跨文化交际英文案例
Case 1 Girl-ness
As a visiting professor in an American university, Zhang Hua was invited to give a lecture to a group of American students. He talked about university students in China. During the question-and-answer period after the lecture, one female s tudent asked a question that surprised Zhang Hua. “When you talked about female students, you referred to them as girls. Why?”
“Because they are girls. That?s what they are called,” Zhang Hua tried to answer, but he knew he did not really understand the in tent of the question. “ I don?t quite understand your question, I?m afraid.”
“In the States, we call ourselves … women? if we?re old enough to go to the university. Calling us …girls? is insulting.”
Do Chinese female college students prefer to be called women?
Case 2
Many years ago, a Chinese man showed a photo of his wife to some American visitors. Out of courtesy, they all said,” She is very beautiful.” Also out of courtesy, the man replied with what he would have done in Chinese under the circumstance,” Where! Where!” Quite taken aback, nobody said anything for a moment, until the most ingenious one among the visitors, taking another look at the photo, said, “Oh, everywhere!”
What did the Chinese intend to mean by replying with “ Where! Where!”?
Case 1 Girl-ness
As a visiting professor in an American university, Zhang Hua was invited to give a lecture to a group of American students. He talked about university students in China. During the question-and-answer period after the lecture, one female student asked a question that surprised Zhang Hua. “When you talked about female students, you referred
to them as girls. Why?”
“Because they are girls. That?s what they are called,” Zhang Hua tried to answer, but he knew he did not really understand the intent of the question. “ I don?t quite understand your question, I?m afraid.”
“In the States, we call ourselves … women? if we?re old enough to go to the university. Calling us …girls? is insulting.”
Do Chinese female college students prefer to be called women?
Case 2
Many years ago, a Chinese man showed a photo of his wife to some American visitors. Out of courtesy, they all said,” She is very beautiful.” Also out of courtesy, the man replied with what he would have done in Chinese under the circumstance,” Where! Where!” Quite taken aback, nobody said anything for a moment, until the most ingenious one among the visitors, taking another look at the photo, said, “Oh, everywhere!”
What did the Chinese intend to mean by replying with “ Where! Where!”?
Case 3 “I Just Wanted to Talk”.
Wu tong was a graduate student in a Chinese university. Like many students these days, he was very keen on learning English. He would talk with English speakers as often as he could.
One day, he saw a new foreigner on campus, Leonard Ramsay, and overheard him speaking English. When Mr. Ramsay finished speaking with the other person, he turned to go, but Wu Tong stopped him. He went up and said, “ You speak English, is that right?”
“Yes, why?”
“I?d like to practise my English with you, if you don?t mind.”
Mr. Ramsay looked a little annoyed. “ I prefer not to, if you don?t mind.”
Case 4 An Unwanted Food Service
During a lunch buffet at a conference in China, Wu Fa, the interpreter of the conference, sat with four foreign participants. They were having a good time talking. When Wu Fa stood up for more food, she asked whether she could bring anything back for them.
Everyone thanked her and said “no”. A while later, Wu Fa came back with a plate full of food, and asked whether the others would like to have something from her plate.
Again, the four others said , “No”.
“ Oh, please take something, I can?t eat this much food myself.”
The foreigners shrugged and one or two of them even frowned a little.
Case 5 Simple Can Be Special
Wen Hong had an American professor in her economics class in China. She had given the professor a lot of help during the course. At the end of the semester，the professor and his wife invited her to their home for dinner. They said they were going to cook her an American meal.
Wen Hong felt very flattered and excited，since McDonald，KFC and Pizza Hut had been her only exposure to Western cooking.
They had salad to start with，then steak with potatoes，followed by ice cream. Wen Hong had expected more courses but the meal came to an end. She knew the professor and his wife were being kind to her，but somehow she was a little disappointed. She wondered whether Americans do eat like that at home.
Case 6 Chinese Coffee Customs
While studying in the United States, Lin Jun made a few American friends. One day he invited two of them to his apartment and cooked them a meal. When his friends said they would like some coffee, he started boiling some water. Without asking them any questions, he made three cups of 3-in-1 coffee, the way he usually took it.
Both friends tasted the coffee and frowned. One said she always took coffee black，the other said he preferred to have less sugar in his coffee. They also told him that the spoon is for stirring the coffee，not to drink from like he did. Lin
Jun was embarrassed. He had thought that everyone drank coffee the same way as he did.
Case 7 Noise from Noodles
Jane and Peter were Chen Dong?s landlord and landlady when he was in the States. They had become good friends by the end of his one-year stay. They kept in touch with each other after Chen Dong returned to China. Jane and Peter decided to visit China soon after Chen Dong left the States.
They made a special stop in Guangzhou where Chen Dong lives. Chen Dong had promised to show them around the city and let them try some authentic Cantonese food. One thing，in particular，he wanted them to try was noodles. He knew several restaurants that served good noodles and took the couple to one of them for lunch one day.
Noodles typically come in soup in Cantonese cooking. Chen Dong started eating the noodles with chopsticks，while Jane and Peter exchanged a look at the noise that came with his eating. After a little hesitation，they asked for forks. A waitress told them that they did not have forks，and Chen Dong explained that noodle restaurants do not usually keep forks because no one would think of using forks for noodles.
In the next half an hour，Jane and Peter had a hard time trying to roll the long noodles onto their chopsticks. Chen Dong said，“that?s not the way we eat noodles. You put the noodles directly to y our mouth with your chopsticks.”
“But that?s not the way we eat noodles，” Jane and Peter said, frowning. Case 8 Dinner in a Chinese Home
Besides taking Peter and Jane to restaurants, Dong Chen also invited them to his home for dinner once. Dong C hen …s mother is a nice wife, and made eight courses for four of them.
