Challenges to

Intercultural
Communication
 Effective communication is a skill that few people posses and even
fewer people can get their point across when there is a cross
cultural barrier. Cross cultural or intercultural communication is a
part of the interaction of different people from different
backgrounds and heritages.
Language Differences

 Language differences are an obvious barrier to intercultural

communication. If you speak only English and a shopkeeper
speaks only Japanese, you won't be able to communicate
verbally. Even if you've studied the language or an
interpreter is available, dialects, different accents and slang
can cause problems. In addition, words don't necessarily
translate from one language to another in a clean one-to-one
correspondence. The same English word may have different
meanings to people from different cultures.
Body Language

 People sometimes take offense because of differences in body

language across cultures. For example, a businessperson from Latin
America might stand closer to a client than someone from North
America would. This may make the North American feel crowded
and want to back away. People from southern Europe typically use
more eye contact than Britons and Americans, which may make the
English-speakers uncomfortable. Because the French typically
smile less than Americans, sometimes Americans think they aren't
friendly.
Level of Context

 Most English-speaking cultures are low-context, meaning they put

a message into explicit words. In these cultures, saying "no" when
you mean "no" is just considered straightforward or honest. High-
context cultures, such as Japan, expect the listener to pick up more
meaning from the general situation. For example, Asians sometimes
say "yes" or "maybe" when they actually mean "no," according to
the Diversity Council. Asians often consider an outright refusal
blunt rather than honest.
Value of Time

 Not all cultures think about time in the North American linear
fashion. In the U.S., punctuality is important, but Latin and
Middle Eastern cultures put a higher value on relationships. For
example, you'd finish your conversation with someone even if it
makes you late to a meeting. A culture's view of time also
influences how it sees deadlines. For example, North Americans
consider making a deadline crucial -- whether on the job or in
college. People from Asia or South America are more likely to
view deadlines as less important than results over the long haul.
Negative Stereotypes and Prejudices

 Stereotypes and prejudices about people from other

cultures can cause communication problems and give
offense. Ethnocentrism, or a belief that your own culture is
better than that of others, can lead to acting superior
toward other groups and not treating them well. For
example, a teacher in an American college may think that
students from a certain culture lack strong English skills or
are incapable of good work. This prejudice can lead the
teacher to treat the students unfairly.
Feelings and Emotions

 Individuals from the United Kingdom and Japan typically keep a

tight control of their emotions, while Italians and French are more
comfortable showing their feelings. Loud talking might embarrass
an Englishman, for example, but an Italian may just be expressing
excitement. Differences in culture and communication styles can
even cause fear. As a result of this anxiety, people from different
cultures may pull back and avoid trying to communicate at all.
Anxiety
 Anxiety is usually defined as a state of human condition where a person
has a feeling of unease and nervousness. It is even sometimes associated
with the feeling of an unrealistic fear. Anxiety usually occurs when a
person usually comes across his or her first cross cultural interaction

 The feeling of not knowing what to expect from their counterparts and
lack of any knowledge about the ways to interact with them usually
causes a great deal of anxiety in individuals. Out of their anxiety
individuals usually make small mistakes which can result in a great deal
of problems for the two parties conducting the business. For example, in
the UAE it is customary for greetings to be physical in nature such as
hugs and long handshakes that are very common.
 The best way to tackle such anxiety is to obtain as much
knowledge about the culture of the opposite party as
possible. It would be an even better option to explore
methods which they use to conduct the business. By
obtaining information beforehand anxiety can significantly
be reduced and a proper interaction can be made.
Ethnocentrism
 Ethnocentrism is a perception that an individual has for
someone else’s culture and heritage as being inferior to his or
her own culture and heritage. The perception basically
encompasses a wide range of assumptions regarding the culture
as being morally correct and rational in all ways possible.
 When such individuals interact with a person of another culture
or heritage they refuse to acknowledge the opinion of that
person or they evaluate a certain situation from their own point
of view. In some rare cases Ethnocentrism is related to racism.
 Ethnocentrism is mostly carried out unintentionally where
one is not aware of the fact that what they are doing may
cause cultural and communication barriers. Ethnocentrism
cannot for obvious reasons be predicted beforehand and
preventive measures cannot be taken against such an event.

