Source of the picture: http://www.speakuponline.it
GETTING THE MESSAGE WORLDWIDE BY RACHEL ROBERTS
Language level: Upper Intermediate B2
Standard: British accent
Speaker: Rachel Roberts
During the recent G20 Summit in South Korea, President Barack Obama and the South Korean President, Lee Myung-Bak, gave a press conference. An American journalist asked President Lee whether he had any concerns that “U.S. policy might lead to a flood of “hot” money coming into the Korean economy.” The Korean President smiled and answered: “I think that kind of question should be asked to me when President Obama is not standing right next to me.”There was general polite laughter at this comment, but President Lee was probably not making a joke.
FACE-SAVING
In some cultures, particularly oriental cultures, it is an insult to embarrass someone, or make them “lose face” in public. If President Lee was worried about the possibility of “hot money” pouring into South Korea, he would never have commented on this in public, in case he made Obama feel comfortable and offended him.
You should bear these values in mind if you have to work or communicate with people from oriental cultures. In Anglo Saxon culture it is often permissible for a subordinate to make fun of the boss in public, as long as it’s done respectfully. In oriental cultures it is never permissible, and would be considered deeply offensive. Similarly, if you relocate to a managerial position in China or Korea and an employee does something wrong, you should never point out their mistake in public, unless you want to lose their goodwill forever. Such conversations should always take place in private.
THE JAPANESE FOR NO
This careful attention to protecting sensibilities can make communication difficult, especially if you tend to be more direct. If during a long negotiation with a Japanese company, you ask whether your proposal has been accepted, you would probably feel quite optimistic if your received one of the following replies. “If everything proceeds as planned, the proposal will be approved;” “It’s not easy to answer your question at the moment;” or “You should know quite soon.” In actual fact, these are typical Japanese ways of saying “Sorry there’s no deal!
The writer Edward Hall first used the expressions “high-context” and “low-context” to refer to how much speakers rely on things other than words to communicate meaning. These “other things” can be non-verbal communication, plus an awareness of the context in which the communicating takes place.
BY GEORGE
Here’s an example. If you refer to a work colleague as “good old George,” a “low-context” understanding of these words is that George is a mature colleague, a good man and trustworthy. In other words, you mean exactly what you say. If it is generally understood in the office, however, that George is a complete idiot, the words “good old George” could be taken as a sarcastic comment on the fact that George has done something wrong, yet again. The implication is that he can be relied upon to make a mess of things.
The key words here are “generally understood.” People from high-context cultures (European examples include France and the United Kingdom) often share information with their “in-group” members, such as good friends, families and co-workers, and they refer to this information implicitly when they speak. For people who come from “low-context” cultures, like the USA, Germany and the Netherland, this can be a difficult code to break. They think of communication as a way of exchanging information and opinions and so prefer to spell things out clearly and simply.
NOTHING PERSONAL
If a German or Dutch person telephones you during a meal and asks you if they are calling at a bad time. Don’t expect them to hang up if you reply, “Well actually, I’m in the middle of my dinner. “It may be obvious to you that meal time is sacrosanct and you want t spend it in peace with your family, but it may not be obvious to someone outside your cultural group.
If you design a great new gadget and your German or Dutch boss says, “I don’t like it! “ They are not implying that you are a bad designer or that you don’t do your job properly. They are simply saying that they don’t like this particular design, nothing more! Germans and Dutch people have a wonderful ability to separate a person from an idea or invention. So, if they criticize your work, it’s the work and not you they dislike. They find kind of direct criticism constructive!
THE RIGHT TONE
It is important to remember, however that every individual uses both high context and low-context communication. The choice will usually depend on who we’re taking to (a close friend or a stranger) and the circumstances (whether you’re telling a joke, or giving important instructions). To understand, you need a good background knowledge of the context and you have to be culturally intelligent enough to interpret tone of voice, eye contact and posture. We’ll the looking at some of these non-verbal signs next month to help you make sense of what is really being said.
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