新编跨文化交际案例分析答案

新编跨文化交际案例分析答案Unit1CommunicationAcrossCulturesCase1(Page23)Thiscasetookplacein3cultures.Thereseemedtobeproblemsincommunicatingwithpeopleofdifferentculturesinspiteoftheeffortstoachieveunderstnading.1)InEgyptasinmanycultures,thehumanrelationshipisvaluedsohighlythatitisnotexpressedinanobjectiveandimpersonalway.WhileAmericanscertainlyvaluehumanrelationships,theyaremorelikelytospeakoftheminlesspersonal,moreobjectiveterms.Inthiscase,Richard’smistakemightbethathechosetopraisethefooditselfratherthanthetotalevening,forwhichthefoodwassimplythesettingorexcuse.Forhishostorhostessitwasasifhehadattendedanartexhibitandcomplimentedtheartistbysaying,“Whatbeautifulframesyourpicturesarein!”2)InJapanthesituationmaybemorecomplicated.Japanesepeoplevalueorderandharmonyamongagroup,andthatthegroupisvaluedmorethananyparticularmember.Incontrast,Americansstressindividualityandareapttoassertindividualdifferenceswhentheyseemjustifiablytobeinconflictwiththegoalsorvaluesofthegroup.Inthiscase,Richard’smistakewasmakinggreateffortstodefendhimselfeveniftheerrorisnotintentiona.Asimpleapologyandacceptanceoftheblamewouldhavebeenappropriate3)WhenitcomestoEngland,wexpectfewerproblemsbetweenAmericansandEnglishmenthanbetweenAmericansandalmostanyothergroup.Inthiscasewemightlookbeyondthegestureoftakingsugarorcreamtothevaluessexpressedinthisgesture:forAmericans,“Helpyourself”;fortheEnglishcounterpart,“Bemyguest.”AmericanandEnglishpeopleequallyenjoyentertainingandbeingentertained,buttheydifferinthevalueofthedistinction.Typically,theidealguestatanAmericanpartyisobewho“makeshimselfathome”.FortheEnglishhost,suchguestbehaviorispresumptuousorrude.Case2(Page24)Acommonculturalmisunderstandinginclassesinvolvsconflictsbetweenwhatissaidtobedirectcommunicationstyleandindirectcommunicationstyle.InAmericanculture,peopletendtosaywhatisontheirmindsandmeanwhattheysay.Therefore,studentsinclassareexpectedtoaskquestionswhentheyneedclarification.MexicanculturesharesthispreferenceofstylewithAmericancultureinsomesituations,andthat’swhythestudentsfromMexicoreadilyadoptedthetechniquesofaskingquestionsinclass.However,Koreanpeoplegenerallypreferindirectcommunicationstyle,andthereforetheytendnottosaywhatisontheirmindsandtorelymoreonimplicationsandinference,soastobepoliteandrepectfulandavoidlosingfacethroughanyimproperverbalbehavior.Asismentionedinthecase,tomanyKoreans,numerousquestionswouldshowadisrespectfortheteacher,andwouldalsoreflectthatthestudenthasnotstudiedhardenough.1(Page24)Theconflicthereisadifferenceinculturalvaluesandbeliefs.Inthebeginning,Marydidn’trealizethatherDominicansistersawherasamemberofthefamily,literally.IntheDominicanview,familypossessionsaresharedbyeveryoneofthefamily.LuzwasactingasmostDominicansisterswooulddoinborrowingwithoutaskingeverytime.OnceMaryunderstoodthattherewasadifferentwayoflookingatthis,shewouldbecomemoreaccepting.However,shemightstillexperiencefrustrationwhenthishappenedagain.Shehadtofindwaystocopewithherownemotionalculturalreactionaswellasherpracticalproblem(thebatteriesrunningout).