“I'm sorry there isn?t much for dinner, she said.”
“God this is much more than enough food,” Jane said. Peter was too overwhelmed to even respond to Dong Chen… mother
Dong Chen was a li ttle embarrassed. “This is what we usually say to guests，even though there?s plenty of food” he explained．
What bewildered Jane and Peter most was that though Dong Chen?s mother kept saying that the food was not good，she constantly served helpings to Jane and Peter．Peter did not like two of the courses very much，and felt bad that his plate was full with whatever he would not be able to eat. At seeing Dong Chen's mother?s next move to serve him food，he said in a begging voice，“Please don?t give me any more food．Let me do it myself．
Case 9A Not-sociable Drink
Martin was sent by an American company to work in a special economic development zone in China for a year. He became very friendly with a few Chinese colleagues. Soon, he started to go out with them. He noticed that Chinese like to have something , such as peanuts, when they have beer, instead of just drinking beer without anything to eat as many North Americans do.
One day he was invited to a dinner party to celebrate a colleague?s birthday. They ordered alcoholic beverages and toasted the guest of honor frequently. Soon Martin realized that the plan was to get their friend drunk. Each colleague would offer a toast, concluding with a cheery “ gan bei!” and tried to get Martin to join in, even though he was unwilling to do it. Martin didn?t think it a good idea, and tried to talk them out of the game. However, he was accused of not being a good friend for not co-operating.
Martin remained an outsider during the rest of the dinner. He was getting increasingly worried as he watched the poor guest become increasingly inebriated.
Case 10 A Misunderstanding at a Dinner Table
Roger was a student majoring in East Asia Studies in an American university. He started an e-mail correspondence with Zhang Li, a sociology major in China, who was introduced to him through a mutual friend.
Upon graduation, Roger got a big gift from his grandfather. Grandpa would pay for a round-trip ticket to China. He told Zhang Li the good news, and the two decided to meet.
Zhang Li decided to give Roger a very special welcome: she and the three women students in her dormitory would cook him an authentic Chinese meal, as Roger had told her that he loved Chinese food.
However, when Roger was presented the dinner, he was almost terrified by some of the food: pork stomach soup, pig liver with ginger and spring onion, chicken with mushrooms in which the chicken had been cut to pieces with bones attached to the meal.
Fortunately , there were courses like tofu, stirred fried beef, steamed fish and vegetables that Roger loved. He tried to stick to them but Zhang Li kept putting food he did not like on his plate. When she asked how he liked the liver, Roger said, “ It?s very unusual…and interesting. “ This seemed to make Zhang Li happy. And she gave him more liver. Roger tried to stop her, but she would not be stopped. Roger was so frustrated that he told her that he did not really like it that much. “ But you said it was unusual and interesting!”Zhang Li said. “ Well,
they both mean something less than positive,” Roger said carefully, trying not to hurt their feelings.
Zhang Li and her friends became concerned at this.”“So you don?t like the food?” I?m not used to eating liver, that?s all. But I do like the chicken, the beef, the tofu, and the vegetables. I have had more than enough to eat. I never make this much food at home,” Roger was eager to let them know how much he appreciated their effort. “Trust me, I?m enjoying the food. I know what I like.”
Having said that, he found a piece of chicken that was less bony, held it in his hand to eat it, and then licked his fingers. Zhang Li and her friends looked at each other in shock.
It was not a perfect first meeting for either Zhang Li or Roger.
Case 11 Over-dressed Tourists
As a van stopped in front of Niagara Falls, a group of Chinese officials streamed out. They were dressed in suits and ties, wearing leather shoes. Many of the men also had left the manufacture?s tag on the sleeve of their suit jacket. As they wandered around Niagara Falls, some of them started to smoke. Their attire drew the stares of North American tourists, some of whom quietly laughed with their friends and pointed at the Chinese visitors. Others frowned at seeing the smoking and shook their heads in disapproval.
Case 12 Tie Culture
Jane was a tourist and spent some time staying with a Chinese friend at her home. They watched a children?s porgram while having breakfast one morning.
A young man, the host of the program, gave instructions of a game to a few children, and then joined them running in a circle.
“My, he?s wearing a tie and running crazy with the children!” Jane exclaimed.
The Chinese friend shrugged,”Is this very unusual?”
Case 13 An American in China
Professor Smith and his assistant，Chen Ming，were doing fieldwork in a small city in China. It was hot and humid, and both were casually dressed. One evening as they were leaving for dinner，a local administrator told them that the mayor of the city, who was interested in the type of research they were doing, would like to say hello to Professor Smith. As luck would have it，the Mayor was dining in the same restaurant as Smith and Chen Ming.
Professor Smith said he had to go back to his room to change.
“You look fine，Come on，the mayor is waiting，”the administrator said.
“No, I can?t meet the mayor in my shorts”
Case 14 The Generosity of a Chinese Student
Matt was invited to a Chinese university to give a few lectures. During his short stay there, a graduate student volunteered to show him around the city. Matt accepted the offer gratefully. It was summer and soon both Matt and the graduate student began to get quite hot. While Matt took some pictures, the graduate student went to buy some drinks.
“Thank you. How much do I owe you?” Matt asked.
“Nothing.” The student smiled.
“ Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
At lunchtime, Matt suggested they have a quick meal. They stopped by a McDonald. Again, the graduate student tried to pay for Matt.
“No, this is my treat. You?re a student, I?m a professor. You?ve given me the time to show me around. You already paid for my drink. I can?t let you pay for my lunch again.”
Case 15 A Gift from a Chinese Student
Xie Dong did his graduate study in an American university. He came back to China for summer vacation. When he went back to his program, he paid his supervisor a visit and presented him a gift.