 However, dealing with ethnocentrism is quite simple and

different methods can produce positive results in a short
time. Respecting the differences of cultures can significantly
reduce the feeling of ethnocentrism amongst the people. The
second step is raising awareness amongst people of different
customs of other cultures.
Assumption of similarity
 Sometimes people assume that two cultures are not different, but are similar in
their nature. For example, if an Arab prefers to drink coffee instead of tea then
others assume that coffee is a popular drink in UAE. This is not always true as
people from different cultures have different preferences. The preference of a
person or a group of people does not reflect the entire culture

 When dealing with different cultures one must not make any predetermined
assumptions about their opposite numbers culture. To play it safe one should
assume that there are no cultural differences between the two cultures. The
best way is to present oneself in a manner that they would do in their daily
lives and carry out activities in an orderly fashion.
Such an approach can sometimes work out for an
individual; however, in some cases such an
assumption could lead to further miscommunication
and confusion. For example, in the Arab culture it is
considered an insult to refuse any offering made by
an Arab. Normally, a person might refuse the
offering, as there is no such implication of offending
someone by turning down the offering. Again
research into the opposite number’s culture can
significantly mitigate such problems.
Prejudice
 Prejudice is another notable and important barrier to cross cultural
communication. Prejudice refers to irrational judgments passed on certain
groups or individuals (Flinders 3). It refers to a primary negative perception
created by individuals on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, cast or language.

 Definitely, when people from different cultures and norms join individuals
from other cultures, they face challenges of prejudice (Jandt). Lack of
communication and interaction is there as pre-judgments are passed in such
cross-cultural setting. Actually, irrational perception created by a majority for a
minority is the basis of prejudice. And this comes out as the breakdown of the
communication pattern.
 According to Jandt (2010), prejudice refers to irrational hatred – a
gap that is created on the basis of hatred following a certain group,
religion, cast or race. In this way, prejudice is inevitable blockage
of cross-cultural communication as it is a source to augment
victimization of certain groups. When victimization is there
definitely lack of communication is there too (Jandt 83-85).

 In UAE, employees working on contractual basis face the challenge

of prejudice. Employees hired from developing countries like
Pakistan, India or Bangladesh are perceived as low working
professionals in UAE for which they have a coordination gap with
their subordinates. This is how prejudice brings a communication
gap in workplace and in the workplace environment.
Language Barrier
 Language is an exchange gate of communication. It refers to a source which
exchanges values, ideas, and thoughts between two exchange groups. If
exchange groups are cross cultural, definitely language can be a major barrier
of exchange. Communication gap is there due to differences in language
between exchange groups.

 Multinational corporations have implemented solutions for this. Such firms

have standardized English as an international language which has reduced the
problem of cross-cultural interaction. Now everyone joining a multinational
firm learns English (the most accepted language) and reducing the gap of
communication in the international work environment.
 Furthermore, language barriers can be removed by hiring
specialists. Specialists in areas of cross-cultural communication,
anthropology can be effective to remove language barriers. In
addition, special training programs can be organized to improve
speech tendency and language frequency of the speaker. This is
how language barriers can be minimized and controlled for
effective intercultural communication.
Cultural Relativism
 Cultural relativism is another most notable barrier of intercultural
communication. The denial of others’ values and cultures for the augmentation
of self values and cultures refers to cultural relativism. Cultural relativism is a
notion that reflects the superiority of a certain group. The denial of others’
values makes cultural relativism a prominent barrier of cross-cultural
communication. It is the same like imposing your conceptions on others’
morals and conceptions.

 The concept of cultural relativism is mostly found in UAE small and medium
enterprises, where employees are kept on to the adaptation of the static culture
(Flinders). The firms restrict their employees to engage with the static culture,
which indirectly affects their intercultural communication.
 The employees joining firms feel disengaged with the
system and for that they keep the space in their peer
communication. This is how a weak system of
communication comes up and prevails in UAE small
medium enterprises.
 Conclusion
 Communication is the exchange of messages, which takes place across two certain groups. It is
a skill that some people have and especially those who live in a cross-cultural setting.
Intercultural communication is the interaction of people.

 People from different values, cultures and backgrounds have to deal with issues of intercultural
communication. There are certain barriers that come across intercultural communication.
Barriers such as prejudice, anxiety, ethnocentrism, language, and assumption of similarity are
most significant ones to consider.

 On a conclusive node, these barriers are significant and have to be removed to make cross-
cultural communication effective. For this purpose, a solution for cross-cultural communicators
is that individuals must attain a basic understanding of each others’ cultures and thoughts. This
will reduce the impact of the interfering barriers that come across while engaging in a cross
cultural interaction.
References
 https://oureverydaylife.com/six-barriers-to-intercultural-communica
tion-12080535.html

 https://ivypanda.com/essays/barriers-to-intercultural-communicatio
n/