build Trust: When people’s barriers are lowered, mutual understanding ensues,
which results in greater trust. Once trust is established altruistic tendencies
naturally manifest allowing for greater co-operation and a more productive
workplace.
5. Motivate: One of the outcomes of cross cultural training is that people begin to
see their roles within the workplace more clearly. Through self-analysis people
begin to recognize areas in which they need to improve and become motivated
to develop and progress.
6. Open Horizons: Cross cultural training addresses problems in the workplace at a
very different angle to traditional methods. Its innovative, alternative and
motivating way of analysis and resolving problems helps people to adopt a
similarly creative strategy when approaching challenges in their work or
personal lives.
7. Develop Interpersonal Skills: Through cross cultural training participants
develop great ‘people skills’ that can be applied in all walks of life. By learning
about the influence of culture, i.e. the hidden factors upon people’s behavior,
those who undertake cross cultural training begin to deal with people with a
sensitivity and understanding that may have previously been lacking.

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 8. Career Development: Cross cultural training enhances people’s skills and
therefore future employment opportunities. Having cross cultural awareness
gives people a competitive edge over others especially when applying for
positions in international companies with a large multi-cultural staff base.
The above benefits are but a few of the many ways in which cross cultural training
positively affects businesses through staff training and development.Many institutions
offer students a chance to be trained on different aspects of the various world cultures.
Usually, larger institutions offer this cross cultural courses and foreign languages to
their students free of charge. A student who intends to be on the international front as
part of his career should therefore grab such opportunities. The benefits of learning
CCU for FKIP students include :
1. Cross-cultural understanding plays an important role in communicating with
people from different countries. Language and culture cannot be separated.
Therefore, when students learn a language, at the same time they must learn the
culture of the country and society from which the language originates, to avoid
miscommunication and misunderstanding. Cross-cultural understanding simply
refers to the basic ability of people to properly recognize, interpret and react to
people, events or situations that are open to misunderstanding due to cultural
differences.
2. From year to year, foreign cultures bring a lot of influence in Indonesia.
Generally starting from tv shows, movies, music and others. So that these
foreign cultures spread, generally the Z generation likes the culture so that they
become fans so that it becomes their identity. The emergence of terms such as
otaku (fans of Japanese culture anime), k-popper (South Korean cultural music
fans), Thai drama fans and so on. This has more or less effect on the
communication skills of FKIP students, especially students of the English
Education Study Program. Living in a very global world with a culture that
diverse, then language learners need to develop their language skills but also
their cultural skills in order to interact with other people from various cultural
backgrounds. This is called intercultural communication or cross cultural
understanding. Therefore, knowledge related to the science of intercultural
communication should be better.

C. Concept Of Culture
According to Koentjaraningrat (2000) culture with the basic word culture comes from
the Sanskrit buddhayah language , which is the plural form of buddhi which means
"mind" or "reason". Thus, Koentjaraningrat defines culture as "mindfulness" in the form
of creativity, initiative and taste. Furthermore, culture itself is the result of creativity,
initiative, and taste.
So culture or abbreviated as culture, according to Koentjaraningrat is the whole system
of ideas, actions and human creations in the context of community life which are made
into human beings by learning. Furthermore, Koentjaraningrat distinguishes the
existence of three forms of culture, namely:

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(1) The form of culture as a complex of ideas, ideas, values, norms, rules and so on.
(2) The form of culture as a complex of patterned activities and actions of humans in a
society.
(3) The form of culture as objects made by humans. Hawkins (in Liliweri,
In culture there are concepts of identity and ethnicity which are the result of social
construction. With this social construction, certain labels or identities are created, which
symbolize the origin, culture and characteristics of certain groups. The importance of
this identity for an ethnic and ethnic group, because it becomes a continuity of the past
and the future. Therefore, almost all cultural identities, in relation to the identity of
kinship, racial, or ethnic ties, are built in contexts facing each other.
Relational theory is based on the view that an ethnic group is an amalgamation of two
or more entities that have similarities and differences that have been compared in
determining the formation of ethnicity and the maintenance of its boundaries. The
similarities that exist in two or more entities that are united will become an ethnic
identity. According to this relational perspective, ethnicity exists because of the
relationship between different entities. Ethnicity depends on the recognition of other
entities outside the ethnic group.
In subsequent developments, culture is not only focused on traditional customs. But
also entered the stage of popular culture. According to O'Brien and Szeman (in Danesi,
2004) popular culture is a culture that exists because a group of people create or do it
for themselves. Because the new thing is widely accepted by the community, popular
culture emerges. Furthermore, according to Kundera (in Danesi, 2012) popular culture
is something that appeals to us intuitively, because it doesn't matter how much we
despise it, but it is an integral part of the human condition. The definition of popular
culture according to Storey (2003) is as follows:
A) Popular culture is a culture that is fun and liked by many people;
B) Popular culture is a sub-standard culture that accommodates cultural practices that do
not meet the requirements of high culture. High culture is the creation of individual
creativity, quality, noble value, respectable and owned by elite groups, such as artists,
intellectuals and critics who rate cultural works high and low. Meanwhile, popular
culture is commercial culture (having a selling point) the impact of mass production;
C) Popular culture is mass culture, namely culture produced by the masses for mass
consumption. This culture is consumed without consideration of whether it is acceptable
in society or not;
D) Popular culture stems from postmodernism.
Culture has an important role in the current era of globalization, but culture has
obstacles that can make it difficult to negotiate and communicate between cultures. The
following are obstacles in understanding other cultures, namely: 1) Ethnocentrism
Northouse, suggests that ethnocentrism is the tendency for individuals to place their

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own group in an organization. People tend to give priority and trust more than people or
groups who have different (ethnic, racial, or cultural) differences. 2) Prejudice
Northouse, suggests that prejudice is an attitude, belief, or emotion that an individual
has about another individual or group that is based on invalid or unfounded data.
 Example CCU
Indonesian Cultural Differences With Foreign Culture An example is the difference
between eastern and western cultures . I will take the example of the cultural differences
between Indonesia and the United States :
1. Opinion - Indonesian people tend to be convoluted in arguing that the intent was not
as complicated argument. - Americans are more to the point in arguing.
2. Lifestyle - Indonesian people would be more comfortable if kept close to relatives,
especially families. - Unlike the Americans, they tend to be individualistic.
5. Celebration / Party If there is a celebration or a party , many Indonesian people prefer
to invite all relatives and friends . For example in the wedding , make an invitation with
considerable amounts of extravagant. In America , if they make an event, only
relatives , family and a few close friends were invited.
As a citizen of Indonesia, we have to develop things from our culture into a positive
thing and can help the country become developed countries.
 Indonesian Cultural Differences With Japanese
A sign of respect by bowing is only done in Japan, not in Indonesia. In Japanese culture,
bowing is called Ojigi as a sign of respect. People in Japan when doing Ojigi, the things
they do are: when saying sorry, thank you, and other ceremonial or official events.
In Indonesia there is also a culture, but the appearance is different from the Javanese,
usually they will bend their body with their right hand down & their left hand bent
behind the waist. Movement by way of bending the body is usually done as a sign of
permission when passing by an older person.

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 CHAPTER III

CLOSING

Conclusion
Understanding the culture of other nations does not mean eliminating the culture of
one's own nation. Cross Cultural Understanding is a concept in understanding
intercultural communication, so that high-level learning objectives are achieved. In the
current era of globalization, understanding the culture and character of other nations is
very important. By understanding the character of other nations, we are able to become
leaders in the global space. Because the leader requires communication that is
understood by everyone he leads. Cross Cultural Understanding places human values
beyond ethnic, state and ethnic boundaries.

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 REFERENCES

https://tugasanakkampus000.blogspot.com/2016/12/cross-cultural-understanding.html?
m=1

https://masoemuniversity-ac-id.cdn.ampproject/v/s/pentingnya-cross-cultural-
understanding-dalam-perspektif-pendidikan.php?

https://www.academia.edu/3327/
Perbedaan_Budaya_Indonesia_Dengan_Budaya_Amerika

https://m-kumparan-com.cdn.ampproect.org/perbedaan-budaya-indonesia-dan-epang-
1v9

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