The professor opened the gift. It was a ginseng with its many tiny roots spreading out in a very artistic pattern. It clearly was an expensive gift.
The professor?s eyes shone at the ginseng, but he then began to feel uneasy. “Xie Dong, I appreciate your kindness, but I can?t take this as a gift.”
“ Why? Don?t you like it?” It was Xie Dong?s turn to be uneasy now.
“ Oh, sure, I love it. But I can?t accept it.”
“Why?”
“ Because I didn?t do anything to deserve such a gift.”
Case 16 Telephone Courtesy
Kathy and David, a couple from the US, signed a one-year contract to work in China. Both were extroverted and soon made some Chinese friends.
Before long, people started calling them at home. David was sometimes away on business trips for a few days, and if someone looked for him, Kathy often would find the conversation awkward.
“ Where did he go?” The caller typically would ask.
“Can I pass on any message?” Kathy asked politely, trying to avoid the question.
“Is he out of town?” The caller was usually very persistent.
“Yes, can I help you in any way?” Kathy tried to be polite, but she could not help feeling uncomfortable.
Case 17 “Not So Close, Please”
He Jia had lived in the United States for 7 years before she came back to work in China. She found that she had become accustomed to social habits in North America and that some Chinese behaviours now caused her some discomfort. For example, one day, back in China, she was in a queue to use an ATM. She had noticed that people were standing very close to each other. In fact, the person behind her could, if she or he wanted, to see her enter the PIN of her ATM card. He Jia wanted to make people aware of the discomfort of the user by keeping her distance from the person in front of her. However, the people behind her pushed her to move forward.
Case 18 The Privacy of the Page
Simon and Cheng Feng often studied together to prepare for exams. One day, in the middle of a study session, Simon said he wanted to get a coffee. He asked Cheng Feng if he wanted any, but he said, “No”. When he came back, he found Cheng Feng reading his notes. He was upset and, although he didn?t say anything at the time, he never studied with Cheng Feng again. Cheng Feng noticed the change and wondered what had happened.
Case19 The Privacy of Photographs
Rose invited Lili to her home one day. While they were having coffee, Rose showed Lili a few pictures of her boyfriend in a photo album. Lili casually turned to other pages after that.
Rose stopped her, “I?d rather you not look at other pictures.”
Lili was embarrassed, and apologized, “I?m sorry.”
Case 20 The Privacy of Price
After living in the States for some time, Ping Li observed that Americans like to comment on each other?s looks and clothes. So whe n she saw a fellow graduate student wearing a nice dress at a party, she complimented her by saying. “This is a very beautiful dress.” “Oh thank you , I bought it last year before Christmas ,” the student very pleased. “How much was it?” Ping Li asked.
“Well I don?t quite remember,” the student seemed unprepared for the
question, and answered a little hesitatingly.
Case 21 The Privacy of the Person
Zou Qing and Nancy became friends after they met in a course they both took．Nancy had had gray hair much earlier than people of the same age，and had been dyeing her hair for several years.
While they were having a break one day in between two classes, and Zou Qing noticed that Nancy had some invisible gray hair on her. She told her so, but Nancy changed the topic right away.
When everyone else left，Nancy said to Zou Qing，“Please don?t mention my gray hair while there were men around.”
Case 22 Unacceptable Curiosity
Mr and Mrs Peterson came to China with a tour group. One evening, they decided to take a walk outside their hotel. They soon noticed that quite a few people stared at them. One man even quickly walked past them and then turned back to look at them several times. Both Mr and Mrs Peterson felt
uncomfortable about the staring and went back to the hotel sooner than they had planned.
Case 23 Confusion in Communicating Love
Le, a Chinese woman, and Bill, an American man, were very much in love. Their relationship started with their shared interest in photography. As time went on, however, Le became dependent on Bill whenever she wanted to take a picture, because she felt that Bill was a much better photographer than she was. Whenever she noticed a scene that would make a good image, she would ask Bill to take the picture for her.
Bill was not very pleased but did not say anything for a while. However, Le soon got to a point where she began to ask Bill to load and unload the film. Bill decided that it was too much for him to bear. He exploded, “What?s the matter with you? Don?t you know how to load and unload a film? Can?t you take a picture any more?”
Le was so shocked that she burst into tears. “I ask you to do things only because you do it better than me. What?s wrong with that?”
Case24 Unwanted Attention
Teresa is a Chinese American teaching English temporarily at a Chinese university. She is very easy going, and soon the students got to know her well enough to invite her out regularly.
Crossing the very busy and wide streets in the city was a scary experience for Teresa, and she complained of it repeatedly. As a result, the female students began to try to help her by taking her hand or grasping her arm while the male students seemed to be shy about protecting her.
Teresa was uncomfortable with her female students touching her, and told the women they did not need to do it. Her female students thought she was being
polite and continued to take care of her the same way. Teresa became so uncomfortable that she tried to move away from her female students whenever they had to cross the road.
Case 25 Holding Hands
Chris was a visiting professor in China. On one day, one of his students, Sun Hui, showed him around the city. Sun Hui soon noticed that Chris was interested in taking pictures of men that were walking arm-in-arm or touching each other when they talked.
“ I don?t see anything special about those men,” Sun Hui said curiously.
“ Well, we don?t see much of that in men in the States,” Chris said, “ They?re gay, aren?t they?”
Case 26 Friendship Misunderstood
Yan Hong was a Chinese painter who immigrated to the United States. She met Jenny, an American physician in a club one day. They soon became friends, and sometimes went out for coffee and lunch together.
One day, Jenny gave Yan Hong a very beautiful vase. Yan Hong loved the vase very much, and felt she should give Jenny something in return. So she gave Jenny a painting she brought from China. Jenny was very pleased.
