german-english communication - journal of international students

Journal of International Students

Reflection/Study AbroadArticles

ISSN: 2162-3104 Print/ ISSN: 2166-3750 Online Volume 3, Issue 1 (2013 Spring)

Copyright © 2013-2014 JIS http://jistudents.org/

70 ISSN: 2162-3104 Print/ ISSN: 2166-3750 Online Copyright © by JIS http://jistudents.org/


Spring 2013 Vol. 3 Issue 1

As an immigrant to the United States I haveexperienced many conflicts between my own Germanculture and the American culture I first encountered in2007. While it was fairly easy to adapt to new culturalaspects such as food, lifestyle, education, and climate,the obstacle of language and communication was, andstill is, more difficult to overcome for me. Research oncultural adaptation reflects my own struggles as well asthose experienced by English speakers residing inGermany.

According to scholar Juliane House (2006),Germans communicate differently compared toAmericans on five dimensions. Other theorists, such asGeert Hofstede and Edward Hall, confirm thesedifferent communicative preferences. The firstdimension, which addresses the issue of directness,reveals that German speakers favor more directnessthan English speakers. Germans, for instance, are lesslikely and less willing to engage in small talk andprefer to move on to serious or “straight” talk soonerrather than later. In fact, the phrase “small talk” hasbeen adopted into the German colloquial languagebecause the German vocabulary cannot offer its ownequivalent expression for it. Therefore, the Germanground rule for this communicative tendency is to saywhat one means and to mean what one says (House,2006). In Germany, when recognizing somebody, yougreet them with a simple “Hello.” In America, thisusually gets extended to “Hello, how are you?” or “Hi,what’s up?” When I first came to the United States, Ifound this very confusing because Germans see thiskind of extension as a “throw-away routine.” Howcould people say this and keep walking? How wouldthat give me enough time to explain how I am actuallydoing? Similarly, many English speakers travelling toGermany are confused in other situations. In somestudies, travelers felt like they were being orderedaround when asking shop assistants simple questions atstores. Others observed that Germans “say what theybelieve…and we just say ‘well you know’ and dancearound trying not to hurt each other” (House, 2006).

The next dimension “self-orientation vs. other-orientation” blends in with the directness issue.

Germans can be observed to have a self-referencingnature when it comes to communication, for examplewhen expressing responsibility. In addition to that,Germans tend to be very explicit and focusing on thecontent of a message rather than on the addressee. Forinstance, Germans focus on the “matter on hand.”While Americans often tend to make non-committalsuggestions for social get-togethers, Germans prefer afirm immediate commitment when it comes toplanning something. In conversations, Germans preferphrases such as “Kann ich[…]?” (Can I[…]?) versusthe English preference “Would you like me to[…]?” or“Ich moechte[…]” (I want[…]) versus “Howabout[…].” Thus, while English speakers influencetheir conversational partners through implicitstatements, Germans prefer to reduce uncertaintythrough explicitness (House, 2006). A lot of students inmy study groups have noticed these communicativefeatures in me and made me their group leader for thisreason as my directness usually leads to progressiveaction.

Lastly, the fifth dimension “reliance on verbalroutines” describes how Germans are less prone toverbal routines than English speakers. Since Englishspeakers tend to prefer politeness to truth, they oftenrepeat certain polite phrases. Germans do not feel theneed to do that because they prefer truth to politeness(House, 2006). When you go to a restaurant inAmerica, for example, waiters often have politememorized phrases that are repeated to every customerin order to show respect. In Germany, communicationis not about being polite; consequently, during my firstcouple months in the United States this behaviorseemed very unnecessary to me. Germans know thatyou come to a restaurant because you have an appetiteand they focus on that intention (the truth), not thepoliteness of the waiters.

However, the question may be asked: whatexplains the “rough” German communicative style?House offers several tentative explanations, forexample a loss of a sense of national identity andcommunity feeling after the catastrophe of the Naziregime, an educational system which has traditionally

German-English Communication: A Cross-Cultural ChallengeSarah Watzky

Undergraduate Student St. Cloud State University, MN (USA)

71Journal of International Students

placed greater emphasis on the transmission ofknowledge than on instilling a sense of community orshaping useful social skills in the young, and a legalsystem based in prefixed statutes and laws, comparedto the American negotiable case law system (House,2006). When conducting business with Germans, it isimportant to realize and understand their values. Smalltalk, for example, could potentially hurt businessrelations with Germans, as German business talk isdirect, explicit, punctual, and true.