(Page25)Itmightbesimplyaquestionofdifferentrhythms.Americanshaveonerhythmintheirpersonalandfamilyrelations,intheirfriendlinessandtheircharities.Peoplefromothercultureshavedifferentrhythms.TheAmericanrhythmisfast.Itischaracterizedbyarapidacceptanceofothers.However,itisseldomthatAmericansengagethemselvesentirelyinafriendship.Theirfriendshiparewarm,butcasualandspecialized.Forexample,youhaveaneighborwhodropsbyinthemorningforcoffee.Youseeherfrequently,butyouneverinviteherfordinner notbecauseyoudon’tthinkshecouldhandleaforkandaknife,butbecauseyouhaveseenherthatmorning.Therefore,youreserveyourmoreformalinvitationtodinnerforsomeonewholivesinamoredistantpartofthecityandwhomyouwouldnotseeunlessyouextendedaninvitationforaspecialoccasion.Now,ifthefirstfriendmovesawayandthesecondonemovesnearby,youarelikelytoreservethis seethesecondfriendinthemorningsforinformalcoffeemeetings,andinvitethefirstonemoreformallytodinner.Americansare,inotherwords,guidedveryoftenbytheirownconvenience.Theytendtomakefriendsrapidly,andtheydon’tfeellikeitnecessarytogotoagreatamountoftroubletoseefriendsoftenwhenitbecomesinconvenienttodoso,andusuallynooneishurt.Butinsimilarcircumstances,peoplefrommanyothercultureswouldbehurtverydeeply.Unit2CultureandCommunicationTheanalysisofthiscase:(Page38)TheleastthreethingsamongthefollowingTomdidthatwereregardedtobeimpolite:b.Tomopensthegiftassoonasheispresentedwithit.Tomdoesnotmakeasecondofferofdrinkswhentheyrefusethefirst.TomtalksaboutthecostoflivingintheU.S.A.Tomdoesnotaskthemtostaylongerwhentheysaytheymustbeleaving.g.Tomdoesnotgoouttoseethemoff.(Page60)Analysis:TheChineseguideshouldrefusethefirstofferbecauseheisobeyingtheChineserulesforcommunication.WeChinesearemodest,politeandwell-behaved.Maybetheguideiswaitingforasecondorthirdofferofbeer,buthedoesn’tknowthereasonsbehindtheruleinAmerican2culturethatyoudonotpushalcoholicbeveragesonanyone.Apersonmaynotdrinkforreligiousreasons,hemaybeareformedalcoholic,orhemaybeallergic.Whateverthereason,youdonotinsistonofferingalcohol.Sotheypolitelynevermadeasecondofferofbeertotheguide.(Page61)Whenaspeakersayssomethingtoahearer,thereareatleastthreekindsofmeaningsinvolved:utterancemeaning,thespeaker’smeaningandthehearer’smeaning.Inthedialogue,whenLitzaskedhowlonghermother-in-lawwasgoingtostay,shemeantthatifsheknewhowlongshewasgoingtosatyinFinland,shewouldbeabletomakeproperarrangementsforher,suchastakingherouttosomesightseeing.However,hermother-in-lawtookLitz’squestiontomean“Litzdoesnotwantmetosatyforlong”.FromtheChinesepointofview,itseemsinappropriateforLitztoasksuchaquestionjusttwodaysafterhermother-in-law’sarrival.Ifshehastoaskthequestion,itwouldbebettertoasksometimelaterandsheshouldnotlethermother-in-lawhearit.(Page62)Analysis:Keikoinsistsongivingvaluablegiftstohercollegefriends,becauseincountrieslikeJapan,exchanginggiftsisastronglyrootedsocialtradition.Shouldyoureceiveagift,anddon’thaveonetoofferinreturn,youwillprobablycreateacrisis.Ifnotasseriousasacrisis,onewhodoesn’tofferagiftinreturnmaybeconsideredrudeorimpolite.Therefore,inJapan,giftsareasymbolicwaytoshowthecare,respect,gratitudeandfurtherfriendship.Keiko’scollegefriendswouldratherroundupsomeofthenecessaryitemsandtheyarewillingtohaveherusethem.Theyreallyexpectednothingfromher.ForinAmerica,peopledonatetheirusedhouseholditemstochurchortothecommunity.TheywouldneverconsidertheseolditemsasgiftstoKeiko.SoKeiko’svaluablegiftshavemadeherAmericanfriendsfeeluncomfortable(Page62)WhentheChinesegirlAmyfellinlovewithanAmericanboyatthattime,itseemsthatshepreferredtocelebrateChritmasintheAmericanway,forshewantedverymuchtoappearthesameasotherAmericangirls.Shedidnotliketoseeherboyfrienddisappointedatthe“shabby”ChineseChristmas.That’swhyshecriedwhenshefoundoutherparentshadinvitedtheminister’sfamilyoverfortheChristmasEvedinner.ShethoughtthemenufortheChritmasmealcreatedbyhermotherastrangeonebecausetherewerenoroastturkeyandsweetpotatoesbutonlyChinesefood.Howcouldshenoticethenthefoodchosenbyhermotherwereallherfavorites?Fromthiscase,wecanfindalotofdifferencesbetweentheChineseandWesternculturesinwhatisappropriatefoodforabanquet,whataregoodtablemanners,andhowoneshouldbehavetobehospitable.However,oneshouldneverfeelshamejustbecauseone’scultureisdifferentfromothers’.AsAmy’smothertoldher,youmustbeproudtobedifferent,andyouronlyshameistohaveshame.3Unit3CulturalDiversityCase7(Page76),Betweenfriendsthereisinevitablyakindofequalityofgive-and-take.Butindifferentcultures,peopleviewthisdifferently.InChineseculture,friendshipsdevelopslowlybecausetheyarebuilttolast.WeChinesepreferthesaying“Afriendindeedisafriendinneed.”Andweneverrefusetheaskingforhelpfromafriend.Weneverforgetthetimelyhelpbyafriendwhenweareontherocks.ButInAmericanculture,theyviewthisinadifferentway.Oncehelped,theyoffertheirhelponlyonce.That’swhyJacksonsaidthatMr.Zhaowasaskingtoomuch.Intheirview,friendshipsarebasedoncommoninterests.DifferentLands,DifferentFriendships(P77),FrenchFriendships,GermanFriendships,EnglishFriendships,ChineseFriendships(见补充材料),AmericanFriendships(见补充材料)补充案例(AmericanFriendship)Twomothers,CarmenandJudy,aretalkingtoeachotherataparkwhiletheirchildrenareplayingtogetherinthesand.Caemen:Hi,Judy.Judy:Hi,Carmen.Howareyou?Carmen:Fine.I’mgladtoseethatourchildrenliketoplaytogether.Judy:Yeah,metoo.Irememberjustamonthagotheyweren’tsharingtheirtoys.Carmen:Nowitlookslikethey’reenjoyingeachother.Judy:Finally!Maybewecouldgettogetherateachother’shousessometime.I’msurethekidswouldenjoythat.Carmen:Sure.That’dbenice.Judy:Well,let’sdoitsoon.Carmen:O.K.(JudyandCarmencontinuetotalkwhiletheirchildrenplay.)CaseAnalysisJudyandCarmenarenotrealfriends.Theydon’twanttogettogether,really.Theyoncemeteachotheramonthago.Americanssometimesmakegeneralinvitationlike“Let’sgettogethersometimes.”Oftenthisisjustawaytobefriendly.Itisnotalwaysarealinvitation.Ifthey’dliketosetaspecific(exact)time,thatmeansarealoffer.FamilyStructure(P83),ChineseFamily,FilipinosFamily4,VietnameseFamily,JapaneseFamily(SeeCase9andCase10),LatinAmericanFamily(Page96)TraditionalJapaneserespecttheireldersandfeeladeepsenseofdutytowardthem.TheeldersintraditionalJapanesefamiliesaretypicallyoverpowered.Sothegrandfatherseemedtobeanabsoluteauthorityfortheyoungchairman.InJapaneseculturechallengingordisagreeingwitheilder’sopinionswouldbedeemedasbeingdisrespectful.Thatiswhytheyoungchairmansaidnothingbutjustnoddedandagreedwithhisgrandfather.AnditresultsintheJapanesecompany’swithdrawalfromthenegotiationsconcerningarelationshipwithPhil’scompanyaweeklater.