A few days later, Jenny invited Yan Hong to her home for the first time. They made dinner together and enjoyed the meal a lot. Then they sat down to watch TV. When Jenny tentatively held Yan Hong?s hand, Yan Hong was not aware of anything unusual. However, when Jenny sat closer to her and kissed her, Yan Hong was terrified. She pushed Jenny away and cried, “ I?m not a
lesb ian!”
Jenny was in shock, and asked accusingly, “ Then why didn?t you tell me earlier?”
Case 27 Learning about Flirting
Chen Qing was a visiting scholar in an American university. He had made some friends with professors and students there. One day he went to a party where the atmosphere became less and less inhibited. Chen Qing noticed that men and women touched each other a lot more than he was used to. At the end of the party, most people hugged each other good-bye. One woman came to hug Chen Qing, but he stiffened as she attempted to give him a hug. He had never hugged any women except his wife in his life. Other women noticed this, and no one else tried to hug him.
However, Chen Qing felt left out when people hugged each other but not him. He foun d himself in a very awkward situation: he didn?t want to be hugged, neither did he want to be left out. He did not know what he wanted or how to resolve his conflicting emotions.
Case28 Lost in Love
Li Ying fell in love with an American man in her second year in the United States. They spent a lot of time together. After they had been to all the places of interest in the city, they had to decide where to go or what to do for the next date. John typically would ask Li Ying, “ What do you want to do today?” , or
“ Where shall we go?” Li Ying would sometimes tell what she wanted, but more often than not, she would say “It?s up to you”, or “ Whatever you want to do”, or “ Wherever you want to go.”
John frowned at such responses several times until one day when Li Ying said “ up to you” again. “For God?s sake, tell me what you want to do!” He cried out loud.
Li Ying was shocked at his reaction. “ Isn?t it clear to you? I?ll do what you want to do.”
“ No, it isn?t clear at all. I want to know what you want to do!” John was almost angry. “ Don?t you realize that sometimes I want to do what you want to do, too?”
Case 29 Lovers Become Strangers
Xiao Xin and Peter are newly-weds. Though they spent a lot of time with each other before getting married, they never really lived together. Not surprisingly, their marriage was followed by a series of minor problems while they tried to adjust to each other?s ways of life. One difficult issue came up about two months after their new life, when Peter came home from work looking unhappy.
“ What happened?” Xiao Xin asked.
“Nothing much, I?m just very tired,” Peter said.
“I can tell that it?s more than that.”
Peter gave Xiao Xin a quiet look, went into the bedroom, and threw himself to bed.
Xiao Xin followed him in. “Don?t you want to talk about it?”
“No, I don?t.”
“Perhaps I can help?” Xiao Xin suggested.
“ Xiao Xin, sometimes you just have to give me some space. All I need now is some privacy!” Peter yelled.
Xiao Xin was in shock. “Don?t you trust me?”
“Geez, it?s not a matter of trust! Can?t you accept the fact that talking to you
isn?t the solution to every one of my problems?” Peter was becoming frustrated and impatient.
Xiao Xin was in tears. Her husband seemed to have become a stranger to her.
Case 30 A Gift of Self
Zhang Ge and Simon were head over heels in love with each other. They decided to go away to spend a major holiday somewhere. It was winter time, so they flew south in search of sunshine and warm water.
However, Simon developed diarrhea soon after they settled in a hotel. He felt weak and had to lie down for a rest. Zhang Ge was worried and stayed him in the room. Outside the window, the sun was shining, and they could hear the surf. The sun and beach is what they had dreamed about for months during the winter back home.
“Go and have some fun,” Simon said to Zhang Ge.
“ How can I go and have fun while you?re sick in bed?”
“Why not, it?s not your fault that I?m sick. Besides, there?s nothing you can do here.”
“Nonsense! I can keep your company, and you?ll feel better with me around you.”
“Are you sure you want to do this instead of going out?”
“Yes, I?m sure. I won?t go without you.”
“Oh, you?re so special. I love you so much!” Simon drew Zhang Ge near and kissed her.
Case 31 A Close Girlfriend
Liu Hong and Wu Xin have been good friends since they were young girls. Both eventually had the opportunity to study in the United States, although they ended up in two different cities. After their first year of hard work, they decided to do some traveling together. Liu Hong went to stay with Wu Xin for two days before they set off. Then they visited three cities over the next 10 days.
Liu Hong came back from the trip and told her American friends about the trip. She casually mentioned that they had to share one bed in one particular motel.
“ Oh, did you?” , said one of the friends in a tone that made Liu Hong feel uncomfortable.
Case 32 Interpreting a Smile
. Peter is the general manager of an American company in China. Recently, Chen Jun, one of the Chinese managers made a mistake at work that caused some difficulties that required a lot of effort to fix. Chen Jun was very upset about what had happened, and came to Peter?s office to make a formal apology.
Chen Jun went into Peter?s office after being told to, smiling before he spoke. “ Peter, I?ve been feeling very upset about the trouble I?ve caused for the company. I?m here to apologize for the mistake. I?m terribly sorry about it and I want you to know that it w ill never happen again.” Chen Jun said, looking at Peter with the smile he had been wearing since he walked into the office.
Peter found it hard to accept the apology. He looked at Chen Jun, and asked, “ are you sure?”
“ Yes, I?m very sorry and I promise this won?t happen again,” Chen Jun said, with a smile even broader than before.
“I?m sorry I just can?t take your apology. You don?t look sorry at all!” Peter said angrily.
Chen Jun?s face turned very red. He did not in the least expect Peter to take it ne gatively. He was desperate to make himself understood. “ Peter, ” he managed to smile again, “ trust me, no one can feel any more sorry than I do about it.”
Peter was almost furious by now, “ if you?re that sorry, how can you still smile?”