Strongly noticeable today due to globalizationis the accelerating spread of the English language inGermany and its expanding range in numerousdomains. Whether it is through politics, law, business,science, the media, or education, it is almost impossiblefor Germans today not to come into contact with theEnglish language on a frequent, if not daily, basis. EvenGerman musical artists now write their songs inEnglish to make them sound “more flexible” andmodern (and to appeal to a larger international market).In the 2004/2005 school year, 77.7% of all Germanstudents learned English; by far the most studiedforeign language in both primary and secondaryeducation. Nowadays, children study English for about12 years. In Germany, English is the primary languagefor international business and some employers chooseto use English as the exclusive language for advertising(Hilgendorf, 2007).

One of the most common Anglicism, aborrowed English term, in Germany is the word “sale.”Though the German translation for the word ‘sale’‘Verkauf’‘is well known, it seems like the borrowedEnglish version has become more prevalent andestablished. In fact, ‘sale’ is only one of more than100,000 examples of borrowings since 1945 alone, thatmay be found in the “Dictionary of Anglicism” whichdetails the lexical influence of English on the Germanvocabulary on over 1,750 pages. On the one hand, theimmense amount of English vocabulary promoteslinguistic creativity. On the other hand, it stimulates thedecay of the German language (Hilgendorf, 2007).Several organizations have been established to try andprevent the further spread of “Denglisch,” (mix of“Deutsch” and “Englisch,” the German words for“German” and “English) such as the “Verein DeutscheSprache e.V.” (“Association German Language”). Mymother Petra Watzky, 47 years, supports this kind ofmovement against Anglicism in Germany: “I was bornin Germany, grew up with the German language, didn’tget the privilege to study English and now they decidethat it’s ok to rename everything in a way I can’t

understand it? How is this possible.” The key to these issues is that we become

competent intercultural communicators who welcomeconflict from a learning perspective to allowdevelopment and to learn how to cope with it, for thesake of language variety and our well-being as a globalvillage.

References

Hilgendorf, S. K. (2007). English in Germany: contact,spread and attitudes. World Englishes, 26(2), 131-148. doi:10.1111/j.1467-971X.2007.00498.x.

House, J. (2006). Communicative styles in English andGerman. European Journal of English Studies, 10(3), 249-267. doi:10.1080/13825570600967721.

______________About the Author:

Sarah Watzky is an international undergraduatestudent at St. Cloud State University. Born in Münster,Germany, she came to the United States in 2007. Hermajor is in International Business and BusinessManagement with research interests in business andculture. E-mail: [email protected]

How to Cite:

Watzky, S. (2013). German-English communication: Across-cultural challenge. Journal of International Students, 3(1), 70-71.

Arkansas State UniversitySpring 2013

Volume 3 | Issue 1

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v ISSN-2162-3104



JIS Board: Editors & Reviewers

Founder/Editor-In-Chief

Krishna Bista, Arkansas State University, USA

Guest Editors Erlenawati Sawir, Central Queensland University,Australia [Spring 2013 Vol. 3 Issue 1]Susan C. Pearce, East Carolina University,USA [Spring 2013 Vol. 3 Issue 1]

Associate EditorsCharlotte Foster Missouri Western State U., USADiana B. Carlin, Saint Louis University, USAHugo Garcia, Claremont Graduate University, USAJune A. Gordon, University of California, USAKeri Dutkiewicz, Davenport University, USASandria Officer, University of Toronto, CanadaRai Farrelly, University of Utah, USAVera V. Chapman, The U. of Mississippi, USA

Book Review EditorsCharles R. Harris, Stony Brook University, USAJoy Bancroft, University of Kansas, USA Kerri Bennett, Arkansas State University, USAMisato Yamaguchi, Augusta State University, USANicole Gervasio, Columbia University, USAShyam Sharma, Stony Brook University, USA

Copy EditorsElise Geither, Cleveland State University, USA Glenda A. Riley, Indiana Institute of Technology, USAKaren Young, Clayton State University, USAMiguel Lopez, California State University, USAPaul M.W. Hackett, Emerson College, USA Rolf Holtz, Troy University, USAVirginia Gonzalez, University of Cincinnati, USA

