Week 3/19-3/25: Intercultural Comm.: Part 3

For this week’s one concept idea I chose language and culture. People in differing cultures speak different languages. It is a difficulty mankind has struggled with since we created language. It has separated us as one species. Aside from that fact, language both verbal and nonverbal language is different throughout each culture. Certain words in one language may not translate correctly or at all.

I watch a lot of foreign films. I notice with the films when they are speaking Spanish some of the words they are saying are not translated 100% true or at all. I do not speak fluent Spanish but I know enough to understand quit a bit. Or when films have a song or chant, the subtitles may not even be produced for those scenes. Translations from one language to another, to another, to another can be a challenge and dangerous in some situations. It is like the telephone game effect, but add a completely different language and the entire message could be altered completely. You cannot translate language without error or missing information. This is one of the reasons I find learning new words, and language so intriguing.

Week 3/19-3/25: Intercultural Comm.: Part 2

Larry Samovar, Richard Porter, and Nemi Jain hold the belief that the three basic premises of human nature. The rationality premise, perfectibility premise, and mutability premise are very difficult to believe. The rationality premise describes humans as being able to find the truth since we are logical beings. This mindset is what got us in trouble with the supplements industry. The government and the major supplements corporations brought their legalization case to the courts. The supplements companies did not want the FDA to regulate their products, and their main point was the public should be smart enough to find out if it is safe for them. Since the supplement companies gave a ton of money to the government the courts passed the law that they would regulate their own products. We as the public are suppose to have the knowledge to figure out what is in our vitamins, protein products, and weight-loss pills. Ridiculous…I think so.

The second premise is the ability to achieve goodness through effort and control. Supposedly, we are born as sinners and we need to achieve goodness. Now, let’s think of a man that has been put into jail when he was 17 years old. He had no parents growing up, did not have the opportunity to attend school, and was abused as his legal guardian. Do you think this man has the same capability to achieve goodness as someone born into a rich and well-educated family? Not believable.

Last, the mutability premise states we are shaped by our environments and to improve ourselves is to improve our physical and psychological state. We are born with our bodies, and minds. Someone who has ADD, autism, or any other brain disorder cannot alter the chemical reactions in their brain. Also, someone born with a skin disease (vitiligo) or some other physical disorder/mutation would most likely love to change that about themselves, but again- impossible.

Week 3/19-3/25: Intercultural Comm.: Part 1

Ruth Benedict believes our cultures are handed down to us from generation to generation, and we, as humans, are “creatures” of that behavior. I believed to an extent this is true. If you take one part of the world for example and dissect how they are brought up, it may be easier to analyze. China has a huge cultural following of religion, attending pagodas, meditating, and even the ritual of eating. If we look back 100 years, we can confidently say it is different than it is now, but there are very similar rituals as well. If we grow up with that mentality we will have grown to make certain habits, beliefs, and impossibilities. Now if we jump to Saudi Arabia, those people who grew up there are a creature of those beliefs and habits as well.

In an individual sense, we have the ability to make changes of those habits, beliefs, and impossibilities if the individual practices enough. It is as if you see a characteristic of yourself, you need to practice to make those changes with every conflict and situation.

Week 3/5-3/11: Encoding Messages: Part 3

For this week’s topic for the third question, I chose to focus on dress. A professor once told me, “Treat everyone in the room with the same amount of respect. It doesn’t matter if they have spiked purple hair because they are people too.” Clothing and hair can be a way a person expresses themselves as people. The book describes three major functions of clothing: to protect us from the extreme spectrums of the temperature; covers our body; and where people come from, like in a cultural pyramid. This is important when focusing on nonverbal behavior. We get dressed every day, and little thought goes into it. Now, if we swapped lives with someone in a different environment, culture and place we might feel uncomfortable to dress in the everyday clothes of that person. Without verbal communication we can tell a lot about a person, but like speech tones, and physical movements we must not read too far into them or be blind to see the right queues.

Week 3/5-3/11: Encoding Messages: Part 2

Nonverbal displays in other countries can be difficult to know and understand. I would like to focus on the hand gestures as we all make them, but in other countries can mean VERY different things. The hand gesture for a- okay in North America means everything is alright, however, in parts of Europe and South America can be offensive. The rock-on hand gesture in North American means, “Your wife is unfaithful” in The Baltics, Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Although we may not think something is offensive or even means something one must be aware of nonverbal hand gestures in other countries.

I have not moved around in other countries, but I have visited a few. When I was preparing for my journey in Vietnam and Cambodia I read all the travel guides and books. I noticed in a few of the books they referenced public affection was looked down upon. Since I was visiting with my boyfriend, holding hands and even a little kiss on the cheek was controversial. Since we are Caucasian, tourists are not held to this negative behavior as much as the locals. We made ourselves aware, so we did not offend anyone.

Week 3/5-3/11: Encoding Messages: Part 1

It might be naïve to say no one has been wrong about someone’s nonverbal message. Let’s say for the audiences’ sake you are at a bar or nightclub, and you see a guy or gal across the room that is looking at you at the corner of their eye. It isn’t a small glance but a stare into your soul (you may be thinking especially with a few sips of courage blazing through your blood). You walk over to that person, but you grab a friend to be your “wing-man”. Once you gather your nerves off the floor, you ask that person if they’d like a drink or their hand to shake that bod together. However, it isn’t you they are interested in. In fact, it was your partner in crime you talked into to walk “all the way across the room” with you. I know there have been many times I thought someone was going to never say hello, actually asked me out or the complete opposite. Constant battering of the eyes, the beverage a stranger bought, or even the good old asking for your number, could sometimes just be that simple.

Being a woman it means I look further into the minuscule details of nonverbal behaviors. So women beware and maybe, just maybe, think of a man as a simple being (the stereotypes could be true). Those nonverbal cues may mean he doesn’t like you. I know most of us gals talk for hours to our girlfriends about the nonverbal communication we receive from men. Most of the time, your gut is right, so give proper attention! Also, become aware of the nonverbal behavior you give out (to all those heartbreakers). You could be sending that guy you dislike signs of lust and break his hear. Nonverbal behavior is difficult to master because it is a perfect balance of being completely aware of yours and others behaviors, but to not look too deeps into them.

Week 2/27-3/4: Decoding Messages: Part 3

I found this week’s reading very motivating and stimulating as a communication major. The topic and concept of immediate language are both powerful and effective. This concept is using personalized language to describe to an impersonal audience their importance of a public matter or topic. The textbook gave a wonderful example of a past presidential speech given by Ronald Regan. He used words in his speech such as “presidency belongs to you”, “you right”, “you so honored me”, to describe how the mass public should reelect him into a second term of the presidential chair. It is a powerful way to make the people feel important and transfers the president’s power into the people’s hands.

This immediate language can also be used to assist in a time of conflict. I worked as a shift manager at a high-end day spa. Many people react to me saying I worked there with statements like, “It must have been so relaxing” and “You are so lucky to have had a job like that.” Although it was true at times, It was probably the most stressful job I have ever had. The customers are at a vulnerable state when entering an appointment. They are basically naked and ready to let a stranger massage their face and/or body. There were many complaints to the manager, me. The easiest way to calm someone down was to use immediate language. I would put the power of the solution in their hands. I would ask them, “How would you like this to be resolved?”, and “What would make you happy in this situation?” In almost every case the customer walked out happy, and a few times even bought a membership at the end of our conversation.