Case33 Interpreting a Laugh
Huihua, a Chinese student, and Mary , an American student studying Chinese in China, were on their way to a bookstore. As they got to the bookstore, they saw a young man walking down a flight of stairs. In his hurry, he missed the last two steps, and fell on the ground. He struggled to get back to his feet while people around him laughed. Fortunately, he seemed to be O.K.
Mary was worried. She found Huihua smiling a little and was not comfortable about it. Tell me, Huihua, how could people laugh when someone fell like that? Do they care at all? Shouldn?t they go up and ask the young man whether he was hurt?”
Huihua said, “ they knew he wasn?t hurt too much.”
“ But I still don?t understand. A fall is a fall. In my culture, people would do anything but laugh!”
Case 34 Different Lunch Boxes
Peter was one of the American technicians who came to China to help set up a coffee plant. He was in China for six months．Before leaving for home，one of his Chinese colleagues took him out to dinner. Peter decided to ask him a question that had puzzled him for as long as he worked in the plant．
Why is it that the Chinese workers have stainless boxes for their lunch，while us foreigners have lunch put in the disposable plastic boxes?”
The Chinese colleague smiled，“It?s because the plastic boxes are more convenient；they are disposable．With the stainless boxes, you have to wash them after every meal.”
But Peter was not convinced．“I don?t think so．Stainless boxes are much better than plastic boxes．They look more professional, they are more durable, and they protect your lunch better.
跨文化交际案例 英语专业
Cases 33-36 Case 33 The prblem that Li Li has encountered during her stay in the United States are typical of those that people may face when they enter a new culture. Obviously Li Li has gone through distinct stages in the process her adaptation to the American cultural environment: honeymoon period (Letter 1), when she was fascinated and excited by almost everything in the United States and felt elated to be in the new culture; culture shock (Letter 2), when she was flooded with many problems that she had not been prepared for and became extremely homesick; initial adjustment (Letter 3), when she learned more about American culture and cultural adaptation and began to feel much better; mental isolation (Letter 4), when she felt frustrated and became even hostile towards Americans; and acceptance period (Letter 5), when she began to tralize the positive and negative aspects of the country and have a more balanced perspective about her experiences there. What she means by “I think I have finally arrived in America” in her fifth letter is that she has finally learned
跨文化交际(英文版)
Cross –cultural communication Thesis statement: This paper is mainly talking about the culture differences between several countries. Outline: Chapter 1: Language and culture in communication Chapter2: Culture shock Chapter3: What’s in a name? Chapter4: Social interaction Chapter 5: Roles and relations Chapter6: Non-verbal communication Chapter 7: In other words. Chapter 8: From a primitive Tribe to a Global Village Conclusion Chapter 1: Language and culture in communication There is no denying the fact that out daily lives depend largely on communication, without it we can’t know each other. So, we should come to realize that communication is of great importance. What is communication? In total, communication can be divided into two parts; they are verbal communication and non-verbal communication. However, different people hold different opinions about communication. In general, if there is communication, there must have 4 cases: there are at least two or more people, some contact between communicators, a language shared by communicators, an exchange of information has taken place. I just take the fist one for example. Suppose there is one person, there can’t be communication. Otherwise, he may talk to himself. Communication not just exist in human-beings There are five kinds of communications they are human communication, animal communication, human-animal communication, human machine communication, machine communication. So, Animals and machines can also communicate with each other. For human beings, how can we communicate with each other? Experts say that there are various kinds of communication. Nowadays, there are different kinds of tools for us to communicate .For people we can use telephone and computer to communicate with each other. By them, finally we can receive message. What is social situation? When there are two or more people gather to do a job or an activity, then it creates a social situation. That is to say, an individual working alone can not constitute a social s A social situation may have two definitions. One is given by the community, and the other by the participants. Finally, we should notice that being polite plays a crucial role in
新编跨文化交际英语教程 参考答案
Unit 1 Communication Across Cultures Reading I Intercultural Communication：An Introduction Comprehension questions 1. Is it still often the case that “everyone?s quick to blame the alien” in the contemporary world? This is still powerful in today‘s soci al and political rhetoric. For instance, it is not uncommon in today‘s society to hear people say that most, if not all, of the social and economic problems are caused by minorities and immigrants. 2. What?s the difference between today?s intercultural contact and that of any time in the past? Today‘s intercultural encounters are far more numerous and of greater importance than in any time in history. 3. What have made intercultural contact a very common phenomenon in our life today? New technology, in the form of transportation and communication systems, has accelerated intercultural contact; innovative communication systems have encouraged and facilitated cultural interaction; globalization of the economy has brought people together; changes in immigration patterns have also contributed to intercultural encounter. 4. How do you understand the sentence “culture is everything and everywhere”? Culture supplies us with the answers to questions about what the world looks like and how we live and communicate within that world. Culture teaches us how to behave in our life from the instant of birth. It is omnipresent. 5. What are the major elements that directly influence our perception and communication? The three major socio-cultural elements that directly influence perception and communication are cultural values, worldview (religion), and social organizations (family and state). 6. What does one?s family teach him or her while he or she grows up in it? The family teaches the child what the world looks like and his or her place in that world. 7. Why is it impossible to separate our use of language from our culture? Because language is not only a form of preserving culture but also a means of sharing culture. Language is an organized, generally agreed-upon, learned symbol system that is used to represent the experiences within a cultural community. 8. What are the nonverbal behaviors that people can attach meaning to? People can attach meaning to nonverbal behaviors such as gestures, postures, facial expressions,eye contact and gaze, touch, etc. 9. How can a free, culturally diverse society exist? A free, culturally diverse society can exist only if diversity is permitted to flourish without prejudice and discrimination, both of which harm all members of the society. Reading II The Challenge of Globalization Comprehension questions 1. Why does the author say that our understanding of the world has changed? Many things, such as political changes and technological advances, have changed the world very rapidly. In the past most human beings were born, lived, and died within a limited geographical area, never encountering people of other cultural backgrounds. Such an existence, however, no longer prevails in the world. Thus, all people are faced with the challenge of understanding this changed and still fast changing world in which we live.
