The Intercultural Communication (Essay Sample)

Intercultural Communication
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Introduction
Intercultural communication is a way of communication through which different cultures share information (Cai, 2010). This form of communication offers an understanding of the way people from different societies with different cultures interact in a given setting. The modern world is characterized by globalization thus people can easily move from to place another where they establish and lead new lives (Cai, 2010). This study analyzes the importance of communication and the ways through which it can be improved across the cultures.
Importance of Intercultural Communication in Today’s Workplace
Intercultural communication serves an important purpose in the workplace. First, it is necessary to prevent conflicts likely to occur. There is an ever expanding workplace leading to an increase in the number of the employees who often come from different backgrounds. Intercultural communication is adopted with an emphasis on establishment of the proper communication skills that ensure no offense or conflict arises among the workers (Cai, 2010). Secondly, it is worth noting that different cultures use different forms of communication. A given form of communication may be acceptable to a given society whereas another society will consider it not correct. Intercultural communication will serve to avoid conflicts arising from perceptions of different people within a given organization thus creating harmony (Cai, 2010). Lastly, intercultural communication helps to avoid misunderstandings that may occur as a result of differences in the way different people from different cultures communicate. Some phrases usually have different meanings when placed in the context of different cultures. This may lead to the misunderstandings hence the need for intercultural communication (Cai, 2010).
How Cultural Differences Influences Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
There are significant differences in commutation that occur as a result of differences in peoples’ cultures. One of the variations occurring is the pronunciation. People from different cultures may pronounce words differently (Home.snu.edu, 2015). For instance, Americans of Spanish origin tends to pronounce z as c. There are also differences in the way they structure sentences. Culture also influences the way people value different objects in the society. A dog is a considered a pet in the United State whereas it is considered a bad and undervalued animal in the Hebrew society. Differences in culture also have an impact on vocabulary (Home.snu.edu, 2015). For instance, the word ‘football’ is used to refer to a game where two teams composed of eleven players play against each other kicking the ball towards a goal. In the United States, the word ‘soccer’ is used to refer the same game.
Challenges Associated with Intercultural Communication
Intercultural communication faces many challenges. One of these is the differences occurring in the legal and ethical values in different cultures. The standards set in these cultures may not be easily met when intercultural communication is taken into consideration (Cai, 2010). Another factor that poses a challenge to intercultural communication is the age difference. There are usually changes in the forms of communication by people of different age groups thus making it hard to establish a common language for people of different cultural origins. Other challenges that have been noted are the differences that occur in religious beliefs and ability differences among people of different cultures (Cai, 2010).
How Intercultural Communication Can be Accomplished an Vastly Different Cultures
One of the best ways to accomplish intercultural communication is through the initiati