How to communicate effectively with other cultures without abandoning the values of your

native culture
A fish only discovers its need for water when it is no longer in it. Our own culture is like water
to a fish. It sustains us. (Trompenaars and Turner 1998-20) On the other hand, culture can be
seen as an iceberg with its visible and invisible parts (Ontario Regulators of Acces) 1. However,
another concept is culture refers to a group or community with which we share common
experiences that shape the way we understand the world 2. Even though we use the term culture
everyday, we are not almost certain about its meaning and what role it plays in a society.
According to Clifford Geertz, culture is the means by which people communicate, perpetuate,
and develop their knowledge about attitudes towards life. Culture is the fabric of meaning in
terms of which human beings interpret their experience and guide their action. 3 He would also
point out the difference between the concepts of culture as something objective or subjective,
and also questions whether culture is a patterned conduct or a frame of mind.4 However, agreeing
on the fact that it is a frame of mind, then we might go on with Wittgenstein who says that one
human being can be a complete enigma to another. He gives the example when we go on a
strange country with entirely strange traditions and dont understand the people even though we
have a mastery of that language. This is, according to Wittgenstein, because we cannot find our
1 Ontario Regulators for Access Consortium (2008), Managing Cultural Differences.
pp.2
2 Trompenaars, F., Turner,H.Charles, Riding the waves of culture, 2nd Ed., Nichola
Brealey Publishin, London, 1997 pp. 20.
3 Geertz, C., The Interpretation of Cultures, Basic Books, Inc. Publishers, New York,
1973 pp. 5.
4 Ibid.

feet with them. (Wittgenstein as cited by Geertz, 1973-5)5 As we all know, communication is the
only thing that distinguishes human being from other beings. But we communicate within a
specific culture and thus agree that culture is one of the most important system within which
communication occurs.6 But, knowing the facts mentioned above that one person is an enigma
to another, I believe that there are some certain things we have to bare in mind, when we want to
communicate effectively with another culture. This includes: knowing what are the components
of a culture, explaining and showing your own cultural values and understanding the cultural
system of other cultures.
To understand the components of a culture means to understand that there are some layers of
culture. According to Trompenaars and Turner these layers are the explicit culture. Explicit
culture is the observable reality of the language, food, buildings, houses, monuments, agriculture,
shrines, markets, fashions and art. They are the symbols of a deeper level of culture.
(Trompenaars and Turtner, 1998, pp. 20) After that, according to them, there is the middle layer
which is the norms and values of an individual group. Norms are the mutual sense a group has of
what is right and wrong. Norms can develop on a formal level as written laws, and on an
informal level as social control. Values, on the other hand, determine the definition of good and
bad, and are therefore closely related to the ideals shared by a group. 7 This is how Trompenaars
and Turtner describe those two components of culture. They also give to examples. For instance,
5
6 American University in Kosova (2015), The discovery course-student material,
Unpublished booklet pp. 282
7 Trompenaars, F., Turner,H.Charles, Riding the waves of culture, 2nd Ed., Nichola Brealey
Publishin, London, 1997 pp. 23.

in one culture people might agree with the value: Hard work is essential to a prosperous
society. Yet the behavioural norm sanctioned by the group may be: Do not work harder than
the other members of the group because then we would all be expected to do more and would
end up worse off. Here the norm differs from the value. On the other hand, some Japanese
might say that they bow because they like to greet people: that is a value. Other might say they
dont know why except that they do it because the others do it too. Then we are talking about a
norm.8 Another component of culture might be the beliefs of one certain group of society. In the
lecture about Communication and Culture on the 4th of July, Peonare Caka mentions how beliefs
are conceptions of what is true, factual and valid. Beliefs are rooted in: Faith (God) Experience
(Keeping grain in elevated places keeps it dry during the monsoons) Science (Penicillin cures
infections) Cultural beliefs are regarded as truths, although sometimes they are false. 9 You might
find yourself saying: this is how we do it at my house. This is because people beliefs vary from
culture to culture. For example in Asians and Pacific Islanders the extended family has
significant influence and the oldest is male in the family is often the decision maker and
spokesperson. The interests and honor of the family are more important than those of individual
family members. Older family members are respected, and their authority is often
unquestioned.10 In America, however, the older citizens on their seventies, eighties and nineties
feel devalued from Americas youth- oriented culture. Or lets take the example of physical
distance. In areas of the Middle East and South America, people stand very close when talking.
European Americans like to have more distance between them, while some African Americans
8 Ibid.
9
10 http://www.euromedinfo.eu/how-culture-influences-health-beliefs.html/