跨文化交际案例分析
跨文化交际案例分析 LEKIBM standardization office【IBM5AB- LEKIBMK08- LEKIBM2C】
Case Study 1 Age and Status 两位同事的矛盾使一家数据处理公司的总经理遇到了麻烦。一方是一位踌躇满志的法裔加拿大小伙子，另一方是一位有特许签证的年长的中国女性，而此前两人确实很好的合作伙伴….. Case description: A manager in a data-processing company was having difficulty dealing with a conflict between a young, ambitious French Canadian male and his co-worker, an older Chinese woman who was on a special visa from China. She had recently become uncooperative and had made it clear to the manager that she would not be willing to travel to the capital with her co-worker to hold discussion with legislators about a new product with great enthusiasm. When the manager asked her what the problem was, he received no clear explanation. When he asked her co-worker, the young man had no insights to offer. The young French Canadian was clearly annoyed, however, that the Chinese woman was refusing to share her data with him. That meant he couldn’t make the presentation to the legislators because she had all the key data on her computer disks. The manager repeated questions to her but her “problem” got nowhere. So he changed his approach. He began explaining his concerns, as manger and as spokesperson for the company, about the upcoming meeting with legislators. His explanation about his position was unemotional. In that climate she then felt she could explain her position. She revealed she felt that that as an older, and to her mind, more senior person, she should not be sent to the capitol with a younger employee who would do the presentation of material she had worked hard to develop. That would diminish her status, she felt. The general manger knew the root of his headache. Questions: 1．What do you think caused the conflict? 2. What would you do to resolve the conflict if you were the general manager? 矛盾冲突 这位年长的中国女士投入极大的热情和精力开发产品．却在最后的关键时刻拒绝与年轻的同事一同去向议员做推介：当经理和同事问其原因．她并未做任何明确的回答：而当经理改变策略，不再直接询问原因，而是迂回地讲起自己的困境时，她才道出自己的顾虑。在这位资深年长的中国女士看来，同一位比她年轻的同事一同去国会，并且由对方来做推介会影响到她的地位和威信，因此她无法同意： 原因分析 造成这一矛盾的文化因素有两方面．对地位、年龄的不同态度以及这种不同的表达方式。人对权力的认识因文化背景的不同而不同。根据霍夫斯特的调查研
大学英语跨文化交际案例分析.docx
大学英语跨文化交际案例分析 Case 2 (P8) White Dress 女王的白色长裙:Case analysis: The Indian women might think the wedding ceremony is a funeral if they see the western bride in white gown. The case reflects the similes and metaphors in the text. 案例分析:印度女人可能觉得婚礼是一个葬礼,如果他们看到西方的新娘的白色礼服。这个案例反映了明喻和隐喻在文本。 Culture is like an iceberg: we can identify the color of the dress worn by women in different cultures, but we do not know the values underneath. Culture is like the water a fish swims in: people wear dress of different colors for different context but they usually take it for granted and never ask why . 文化是 像冰山:我们可以辨认颜色衣服的妇女所穿不同的文化,但我们不知道下面的值。文化是像水鱼游 在: 人们穿不同颜色的衣服为不同的上下文, 但他们通常是理所当然的,从不问为什么。 Case 4 (P18) Coconut-skating 椰子-溜冰:Case analysis: The case reflects the characteristics of culture. We Can tell from the CaSe that CUItUre is PerVaSiVe and it 案例分析Ie 这个e事件反映了文化 的特点。我们可以告诉从案件,文化是普遍的,这是学习。 People may invent different ways for things even as simple as the issue of floor moping. The Philippine woman must have learned this way of mopping from her own culture. 人们可能发明东西 甚至不同的方式为这样简单的问题的地板闷闷不乐。菲律宾女人必须学习这种方式从她自己的文化的拖地。 Case 7 (P30) Clean UP the Bathroom! 清理浴室!:CaSe analySiS: CUltUral differenCeS deCide the two StUdentS are going to CommUniCate in different wayS. 案例分析:文化差异决定这两个学生要沟通的方式不同。 The Chinese student wants the American student to understand the underlying means of his words, but the American student is used to the direct style of communication. This is decided by culture. In Chinese culture, people want to save face of both themselves and others, so they would not express their ideas directly. However, in the United States, unless you express yourself clearly and directly, the OtherS CannOt Understand you.中国学生想要美国学生理解底层的手段，他的话,但是美国学生用来 直接的交流方式。这是由文化决定的。在中国文化中,人们想要挽回面子的两个自己和他人,所以 他们不会直接表达自己的想法。然而,在美国,除非你清楚地表达自己,别人不能直接理解你。 Case 8 (P34) She HaS Three HandS 她有三个指针:ThiS CaSe Can refleCt the different CommUniCation StyleS between ChineSe and CanadianS. In weStern CUltUreS, CommUniCation iS the meanS of tranSmitting ideaS. WeStern PeoPle USUally CommUniCate direCtly with eaCh other. 这种情况下可以反映出不同的沟通方式在中国和加拿大人。在西方文化中,沟通是传播方式的想法。西方的人们通常直接彼此通信。 That is why the Canadian in this Case says what is in his mind direCtly in frOnt Of the Chinese wOman withOut hiding anything. While Chinese Culture stresses harmOny and emphasizes the relatiOnships between the COmmuniCatOrs. Chinese peOple view COmmuniCatiOn as a prOCess where all parties are searChing tO develOp and maintain a sOCial relatiOnship. SO the Chinese wOman in this Case tries nOt tO argue With the Can adia n face to face to keep the “ harm OnioUS relati On Sh这就是为什betwee n them. 么加拿大在这种情况下说什么是在他的脑海里的正前方的中国女人没有隐瞒任何事。虽然中国 文化强调和谐,强调了沟通者之间的关系。中国人民视图通信作为一个过程,各方正在寻求开发和维护一个社会关系。所以中国女人在这种情况下努力不认为与加拿大面对面保持“和谐关系”他们。 Case 12 (P57) Why Don‘ tYou Eat the Pizza? 你为什么不吃比萨饼?: This case can reflect the problems appearing during intercultural communication and how ignoring cultural differences can affect communication. 种情况下可以反映
