Intercultural Communication: Yemen and Chinese Cultures (Research Paper Sample)

Intercultural Communication: Yemen and Chinese Cultures
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INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION: YEMEN AND CHINESE CULTURES
Introduction
Intercultural communication simply refers to communication between individuals or groups of people who belong to different cultures. Culture is a broad term that encompasses all the ways of life of a people in the society (Bochner, 2013). Each and every culture is unique in its kind and therefore, the practices and behaviours and even thoughts and personalities differ from one culture to another. This being the case, intercultural communication entails efforts and attempts made in ensuring effective communication between people from different cultural backgrounds. These efforts are usually not easy especially if the cultural groups in question do not share certain aspects of culture. According to Ting-Toomey & Chung (2012), intercultural communication between people whose cultures share almost nothing in common due to factors such as distance and difference in general ways of life and even educational systems and religious beliefs is always difficult and therefore in such situations, quite a lot of effort is required to enable intercultural communication and understanding between two individuals or two groups of people involved. On the other hand, intercultural communication between people of different cultures who share quite a significant number of cultural aspects within their cultures because of factors such as regional proximity is always very easy because there is cultural fusion to some extent that makes the understanding between the two groups of people easy.
The biggest challenge to intercultural communication is the barriers that exist between different cultures of people. These barriers make it very difficult for people from different cultural backgrounds to have mutual understanding and effective communication between them. From a cross-cultural communication point of view, a lot has to be done to ensure that communication between cultures is made possible and enhanced for harmonious living. This is because without understanding between people from different cultures, which can only be brought about by effective communication between them, it will be very difficult to co-exist because of the suspicion that will surely build in the hearts of the different groups of people in question. For the intercultural communication to occur, the barriers therefore have to be overcome. This means that identification of those barriers is one of the most important things in the efforts of ensuring effective communication between people with different cultural backgrounds.
Looking at China and Yemen, there exists a number of cultural communication barriers that have to be done away with in order to achieve effective communication between the Chinese and the Yemen people. This paper examines some of the communication barriers between Chinese and Yemen cultures from the context of cross-cultural communication between the two cultures and also looks at the appropriate strategies that can be employed to overcome the intercultural barriers between the two cultures in question.
Intercultural communication between Yemen and Chinese Cultures
China and Yemen are two different countries and as such, their cultures differ. However, this does not mean that communication between the two cultures cannot be possible. In fact, The communication between two different cultures extremely possible due to the fact that as human beings, all people share some common aspects with regard to ways of communication because of the similarities that are exhibited in things like language acquisition and universal body meaning in certain body movements.
In examining the intercultural aspects of communication, the aspects of culture have to be considered so as to have a compounding approach to the analysis of the issues related to the cross-cultural communication. Therefore, aspects of language, regional differences, religion among other aspects of culture have to be considered in the analysis. This being the case, the barriers of communication between Chinese and Yemen cultures will therefore be appended to the aspects of culture such as the proximity between the two nations, differences in language, differences in religious practices and the likes. This will help in ensuring that the analysis given remains relevant and addresses the real issues with regard to the challenges of intercultural communication between these two cultures.
Communication Barriers between Yemen and Chinese Cultures
There are a number of communication barriers that hinder effective communicati0n between Yemen people and the Chinese in the International arena. The barriers are caused by different cultures between China and Yemen that can be seen in the various ways of life between the Yemen people and the Chinese. The analysis of the barriers below dwells on the cross-cultural communication theory. The cross-cultural communication theory critically examines the attempts that are made by people to exchange, negotiate and mediate cultural differences through aspects such as language, body language and gestures which are used in communication (Bochner, 2013). The differences in cultures refers to difference in aspects such as the styles of working, nationality, ethnic practices, gender and sexual orientation, way of expressing ideas among other aspects of cultural practices.
Some of the communication barriers between Chinese and Yemen cultures include the following:
Language barrier between the Chinese and Yemen is one of the communication barriers. Language barrier simply refers to difference in the languages that are used between two or more individuals or groups of people. The Chinese people speak Chinese Language while those in Yemen speak Arabic language. This difference in the types of languages that the members of these two cultures use plays a significant role in hindering effective intercultural communication between Yemen and Chinese cultures. The communication becomes very difficult therefore between a Yemen national and a Chinese national not unless the two have a common language that they can use to communicate.
When the system of education of both China and Yemen are examined, one factor is evident. This is the use of the Chinese language and the Arabic language in education. This therefore means that, the Yemen nationals are taught in Arabic and the Chinese are taught in Chinese. Learning a language that can enable communication between these two cultures such as English is therefore only left for individuals who have special interests that require them to do transactions and may be businesses between the two countries (Leung, 2010). It therefore means that learning such a language is optional and is left to those who wish to. This also implies that for effective communication between the people from the Chinese and the Yemen cultures, there has to be a translator who will help to bring understanding between the two parties in question.
Language barrier continuously acts as a hindrance for the interaction between the Yemen and the Chinese nationalities in the international arena. As such, there is little sharing of the cultural practices between the Yemen and Chinese in international arenas and this hinders the interaction of the two cultures. The limited interaction is due to the fact that human beings feel free to interact with those people that they can easily communicate with and therefore exchange ideas and practices through sharing and learning from each other (Lewis, 2010). If this kind of medium is absent, then it becomes very difficult for two people from different cultures to interact.
The second communication barrier between Yemen and Chinese culture is the distance between the localities of the two cultures. The distance between China and Yemen is long to an extent that only business transactions bring the Yemen and the Chinese nationals together. Yemen is found in the Middle East bordering the Red Sea in the Arabian sub continent. Yemen is therefore close to African countries such as Ethiopia and Somalia. On the other hand, China is a south East Asian country. The distance between the two countries therefore leaves the two countries with very little to share between them. This being the case, the distance between the countries contributes to making the interaction between the cultures of these two countries difficult. The longer the distance between two nations, the lesser the cultural aspects they share and the more difficult, the cross-cultural communication between them (Ting-Toomey & Chung, 2012).
The Indian Ocean connecting to the gulf of Eden close to Yemen is the only easy communication that can happen between the two nations. Otherwise the interaction between the cultures of these two countries remains aloof and to those who explore the world through travelling between the two countries.
The difference in religious practices is the third intercultural communication barrier between the Chinese and Yemen cultures. About 90% of the Yemen population practices Islam. Being in the Middle East, where Islamic religion has taken a deeper root, Yemen is no exception to the widespread religious practice of the Arabian countries (Salmoni, Loidolt & Wells, 2010). Over 80% of Yemen nationals are Muslims who believe on Allah as their creator and the Supreme Being. Islamic religion is known for strict rules with regard to gender and sexual orientations. This religion has therefore gone a long way in shaping the cultural practices of the people in Yemen. On the other hand, China has historically been heavily occupied by three major religions that have gone a long way in shaping their culture and general way of behavior and interaction (Yao, 2010). The three religious groups include the Taoism, Confucianism and ...