Alexis Garcia, Regina Merrill, & Mahima Seth
Alexis and Regina both only speak English. They acknowledged while it’s a privilege to speak a language that is widely known around the world, they both wish they had experience speaking another language. Sometimes English-only speakers can feel guilty for having no other language skills when they travel, or feel like they are perpetuating stereotypes of the “dumb American” who expects everyone else to speak their language.
Mahima speaks five languages because she was surrounded by these growing up. It was noted that unlike other countries, the U.S. is not surrounded by neighboring countries where other languages are commonly mixed in with English – the only way Americans typically learn other languages is in the classroom, with little natural opportunity to practice these skills. She noted that while her English is considered excellent, in academic or professional settings, she is always questioning whether she is being clear.
When communicating cross-culturally, being patient and asking questions is beneficial to understanding the message. Also not jumping to conclusions when it comes to what the speaker is saying. Looking at the article by Hayman and Fraiberg we see the disadvantages of getting hooked on one part of a communication exchange and how that can alter the perceptions of the receiver when trying to understand the message. A useful technique when cross cultural communication is going back to your understanding of what the speaker initially said and reiterating the message to make sure you are understanding it correctly to make any last minute clarifications.
In the global context, communication needs to be very effective. The message sometimes gets lost in translations and interpretation. For example, in England some people refer to erasers as “rubber”. But we definitely can’t ask someone in America to pass a rubber. CHAT helps to understand and analyse the relationship between the human mind and the actions they do. So the misunderstanding between Secret Sauce and voodoo as a part of cultural misrepresentation which occurs almost everywhere in the world. To cope, we think actions would be more impactful than words.