跨文化交际英文案例
Case 1 Girl-ness As a visiting professor in an American university, Zhang Hua was invited to give a lecture to a group of American students. He talked about university students in China. During the question-and-answer period after the lecture, one female student asked a question that surprised Zhang Hua. “When you talked about female students, you referred to them as girls. Why?” “Because they are girls. That’s what they are called,” Zhang Hua tried to answer, but he knew he did not really understand the intent of the question. “ I don’t quite understand your question, I’m afraid.” “In the States, we call ourselves ‘ women’ if we’re old enough to go to the university. Calling us ‘girls’ is insulting.” Do Chinese female college students prefer to be called women? Case 2 Many years ago, a Chinese man showed a photo of his wife to some American visitors. Out of courtesy, they all said,” She is very beautiful.” Also out of courtesy, the man replied with what he would have done in Chinese under the circumstance,” Where! Where!” Quite taken aback, nobody said anything for a moment, until the most ingenious one among the visitors, taking another look at the photo, said, “Oh, everywhere!” What did the Chinese intend to mean by replying with “ Where! Where!”? Case 1 Girl-ness As a visiting professor in an American university, Zhang Hua was invited to give a
跨文化交际案例分析(共7个)
《跨文化交际学概论》第七章社会交往五、宴请招待p132 Case One: Setting Rules for a Guest – American Hospitality 案例： When Zhang Tao traveled in America, he lived in the home of his American friend, Bill. Once after he had traveled back, he found Bill was in a bad mood. When he asked what the problem was, Bill told Zhang Tao that his son Adam got furious about the noise Zhang made when walking upstairs and also because he was using too much water in the solar powered shower and Adam had to have his shower in cold water. Bill told Zhang Tao that he should walk more softly in future, and have a fast shower to save water. Zhang Tao felt uneasy. How could the host set such rules for his guest! Question: Why did Zhang Tao feel uneasy? 分析： 1) In China, when people host someone, they put the guest in the place of honor to show hospitality. They try to take care of the guest，and try to make the guest feel comfortable and at ease. 2) In America, people tend to give the guest great freedom and treat a guest more casually, naturally and truthfully. 3) Zhang Tao knew he was a guest, and thought in terms of Chinese expectations of hospitality. He thought Bill should treat him courteously instead of setting rules for him. 4) Since Zhang Tao lived in American surroundings, he should have known about the customs there sooner. Case Two: 案例： Lin had traveled 20 hours from Beijing to New York. He needed a good meal. His American friend, Mike, met him. But Mike only offered him a plate of roasted chicken and a glass of orange juice. Lin was used to having a main course, and asked Mike if he had any rice. Mike said he only had fried noodles, and Lin had to make do with it. Though Lin knew Americans didn’t care very much about what food they ate, he still felt surprised because he had taken Mike to the most famous duck restaurant in Beijing -- Quanjude -- when he arrived in Beijing. Question: Why did Lin feel surprised? Offer some advice to him about adjusting to his new environment in America.
如何培养英语跨文化交际能力
