Howtocommunicateeffectivelywithothercultureswithout abandoningthevaluesofyournative culture A fish only discovers its need for water when it is no longer in it. Our own culture is like waterto a fish. It sustains us. !rom"enaars and !urner #$$%&'() On the other hand* culture can beseen as an iceberg with its visible and invisible "arts Ontario +egulators of Acces) #. However*another conce"t is culturerefers toagrou"or communitywithwhichwesharecommone,"eriences that sha"e the way we understand the world'. -ven though we use the term cultureeveryday* wearenot almost certainabout its meaningandwhat roleit "lays inasociety.According to .lifford /eert0* culture is the means by which "eo"le communicate* "er"etuate*and develo" their knowledge about attitudes towards life. .ulture is the fabric of meaning interms of which human beings inter"ret their e,"erience and guide their action.1 He would also"oint out the difference between the conce"ts of culture as something ob2ective or sub2ective*and also 3uestions whether culture is a "atterned conduct or a frame of mind.4 However* agreeingon the fact that it is a frame of mind* then we might go on with 5ittgenstein who says that onehumanbeingcanbeacom"leteenigmatoanother.Hegivesthee,am"lewhenwegoonastrange country with entirely strange traditions and dont understand the "eo"le even though wehave a mastery of that language. !his is* according to 5ittgenstein* because we cannot find our1 Ontario Regulators for Access Consortium (2008), Managing Cultural Diferences. pp.22 Trompenaars, F., Turner,H.Carles, Riding the waves of culture, 2n! "!., #icola $reale% &u'lisin, (on!on, 1))* pp. 20. + ,eert-, C., The Interpretation of Cultures, $asic $oo.s, /nc. &u'lisers, #e0 1or., 1)*+ pp. 2.3 /'i!. feet with them. 5ittgenstein as cited by /eert0* #$61&7)7 As we all know* communication is theonlythingthat distinguisheshumanbeingfromotherbeings. 8ut wecommunicatewithinas"ecific culture and thus agree that culture is one of the most im"ortant system within whichcommunication occurs.9 8ut* knowing the facts mentioned above that one "erson is an enigmato another* I believe that there are some certain things we have to bare in mind* when we want tocommunicate effectively with another culture. !his includes: knowing what are the com"onentsof a culture* e,"laining and showing your own cultural values and understanding the culturalsystem of other cultures. !o understand the com"onents of a culture means to understand that there are some layers ofculture. According to !rom"enaars and !urner these layers are the e,"licit culture. -,"licitculture is the observable reality of the language* food* buildings* houses* monuments* agriculture*shrines* markets* fashions and art. !hey are the symbols of a dee"er level of culture.!rom"enaars and !urtner* #$$%* "". '() After that* according to them* there is the middle layerwhich is the norms and values of an individual grou". ;orms are the mutual sense a grou" has ofwhat is right and wrong. ;orms can develo" on a formal level as written laws* and on aninformal level as social control. ou mightfind yourself saying: this is how we do it at my house. !his is because "eo"le beliefs vary fromculture to culture. =or e,am"le in Asians and Aacific Islanders the e,tended family hassignificant influenceandtheoldest is maleinthefamilyis oftenthedecisionmaker ands"okes"erson. !he interests and honor of the family are more im"ortant than those of individualfamily members. Older family members are res"ected* and their authority is oftenun3uestioned.#( In America* however* the older citi0ens on their seventies* eighties and ninetiesfeel devaluedfrom Americasyouth&orientedculture. Orletstakethee,am"leof"hysicaldistance. In areas of the Diddle -ast and Couth America* "eo"le stand very close when talking.-uro"ean Americans like to have more distance between them* while some African Americans8 /'i!. )10 ttp899000.eurome!info.eu9o0:culture:in;uences:ealt:'eliefs.tml9"refer even more s"ace. >ou can create great discomfort by standing too close to another "erson.In Asia* female friends often hold hands and men casually embrace one another as they walkdownthestreet.Americans* however*mayfeel uncomfortablewithsuch"ublicbehavior.Insome Asian cultures* affectionately "atting an adultEs head is strictly taboo* although it can beacce"tablebehavior betweenadultsandyoungchildren.