This text is useful when people face problems of intercultural communication. I rarely faced those problems, because I have never been abroad. However, there are some problems between Japanese communities. For example, a Japanese word like "yabai" has a lot of meanings. I often use that word when I find difficulties and feel a danger, but my friends use "yabai" when a dish is very good and good things happen. Therefore, "yabai" means not only bad things but also good things. I sometimes do not know which meaning she said by using "yabai". It is a kind of language differences. I need to ask the meaning to her directly to avoid misunderstanding.
I think that differences are important, because I am able to learn a lot of things from them. Peoople tend to think that our own culture is the most natural. We need to accept differences between cultures. Knowing differences gives us a chance to look our own culture over again. I want to enjoy finding differences of intercultural communication when I go abroad.
Yabai is a good example.
ReplyDeleteAll of us experience intercultural communication on a daily basis even if we are speaking with people in the same society or country using the same language.
Hopefully Barna's ideas will be useful for you!