如何培养英语跨文化交际能力 中宁五中张永宏 摘要：本文通过分析我国英语教学现状，探索英语教学中培养跨文化交际能力的必要性，具体分析“跨文化交际能力”的三大组成，思考培养英语跨文化交际能力的具体方法。 关键词：跨文化交际语义文化语用文化 多年来，我国的英语教学主要采用传统的教学方法，即传统的听说法“with its end less and mind-numbing repetitive drills”和古老的以教师为中心的语法—翻译法。教师往往只注重学生语言形式的正确与否或使用是否流畅，而较少注重结合语言使用的场合来培养学生综合运用的能力。学生在这种教学模式下，经过十几年的英语学习，即使是有些成绩很好的学生也不能用所学的英语同外国人进行有效地交流。为了改变这种现状，人们必然对英语教学提出新的要求。而跨文化交际能力的培养却能在一定程度上弥补传统教学的这种缺陷。 首先，何为跨文化交际呢？“跨文化交际”的英语名称是“intercultural communication”或“cross-cultural communication”，它既指本族语者与非本族语者之间的交际，也指任何在语言和社会文化背景方面有差异的人们之间的交际。由于不同的民族所处的生态、物质社会及宗教等环境的不同，因而各自的语言环境产生了不同的社会文化、风土人情和语言习惯等诸语境因素，造成人们不同的说话方式或习惯话语。这就可能使交际双方对对方的话语做出不准确地推论，从而产生冲突、误会或交际的故障。 跨文化交际能力就是针对文化冲突提出来的，它是一种在理解、掌握外国文化知识与交际技能的基础上，灵活处理跨文化交际中出现的实际问题的能力。 一、英语教学中培养跨文化交际能力的必要性。 1、近年来, 随着改革开放步伐的加快, 对外交往日益频繁, 国与国之间的交流也越来越 广泛, 特别是社会信息化提高, 国际互联网的开通使更多的人足不出户便涉及到跨 文化交际。中国成功地加入WTO后，国际市场对能用英语熟练有效地交际的复合型人才的大量需求给外语教学提出了新的挑战，所以培养跨文化交际能力有其现实意义。 2、培养跨文化交际能力有助于我们要打破以往“就语言教语言”的模式，把交际因素引 进到英语教学中来，在英语教学过程中揭示那些隐伏在语言背后的，易引起误会和冲突的文化因素。掌握语言不只是掌握语法、音位和语义规则，还必须考虑到外国社会文化背景造成的语言之外的规则。 3、培养跨文化交际能力有利于处理好语言和文化的关系。语言和文化是不可分割的，二 者相互依存、相互影响。语言是文化的载体，又是文化的重要组成部分，也是文化的
《英语跨文化交际》课程教学大纲-
《英语跨文化交际》课程教学大纲 课程编号：1233201 课程名称：英语跨文化交际 总学时：16学时 试验或上机学时：无 先修课及后续课：先修课：涉外礼仪 一、课程说明 1.课程性质：本课程是继《涉外礼仪》之后的专业必修课。 2.教学目标及意义： 本课程是与专业基础课同时开设的专业课，旨在通过学习跨文化交际基础理论，结合涉外礼仪实践，分析跨文化交际案例，提高跨文化交际意识，并在语言学习的同时，更多关注相关国家的文化，特别是通过与本族文化的对比，提高跨文化交际能力。 3. 教学内容与教学要求： 英语专业教学大纲强调，在语言学习过程中要培养学生的跨文化交际意识，增强对文化差异的敏感性和宽容性，提高处理跨文化交际冲突的灵活性，即跨文化交际能力。 跨文化交际能力包括语言运用能力，相关国家文化知识以及相关专业的能力和交流能力。通常认为语言运用能力特指外语知识和外语技能，忽视了学习者对目的语国家的文化知识的要求，特别是灵活运用已有的本国和目的国的相同之处，相似之处和差异进行跨文化交流的能力。 交际的主要媒介是语言但语言并非唯一的媒介。诸多非语言手段，如手势，面部表情，时间和空间的使用等，都具有重要的交际功能。而任何交际，无论是语言的还是非语言的，都是在特定文化环境中进行的，必然受到该文化中价值观念、思维方式、传统习惯、交往规约等的影响和制约。因此，这些文化内涵也是交际能力的重要组成部分。 不同文化之间，在方方面面都存在明显的差异。实践证明，文化背景不同的人进行交际时，这些差异常常成为障碍。要减少此类交际障碍，促成有效交流，跨文化意识与跨文化交际能力必不可少。 任何人都生活在特定的文化之中，思想、语言、行为等都受到该文化的影响与支配。 文化意识即指对此有清醒的认识。跨文化意识首先涉及对文化多元的认识。对文化而言，既有国别文化的不同，一国之内亦有主流文化与种种亚文化之分，同时个体间的差异也不容忽视。因此，不能理所当然地以本文化的规则来评价不同文化背景人的交际行为。 其次，不同文化间既有异（个性），也有同（共性），要辩证的看待文化。另外，应该树立文化平等观。文化没有高低优劣之分，跨文化交际目的是理解和沟通，促进各民族间的长期友谊和共同发展，在培养文化意识和跨文化意识的同时，还要认真思考汉语与英语文化在主要方面的异同之处，分析跨文化交际中可能出现的问题及其对应策略。 本课程以语言学习为前提，强调在语言学习的过程中提高利用外语进行跨文化交际的能力，通过对交际与语言，语言与文化，文化与价值观的学习和讨论，提高跨文化交际意识；通过对文化现象的思考和讨论，反思语言学习过程，增加对文化差异的敏感性； 通过课堂活动和案例学习，提高跨文化交际意识和能力，达到有效交流的目的。 4. 教学重点和难点： 本课程内容包括：交际与文化，语言与文化，文化与价值观，语言交际和非语言交际，
跨文化交际 英文
Analysis of Deferent V iews on “Filial P iety” Between China and American from Movie Guasha Abstract:“While one’s parents are alive, one should not travel to distant places.”“The gentleman works hard on the basic principles, thereafter comes morality; filial piety is the basic principle of a human being.”These are our Chinese traditional filial piety. But are these standards or rules suitable for every nation? The movie Guasha shows us many about the differences of filial piety between China and American. There are many misunderstanding and coincidence in this movie and those are the cause of the circuitous of the characters’fate. All of these are rooted in the cultural differences between China and American. In this assay, I made the differences of filial piety as the point of entry to analyze the reason why the differences come and their similarity. Key words: Guasha, the culture in china and America, piety, filial piety, object The movie Guasha tells a story that a Chinese couple who lived in American for 8 years took the hero’s father in American after they think they had realized their American dream. But a few days later, their son got ill; the old father used Guasha to treat the little boy for he didn’t know how to read English. The bruises were noticed by the child welfare bureau, and all the rough broke out after that. Finally, they had a universal satisfactory ending. The end of the story is to the satisfaction of all, but a variety of cultural conflict is the apparent. What we see is the initial irreconcilable to accept, understand. Many people will think that Chinese and Western have cultural differences, I think so, but I also think that behind these differences, there are many similarities. The following, I will be on the film to talk something about filial piety plot makes concrete analysis, and explore how cultural differences reflected in the filial piety? Why is it? What are the similarities? But before that, we will first do a general understanding of filial piety. In the ancient clan and tribal society, meaning of "filial piety" is very wide. It refers to the family of the elder respect, love, support and sacrifice. With the family as the basic unit of society and social development in a long time, "filial piety" changes from the family elder respect to parental care, and become an important ethical rule to do with family relations. Today, "filial piety" to living gets more attention. We often say that the parents contribute to our