##Inaway*youhavetobeabletounderstand the main com"onents of a culture* in order to go further and e,"lain and show yourown culture. Having in mind that its not 2ust you not understanding other cultures but somebody might not beabletounderstandyours. Areservationof onesownculturedoes not re3uire contem"t ordisres"ectfor other cultures. .esar .have0).!hisis whyyou shoulde,"lain the values andbeliefs of your own culture. =or e,am"le* in Bosova* which is my country* "eo"le believe thatfamily is an im"ortant "art of your life. Aeo"le here s"end more time visiting their cousins andkee"ing contact with them. Again in her lecture about culture and communication .aka "ointsout that this is the same as with the case of African Americans for whom strong ties within thefamily have always been their way. !his ha""ens because distinct cultures and socialcommunities teach members to communicate in ways consistent with the values and norms oftheir communities.#' If you go to FC* you have to e,"lain to them that this is my culture and thisis the way I am raised. Or* another e,am"le is in India and @a"an* where "eo"le dont form linesto buy tickets or anything else. Instead they "ush and rush to get to a "lace. In America* this11 ttp899000.aacount%.org9&artnersip9Resources9Culturalerences.p!f12 Ontario Regulators for Access Consortium (2008), Managing Cultural Diferences.pp.3might lookas rude. Co* inorder tounderstandthewayother cultures work* youhavetounderstand and inter"ret your own. ;ow* that we understand the com"onents of culture and have inter"reted our own culture* it isim"ortant to understand the other cultures. !here are some stages through which a "erson goeswhile encountering a new culture. !he first is reacting to it. =or e,am"le* you are at a bar andyou encounter "eo"le from G/8! communities. >ou might react to them since you dont acce"tthem. !he second is tolerance. >ou are able to tolerate the new and unknown culture. !hird isunderstanding. In the 2ournal about building good relationshi"s with other cultures* they "ointout the im"ortance of showing interest in other cultures. =or the most "art* want to be asked3uestions about their lives and their cultures. =or e,am"le* you might ask a "erson of Africanheritage if they want to be called* 8lack or African&American. Or you can ask a @ewish "ersonwhat it is like for them at .hristmas time when "ractically every store* !< commercial* and radiostation focuses almost entirely on .hristmas.#1!his is where you are able to understand why"eo"le do what they do. !hen there is res"ecting it. And the last one is "artici"ating. In a 2ournalabout how to build good relationshi"s with other cultures it says to "ut yourself in situationswhere you will meet "eo"le of other culturesH es"ecially if you havenEt had the e,"erience ofbeing a minority* take the risk.#4 ;ot many "eo"le achieve to go through all these stages* but yetitsall aboutunderstanding.!hus* it isveryim"ortanttobealittlecuriousabouttheothercultures you encounter* and not 2ust des"ising them.1+ ttp899ct'..u.e!u9en9ta'le:of:contents9culture9cultural:competence9'uil!ing:relationsips9main13 /'i!..onclusively* we all are "art of different cultures. ?iversity is changing. It is becoming a moreim"ortant "art of our lives* since we face it everyday: in our 2obs* studies* even families. Cincewe s"end most of our time communicating* this is why communication is a crucial and "owerfulfactor of understanding. In order to communicate effectively we have to understand culture andcultural factors* elements* ideas* share them among other cultures and acce"ting what is differentin order to have a diversity understanding of the world around us. +eferences: #. Ontario +egulators for Access .onsortium'((%)*Managing Cultural Differences.+etrievedfrom: file:III.:I?ocumentsJ'(andJ'(CettingsIAdministratorIDyJ'(?ocumentsI?ownloadsIDanagingJ'(.ulturalJ'(?ifferencies."df'. !rom"enaars* =.* !urner*H..harles* +iding the waves of culture* 'nd -d.* ;ichola8realey Aublishin* Gondon* #$$61. /eert0* ..* !he Inter"retation of .ultures* 8asic 8ooks* Inc. Aublishers* ;ew >ork* #$614. How culture influences health beliefs n.d.)retrieved 4th of @uly '(#7 from: htt":IIwww.euromedinfo.euIhow&culture&influences&health&beliefs.htmlI7. .ultural ?ifferences& Come e,am"lesn.d.)retrieved 4th of @uly '(#7 from: htt":IIwww.aacounty.orgIAartnershi"I+esourcesI.ulturalK?ifferences."df4. 8uildingrelationshi"swith"eo"lefromdifferentcultures n.d.)retrieved4thof@uly'(#7 from:htt":IIctb.ku.eduIenItable&of&contentsIcultureIcultural&com"etenceIbuildingrelationshi"sImain