Intercultural Communication

In the globalised world which we are living in today, interactions with individuals from different nationalities and ethnicities have become commonplace. As a result, the display of etiquettes in the context of intercultural communication is called for. In this week’s blog, I would like to share my experience of communicating with my Japanese counterparts.

“There’s no communication to speak of at all!” These were exactly the words which were used by a Singaporean friend, who recounted her experience of playing host to 2 Japanese students. This statement was made by her as she was trying to express her frustrations over what she felt was the lack of candidness on the part of the Japanese students while providing feedback on how they felt. The account is not an isolated one. In fact, the ambiguity and indirect approach adopted by the Japanese while rejecting others or providing feedback has been well known to many who have interacted with them. Even among the Japanese themselves, many of them are well-aware of such a practice amongst their contemporaries.

For the Japanese who have been brought up under such a practice, this does not come as a surprise. However, problems arise when an individual of a different culture interacts with the Japanese. For individuals unfamiliar with the Japanese cultural norms, like my friend, they find it difficult to understand why the Japanese are reluctant to express their ideas clearly, especially when it comes to stating views that differ from others. However, things would be different if the different parties of diverse cultural backgrounds involved in the conversation, understood the cultural norms and values of the other.

In the context of the Japanese, they feel that it is only polite to take the ambiguous and indirect approach while rejecting others or providing feedback, as they believe that by doing so, they would save the other party from embarrassment or the lost of face. However, for most English speaking cultures like the Singaporean’s, it is considered acceptable for the individual to take on an assertive approach while raising opposing viewpoints or rejecting others. In light of such a difference in cultural norms, it is not difficult to understand why misunderstandings and frustrations ensue between the Japanese and Singaporean when they encounter situations where their ideas differ.

In fact, if one were to analyse the situation closer, they will realize that this disparity is reflected within the language structure that either party uses. In the case of the Japanese, it is common to hear phrases such “sumimasen ga chotto”, which has the nuance of “excuse me, please hold on”, while rejection of offers are being made. In this case, there is no explicit statement of objection but the native Japanese as well as those familiar with their culture would be quick to understand that the statement is clearly expressing one of rejection. However, for a foreigner this may be misinterpreted as a possible yes but the other party needs some time to confirm. While in the case of the English speaking Singaporean, when one is making a statement of rejection in English, it is common to hear phrases such as “I am sorry but I do not think…” In this case, the intention of the speaker is clearly conveyed to the listener.

In light of the above scenario as depicted, it should be highlighted that while effective communication has been commonly associated with following the acceptable verbal and non-verbal communication norms, one should also realize that “appropriateness” is measured differently in different cultures. Thus, due to the differences that exist between cultures, it is pertinent that one should learn to understand the practices of the other so that differences are minimized.

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