Barriers to Intercultural Communication

Introduction

Effective communication is a skill that few people posses and even fewer people can get their point across when there is a cross cultural barrier. Cross cultural or intercultural communication is a part of the interaction of different people from different backgrounds and heritages.

Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism is a perception that an individual has for someone else’s culture and heritage as being inferior to his or her own culture and heritage. The perception basically encompasses a wide range of assumptions regarding the culture as being morally correct and rational in all ways possible.

When such individuals interact with a person of another culture or heritage they refuse to acknowledge the opinion of that person or they evaluate a certain situation from their own point of view. In some rare cases Ethnocentrism is related to racism

Assumption of similarity

Sometimes people assume that two cultures are not different, but are similar in their nature. For example, if an Arab prefers to drink coffee instead of tea then others assume that coffee is a popular drink in UAE. This is not always true as people from different cultures have different preferences. The preference of a person or a group of people does not reflect the entire culture. When dealing with different cultures one must not make any predetermined assumptions about their opposite numbers culture. To play it safe one should assume that there are no cultural differences between the two cultures. The best way is to present oneself in a manner that they would do in their daily lives and carry out activities in an orderly fashion

Prejudice

Prejudice is another notable and important barrier to cross cultural communication. Prejudice refers to irrational judgments passed on certain groups or individuals. It refers to a primary negative perception created by individuals on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, cast or language.

Definitely, when people from different cultures and norms join individuals from other cultures, they face challenges of prejudice. Lack of communication and interaction is there as pre-judgments are passed in such cross-cultural setting. Actually, irrational perception created by a majority for a minority is the basis of prejudice. And this comes out as the breakdown of the communication pattern.

Language Barrier

Language is an exchange gate of communication. It refers to a source which exchanges values, ideas, and thoughts between two exchange groups. If exchange groups are cross cultural, definitely language can be a major barrier of exchange. Communication gap is there due to differences in language between exchange groups.

Multinational corporations have implemented solutions for this. Such firms have standardized English as an international language which has reduced the problem of cross-cultural interaction. Now everyone joining a multinational firm learns English and reducing the gap of communication in the international work environment

Cultural Relativism

Cultural relativism is another most notable barrier of intercultural communication. The denial of others’ values and cultures for the augmentation of self values and cultures refers to cultural relativism . Cultural relativism is a notion that reflects the superiority of a certain group. The denial of others’ values makes cultural relativism a prominent barrier of cross-cultural communication. It is the same like imposing your conceptions on others’ morals and conceptions.

The concept of cultural relativism is mostly found in UAE small and medium enterprises, where employees are kept on to the adaptation of the static culture. The firms restrict their employees to engage with the static culture, which indirectly affects their intercultural communication

Conclusion

Communication is the exchange of messages, which takes place across two certain groups. It is a skill that some people have and especially those who live in a cross-cultural setting. Intercultural communication is the interaction of people. On a conclusive node, these barriers are significant and have to be removed to make cross-cultural communication effective. For this purpose, a solution for cross-cultural communicators is that individuals must attain a basic understanding of each others’ cultures and thoughts. This will reduce the impact of the interfering barriers that come across while engaging in a cross cultural interaction.

Works Cited

Jandt, Fred. An Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Identities in a Global Community. London: SAGE, 2010. Print.

Velo, Veronica. Cross-Cultural Management. New York: Business Expert Press, 2011. Print.

Zechente, Elizabeth. “In the Name of Culture: Cultural Relativism and the Abuse of the Individual.” Journal of Anthropoligical Research 53 (1997): 319–347. Pr