Advisory BoardAmany Saleh, Professor of Curriculum & Instruction,Arkansas State UniversityDon Jones, Assistant Vice-President of Adm. & StudentServices, Belhaven UniversityGeorge Foldesy, Professor of Education & Director,Center for Excellence in Education Russ Hannah, Associate Vice-Chancellor for Finance,Arkansas State University

Publication CoordinatorsJoyce Mann, Arkansas State University, USAPamela Shultz, Arkansas State University, USA

Reviewers

The following people reviewed manuscripts submitted forpublication in Journal of International Students fromDecember 2011 through December 2012. Their assistanceis greatly appreciated.

Abu Kamara, Dalhousie University, CanadaAlex Kumi-Yeboah, Dalton State College, USAAlexander N. Akulli, Michigan State University, USAAllenda Zionch, University of Nevada, Los Vegas, USAArnaud Prevot, Argosy University, USABrandy Stone, Arkansas State University, USABurcu Ates, Sam Houston State University, USACahty Maahs-Fladung, Utah State University, USACharles W. Prince, George Washington University, USACheryl DoBose, Arkansas State University, USACrystal Machado, Indiana U. of Pennsylvania, USA Danilo M. Baylen, University of West Georgia, USADavid Pang, The University of Auckland, New ZealandElena Yakunina, University of Buffalo, USAFelicia Castro-Villarreal, The U. of Texas at San AntonioFujuan Tan, University of Wyoming, USA Gina J. Mariano, Troy University, USAGuan Kun Saw, Michigan State University, USAHaijun Kang, Kansas State University, USAJason Hoi Y. Chan, University of Wyoming, USAJeff Koloze, South University, USAJennifer Hoyte, Florida International University, USAJeton McClinton, Jackson State University, USAKris Aric Knisely, Emory University, USALauren M. Griffith, Central Michigan University, USALeah Gustilo, De La Salle University, PhilippinesLeia K. Cain, University of South Carolina, USALeigh Pritchard, Brock University, CanadaLing Gao LeBeau, Indiana U. at Bloomington, USALisa Kahle-Piasecki, Tiffin University, USAMartha Vungkhanching, California State U., Fresno, USAMelissa S. Mincic, innovation Research & Training, Inc, USANaJuana Lee, University of Georgia, USA Nilay Yildirim, Syracuse University, USANoparat Tananuraksaku, South-Eas Asia U., ThailandOlena Zhadko, New York Institute of Technology, USA N. Aida Rustamovna, Kazan National Research Tech U. RussiaReza Pishghadam, Ferdowsi U. of Mashhad, IranRoy Y. Chan, Boston College, USARui Cheng, Nazareth College, USASheena Terrell, Arkansas State University, USAShelda Debowski, U. of Western Australia, AustraliaStephen Tippett, Arcadia University, USASusan Edgar-Smith, Eastern University, USAWilliam Lange, Arkansas State University, USAZheng Zhu, Washington State University, USA

Contact AddressJournal of International StudentsPO BOX 1270 State University

AR, 72467 (USA) Phone: 870-680-4124E-mail: [email protected]

Printed at Arkansas State UniversityPrinting Services, USA

Call for Manuscripts


An interdisciplinary, peer reviewed publication, Journal of International Students(Print ISSN 2162-3104 & Online ISSN 2166-3750) is a professional journal thatpublishes narrative, theoretical and empirically-based research articles, studentreflections, and book reviews relevant to international students and their cross-cultural experiences and understanding.

Published bi-annually, the Journal encourages the submission of manuscripts fromaround the world, and from a wide range of academic fields, including comparativeeducation, international education, student affairs, linguistics, psychology, religion,sociology, business, social work, philosophy, and culture studies.The Journalaudience includes international and domestic students, faculty, administrators, andeducators engaged in research and practice in international students in colleges anduniversities.

a)Study Abroad/Reflection- includes descriptions and perceptions from studentsand scholars concerning another culture, language, people and society from aninsider or outsider perspective. Reflections are the building blocks of researchpapers and offer original points of view on the issues and concerns related tosojourns (between 1,000 to 1,500 words).

b)Peer-reviewed Article - includes manuscripts that focus on the interpretation,implication, or significance of research work related to international students andscholars from various disciplines (between 3,500 to 6,500 words).

c)Book Review - includes reviews and critiques of the written work of scholarsfrom a number of disciplines related to international students (between 750 to1,200 words).

