Lesson 1 Topic: General information about notions of “culture”. Intercultural communication. Time: 80 minutes Aim

Examples of Intercultural Communication
Language difference makes international business companies difficult to adjust to local environment and culture. For instance, Coca-Cola Company once tried to find a phonetic equivalent of their brand to be used in China and thought of using KeKou-KeLa. But the meaning of the terms made them change their decision as the direct translation of those words would be “bite the wax tadpole” or “female horse stuffed with wax”. Similarly, direct translations of one language to another can cause problems like the ad of General Motors “Body by Fisher” could be translated into “Corpse by Fisher” in Flemish language. Another example is an advertisement of wine translated into Swiss from English which said “Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.”Cite this article as: Palistha Maharjan, "Intercultural Communication," in Businesstopia, non-verbal communication also these kinds of problems might arise. For instance, “thumbs up” sign is taken as a symbol to say okay in most cultures but it has offending meanings in Iran, Latin America, and some other cultures. Similarly, eating with hands is considered to be an accepted way to eat in Indian culture but is taken as manner-less in many other cultures.
Importance of Intercultural Communication
Lacking in intercultural communication can lead to the insult of the culture and people involved. Especially for business people or people providing services in the areas out of their culture. People interpret messages based on their culture, so what you mean might not be what the other person understands. Your intentions might not
be met as their attribution towards you might be telling them something else about you. Intercultural differences also cause lack of trust between people as the meaning of trust itself can be different. Non-verbal communication difference can also increase trust issues between people. Material culture and its use are also different between cultures like the use of spoons and chopsticks for eating. Other things like architecture, clothing, cosmetics, etc. differ culture-wise and if you do not have knowledge of it, your communication fails or is not effective.