Strategies of Solving the Barriers in Intercultural Communication

王德艷

【Abstract】People from different culture often use their quite different comprehension systems to encode and decode messages. As a result， misunderstandings occur frequently in intercultural communication due to the ignorance of cultural background. Through analyzing the obstacles in intercultural communication， this paper explores some strategies， to solve the problem in intercultural communication， aiming to help people understand each other better from intercultural perspective.

【Key words】intercultural communication； barriers； strategies

Ⅰ. Intercultural communication

To know intercultural communication thoroughly， the definition of it must be pointed out firstly： Intercultural communication takes place when individuals influenced by different cultural communities negotiate shared meanings in interaction. All interactions can be arrayed along some continuum of “interculturalness.” Different countries have different cultures. Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another. Intercultural communication is communication between members of different cultures. This definition is simple， but the process is complex. Intercultural communication involves differing perceptions， attitudes， and interpretations.

Ⅱ. Barriers to intercultural communication

ⅰ. Prejudice

From verbal abuse to avoid， if prejudice developed， it becomes discrimination. Discrimination refers to treat other groups of people unfairly in behavior， including job opportunities， residential housing， political rights， educational opportunities， churches， hospitals and other type of social institution. There are three kinds of discrimination： ethnic discrimination， institutional discrimination， and total discrimination. Sometimes， people born into a particular culture that grow up absorbing the values and behaviors of the culture will develop a worldview that considers their culture to be the norm. People are accustomed to their birth culture， it can be difficult for them to see the behaviors of people from a different culture from the viewpoint of that culture rather than from their own.

ⅱ. Stereotypes

Stereotype is one of the most common barriers to effective intercultural communication and they are pervasive in our society. The less we know about the other， the more we hang on stereotypes. Preconceptions and stereotypes are generalizations about some groups of people. In stereotyping others， it is believed that all the people of a given group share the same characteristics. In this view， differences existing between or among people of that group is minimized or ignored， that is to say stereotypes may help reduce the threat of the unknown world when they try to make sense of the stranger， the situation or context in which he or she is located. This is the positive side of it， but more often than not， the negative effects far outweighs the positive one. The stereotype which is called negative ones interferes with a non objective view of the others， such as the notion that all the countries in Africa are poor； A high-scored student definitely wouldnt be a thief， etc. To some extent， prejudice and discrimination is a negative result of stereotype.

Ⅲ. Strategies for creating intercultural communication success

ⅰ. No ethnocentrism

Most people tend to think that others perceive， evaluate， and reason about the world in the same ways they do. In other words， humans assume that other people with whom they interact are like themselves. Indeed， it is quite common for people to draw on their personal experiences to understand and evaluate the motivations of others. This common human tendency is sometimes called “ethnocentrism”.

Instead of looking down upon other culture， what we should do is to look at our world from a cultural relativity perspective. We should state that we are simple describing these human tendencies， not evaluating them as good or bad. Their obvious advantage is that they allow people to respond efficiently to a variety of perceptual stimuli. Nevertheless， such organization and simplification can create genuine obstacles to intercultural competence because they may lead to prejudice， is discrimination， and racism.

ⅱ. Creating productive cultural communication climates.

To develop this consciousness， we need to learn how to respond to new conditions， people and situations. For instance， when interacting with a culture that regards eye contact as a sign of honesty， we should be able to look our communication pattern in the eye naturally as he or she does， although more often than not， we avoid direct eye contact to show our politeness. Common ground is not a physical space as much as it is a social space created when both communicators share an earnest desire to understand and be understood by the other. It is a safe space where cultural commonalties allow for mutual understanding . When intercultural communicators operate on common ground， it is possible to get words wrong or gesture inappropriately without offending or insulting the person in the relationship. Common ground is an environment marked by sincerity， patience， and a sincere desire to learn. Consequently， communication relationships are maintained and the move toward meaning continues.