Please e-mail your manuscript to the Editor, [email protected]. Include yourfull address with email and telephone number. Follow APA 6th edition in yourcitation and references. Double space. Times New Roman with 12 font size.

This Journal is a non-profit publication and has been operating through thevoluntary services of editors, copy editors, reviewers and guest editors. Allpositions in the Journal are unpaid. No fees are charged to authors or readers. Forfurther information, please visit our website http://jistudents.org/

Editorial Office: Eugene Smith Hall, Rm 411Arkansas State University, AR 72467 (USA)

DisclaimerFacts and opinions published in theJIS express solely the opinions of therespective authors. Authors areresponsible for their citing of sourcesand the accuracy of their referencesand bibliographies. The editorscannot be held responsible for anyoversights or possible violations ofthird parties’ rights.

Copyright © 2013-2014Unless otherwise noted, copyrights for the textswhich comprise all issues of Journal ofInternational Students (JIS) are held by theJournal. The compilation as a whole isCopyright © by JIS, all rights reserved. Itemspublished by JIS may be freely shared amongindividuals, but they may not be republished inany medium without express written consentfrom the author(s) and advance notification ofthe JIS editorial board.

On the Cover: Basking in the Sun. Cover Photo: © Pamela Shultz, 2013

ISSN-2162-3104 Copyright © by JIS http://jistudents.org/



CONTENTSVolume 3 Issue 1 Spring 2013

Guest Editorial

Enriching American Riches with International StudentsSusan C. Pearce, PhD, East Carolina University, North Carolina (USA).........................................................i-iiInternational Students and Internationalisation of Higher EducationErlenawati Sawir, PhD, Central Queensland University (Australia)..............................................................iii-iv

Peer-Reviewed Articles

1. Study Abroad and Cultural Learning through Fulbright and other International Scholarships: A Holistic Student Development. Madalina Akli, PhD, Rice University (USA)...............................................................................................1-9

2. Educating Chinese, Japanese, and Korean International Students: Recommendations to American Professors. Shelly R. Roy, (Doctoral Candidate), Fairmont State University (USA)............................... .................10-16

3. International Students in the U. S.: Social and Psychological Adjustment. Michelle Jackson (Doctoral Student), Sukanya Ray, PhD, and Danica Bybell (Graduate Student), Suffolk University (USA)..........................................................................................................................17-28

4. Preparedness of Chinese Students for American Culture and Communicating in English. Melody S. Rawlings, EdD, Chinese American Cultural Exchange Foundation (USA) and Edna Sue, PhD, Chinese American Association of Cincinnati (USA)................................................... 29-40

5. The Effects of Collectivism-Individualism on the Cooperative Learning of Motor Skill. Yi Luo (PhD Candidate), Yan Sun (PhD Candidate), and Johannes Strobel, PhD, Purdue University (USA)..................................................................................................................41-51

6. International Students’ Likelihood to Seek Counseling while Studying Abroad. Adebayo I. Onabule (EdS) and Susan R. Boes, PhD, University of West Georgia (USA)..............52-59

Reflection/Study Abroad Articles

7. The Culture of Hospitality in Moldova and the United States. Anastasiia Dobrovolska (Undergraduate Student) and Rolf Holtz, PhD, Troy University (USA).. 61-63

8. Vocabulary Acquisition: Practical Suggestions for ESL/International Students. Young-Kyung Min, PhD, University of Washington at Bothell (USA)..............................................64-69

9. German-English Communication: A Cross-Cultural Challenge.Sarah Watzky (Undergraduate Student) St. Cloud State University (USA).....................................70-71

10. “He is an Idiot!” Experiences of International Students in the United States. Jongyeon Ee (Doctoral Candidate), University of California at Los Angeles (USA).....................72-75

Book Reviews11. The International Student’s Guide to UK Education: Unlocking University Life and Culture.

Paul Sudnik, Munich University of Applied Sciences (Germany). ...............................................76-7712. 2012 Doctoral Dissertations on International Students.

Krishna Bista, Arkansas State University (USA).......................................................................... 78-81

german-english communication - journal of international students

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