The role of body language in intercultural communication

The role of body language in intercultural communication.

Every culture has its own body language, with gestures that are typical for it. As the meanings of many body movements and gestures are culturally determined, some gestures have different meanings in different cultures. That`s why we often feel confused in intercultural communication – we can misunderstand what other people want to communicate by their movements.

The knowledge of cultural differences is very important as it helps:

First, to avoid misunderstandings when you are in a new cultural context

Second, to have a good personal relationship with the foreign friends

Third, to understand and respect different cultures

There are mainly two problems in communicating with people across cultures. The first is inability to read the symbols that other cultures display. The second is the tendency to use symbols from one’s own culture. In both cases there can be serious misunderstanding. That`s why we can take advantage in conversation with representatives of other cultures only by knowing their body language.

Now I`d like to present some recommendations concerning body language in intercultural communication.

Mind how you meet and greet. Americans and Canadians, male and female, tend to greet each other with a firm handshake. In Asian countries, the polite form of greeting is to bow. In Spain, Portugal, Italy and Eastern Europe, men kiss each other on the cheek.

Be careful about eye contact. In America, eye contact is welcome in a conversation. The Japanese, on the other hand, rarely look another person in the eye.

Americans, in general, smile when they meet or greet someone. Koreans, however, think it's rude for adults to smile in public.

Give the right amount of space. The concept of personal space is very important for the Americans and if they find themselves, for instance, in Russian queues, they will feel uncomfortable. But for people of Latin America it`s typical to stand very close to their companions.

It`s very important to control the tone of your voice. For instance, in England loud conversations in public places should be avoided. In Japan one should not shout or raise the voice in anger.

You should know that in every culture there are some signs that are considered to be offensive. For example, in Germany shaking hands with other hand in a pocket is impolite; the ‘Thumb’s up’ gesture is vulgar in Iran; displaying an open mouth is very rude in Japan.

In conclusion I`d like to say that as we see, there is no universal body language, so it`s very important to understand cultural differences: what is welcome in one culture, can be offensive in other cultures. The main advice here is to learn all specific features of body language of the country you`re going to and remember that if your attitude towards local traditions is respectful, the people of this country will treat you in the same way.