prefer even more space. You can create great discomfort by standing too close to another person.
In Asia, female friends often hold hands and men casually embrace one another as they walk
down the street. Americans, however, may feel uncomfortable with such public behavior. In
some Asian cultures, affectionately patting an adult's head is strictly taboo, although it can be
acceptable behavior between adults and young children. 11 In a way, you have to be able to
understand the main components of a culture, in order to go further and explain and show your
own culture.
Having in mind that its not just you not understanding other cultures but somebody might not be
able to understand yours. Preservation of ones own culture does not require contempt or
disrespect for other cultures. (Cesar Chavez). This is why you should explain the values and
beliefs of your own culture. For example, in Kosova, which is my country, people believe that
family is an important part of your life. People here spend more time visiting their cousins and
keeping contact with them. Again in her lecture about culture and communication Caka points
out that this is the same as with the case of African Americans for whom strong ties within the
family have always been their way. This happens because distinct cultures and social
communities teach members to communicate in ways consistent with the values and norms of
their communities.12 If you go to US, you have to explain to them that this is my culture and this
is the way I am raised. Or, another example is in India and Japan, where people dont form lines
to buy tickets or anything else. Instead they push and rush to get to a place. In America, this

11 http://www.aacounty.org/Partnership/Resources/Cultural_Differences.pdf
12 Ontario Regulators for Access Consortium (2008), Managing Cultural Differences.pp.4

might look as rude. So, in order to understand the way other cultures work, you have to
understand and interpret your own.
Now, that we understand the components of culture and have interpreted our own culture, it is
important to understand the other cultures. There are some stages through which a person goes
while encountering a new culture. The first is reacting to it. For example, you are at a bar and
you encounter people from LGBT communities. You might react to them since you dont accept
them. The second is tolerance. You are able to tolerate the new and unknown culture. Third is
understanding. In the journal about building good relationships with other cultures, they point
out the importance of showing interest in other cultures. For the most part, want to be asked
questions about their lives and their cultures. For example, you might ask a person of African
heritage if they want to be called, Black or African-American. Or you can ask a Jewish person
what it is like for them at Christmas time when practically every store, TV commercial, and radio
station focuses almost entirely on Christmas. 13 This is where you are able to understand why
people do what they do. Then there is respecting it. And the last one is participating. In a journal
about how to build good relationships with other cultures it says to put yourself in situations
where you will meet people of other cultures; especially if you haven't had the experience of
being a minority, take the risk.14 Not many people achieve to go through all these stages, but yet
its all about understanding. Thus, it is very important to be a little curious about the other
cultures you encounter, and not just despising them.

13 http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/buildingrelationships/main
14 Ibid.

Conclusively, we all are part of different cultures. Diversity is changing. It is becoming a more
important part of our lives, since we face it everyday: in our jobs, studies, even families. Since
we spend most of our time communicating, this is why communication is a crucial and powerful
factor of understanding. In order to communicate effectively we have to understand culture and
cultural factors, elements, ideas, share them among other cultures and accepting what is different
in order to have a diversity understanding of the world around us.
References:
1. Ontario Regulators for Access Consortium (2008), Managing Cultural Differences.
Retrievedfrom:

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Administrator/My

%20Documents/Downloads/Managing%20Cultural%20Differencies.pdf
2. Trompenaars, F., Turner,H.Charles, Riding the waves of culture, 2nd Ed., Nichola
Brealey Publishin, London, 1997
3. Geertz, C., The Interpretation of Cultures, Basic Books, Inc. Publishers, New York, 1973
4. How culture influences health beliefs (n.d.) retrieved 4th of July 2015 from:
http://www.euromedinfo.eu/how-culture-influences-health-beliefs.html/
5. Cultural Differences- Some examples(n.d.) retrieved 4th of July 2015 from:
http://www.aacounty.org/Partnership/Resources/Cultural_Differences.pdf
6. Building relationships with people from different cultures (n.d.) retrieved 4 th of July

2015

from:http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/building

relationships/main