(Page97)InJapan,acompanyisverymuchlikeabigfamily,inwhichthemanagerwilltakecareoftheemployeesandtheemployeesareexpectedtocevotethemselvestothedevelopmentofthecompanyand,ifitisnecessary,tosacrificetheirowninterestsfortheinterestsofthecompany.ButtotheFrench,acompanyisjustaloosely-knitsocialorganizationwhereinindividualsaresupposedtotakecareofthemselvesandtheirfamilies.Andthefamilyisthenumberonepriority,whichisunliketheJapanesemodel“notinvolvingfemalesandtherighttodecidebydominantmale”.(Page97)Inmostcultures,anapologyisneededwhenanoffenceorviolationofsocialnormshastakenplace.TomanyWesterners,JapaneseapologizemorefrequentlyandanapologyinJapanesedoesnotnecessarilymeanthatthepersonisacknowledgingafault.TomanyJapanese,WestenersmayseemtoberudejustbecausetheydonotapologizeasoftenastheJapanesewoulddo.Inthiscase,theatitudeoftheAustralianstudent’sparentsisshockingtheJapanesebutwillbeacceptableinanEnglish-speakingsociety,forthestudentisalreadyanadultandcanberesponsibleforherowndeeds.(Page98)Inthiscase,itseemsthattheChineseexpectationwerenotfulfilled.First,havingtwopeoplesharinghostresponsibilitiescouldbeconfusingtotheChinese.Second,inChina,itisatraditionforthehosttoofferawelcometoastatthebeginningofthemeal.Bynotdoingso,theCanadianmightbethoughtrude.TheabruptdepartureoftheChinesefromthebanquetwasprobablyanindicationthattheywerenotpleasedwiththewaytheyweretreated.TheCanadians’lackofunderstandingoftheChineseculturewouldbeaproblemintheirdealingwiththevisitingdelegation.Unit4LanguageandCulture5Thisexamplevividlyillustratesthatfailuresininterculturaltranslationmayprobablyleadtoveryseriousconsequence,orevendisasterstohumanbeings.Definitely,translationisnotsuchasimpleprocessasrenderingaword,asentenceoratextliterally,butratherafarmorecomplexonethanmostpeopleassumed.Forexample,onceaChinesecosmeticmanufacturerwantedtopromotetheirproductsintotheinternationalmarket.Thesloganoftheadvertisementwas:—sweetasJadell,sinceinChinese—jadellwasalwaysemployedtocomplimentwoman‘sbeauty;butunfortunately,itwasnotanappropriatewordtodescribethebeautyofaladyinWesterncultures.InEnglish,—jadelinitsuseofreferringawomanhadtheconnotationssuchasvulgar,rude,immoral,orskittish.Undoubtedly,thesalesinEuropeancountrieswerenotsatisfying.Theseemingequivalentsbetweenlanguagesmayhaveverydifferentconnotationsindifferentcultures,thusthetranslatorshouldbecautiousintheprocessofdoingthetranslationsoastoavoidmisunderstandings.“杨”referstoYangKaihuiwhowasMaoZedong‘sdeceasedwifeand—柳lreferstoLiuzhixunwhowasLishuyisdeceasedhusband.Theycanbetranslatedindifferentways,butitseemstobeverydifficult,ifnotimpossible,toachieveequivalenceintranslatingfromChineseintoEnglish.Adoptingtheliteraltranslationstrategy,version1appearstobefaithfultotheoriginalbutmayeasilyconfusethereadersinthetargetlanguage.Version2employstheliberaltranslationstrategywithanattempttoconveytheoriginalmeaningaspreciselyaspossible.However,theoriginalpoeticflavorislostastherhetoricdevice—pun—isnotreproduced.Thetranslationseemstobefaithfultotheoriginal,butitmaynotbereallygoodforthepurposeofinterculturalcommunication.Foreignreadersofthetranslationmayfinditstrangeandinappropriate.ThefollowingiswhatafriendlyAmericanjournalisthascommentedonthetranslation:Myfirstreactionwasunfortunatelylaughterbecauseitissofullofmistakes.ItomitssomenecessaryinformationabouttheDragon-BoatFestival,includingitshistoricaloriginsandwhenitactuallytakesplace.Thesethingsareimportant•一Thecopyseemstotryto—snowllthereaderwithfanciful,overblownassertionsabouthowterrificitallis,butinunintentionallyhilariouslanguagethatleavesthereaderlaughingoutuninformed…Thebrochurealsosuffersfromlackofbackgroundmaterial,thetaking-if-for-grantedthatthereaderalreadyisfamiliarwithmanyaspectsofChinesehistoryandculture„Itdoesn‘ttellyouwheretogo,howtogetthere,whenthingsareopenandclosed,howmuchtheycost,andsoforth.Allthesearethingspeoplevisitinganareawanttoknow.WhyisitthatmanyChinesetravelguidesreadbasicallythesame,nomatterwhatregionisbeingwrittenabout,andaresopackedwithindiscriminatehyperbole?Lessexaggerationwouldactuallybemoreconvincing.ComparingthetwoEnglishversions,wecanseethatinYang‘sversionmoreculturally-loadedmeaningsareconveyedfromtheoriginalwhileHawkes‘versionmaybeeasierforEnglish-speakingreaderstocomprehend.Lookatsomeofthedifferencesbetweenthetwoversionsofthisextract:贾母TheLadyDowager/GrandmotherJia老祖宗OldAncestress/Grannydear凤辣子FieryPhoenix/PeppercornFeng二舅母王氏LadyWang,herseconduncle‘swife/herUncleZheng‘swife,LadyWang学名叫做王熙凤theschool-roomnameHis-feng/thesomewhatboyish-soundingnameofWangXi-feng黛玉忙赔笑见礼，以“嫂”呼之Tai-yulostnotimeingreetingherwithasmileas—cousin.ll/6Dai-yuaccordinglysmiledandcurt-eyed,greetingherbyhercorrectnameasshedidso.竟不象老祖宗的外孙女儿Shedoesn‘ttakeafterherfather,son-inlawofourOldAncestress/Shedoesn‘ttakeafteryoursideofthefamily,Ganny.怨不得老祖宗天天嘴里心里放不下NowonderourOldAncestresscouldn‘tputyououtofhermindandwasforevertalkingandthinkingaboutyou./Idon‘tblameyouforhavinggoneonsoaboutherduringthepastfewdays现吃什么药,Whatmedicineareyoutaking?/NottranslatedAndtherearesomeculturally-loadedexpressionsinthetextthatseemtodefytranslation:琏二嫂子内侄女以“嫂”呼之外孙女儿嫡亲的孙女儿妹妹Bycomparingdifferenttranslationsofthesametext,wecanachieveabetterunderstandingofculturalgapsanddifferencesandthenlearntoemployproperstrategiestobridgethosegapsintranslatingacrosslanguagesforinterculturalcommunication.Unit5CultureandVerbalCommunicationWhenthesetwomenseparate,theymayleaveeachotherwithverydifferentimpressions.MrRichardsonisverypleasedtohavemadetheacquaintanceofMrChuandfeelstheyhavegottenofftoaverygoodstart.Theyhaveestablishedtheirrelationshiponafirst-namebasisandMrChu‘ssmileseemedtoindicatethathewillbefriendlyandeasytodobusinesswith.MrRichardsonisparticularlypleasedthathehadtreatedMrChuwithrespectforhisChinesebackgroundbycallinghimHon-fairatherthanusingthewesternname,David,whichseemedtohimanunnecessaryimpositionofwesternculture.Incontrast,MrChufeelsquiteuncomfortablewithMrRichardson.Hefeelsitwillbedifficulttoworkwithhim,andthatMrRichardsonmightberatherinsensitivetoculturaldifferences.Heisparticularlybotheredthat,insteadofcallinghimDavidorMrChu,MrRichardsonusedhisgivenname,Hon-fai,thenamerarelyusedbyanyone,infact.Itwasthisembarrassmentwhichcausedhimtosmile.HewouldfeelmorecomfortableiftheycalledeachotherMrChuandMrRichardson.Nevertheless,whenhewasawayatschoolinNorthAmericahelearnedthatAmericansfeeluncomfortablecallingpeopleMrforanyextendedperiodoftime.Hissolutionwastoadoptawesternname.HechoseDavidforuseinsuchsituations.EveniftheAmericanknewUrdu,thelanguagespokeninPakistan,hewouldalsohavetounderstandthecultureofcommunicationinthatcountrytorespondappropriately.Inthiscase,hehadtosay—Noatleastthreetimes.Insomecountries,forinstance,theUkraine,itmayhappenthataguestispressedasmanyassevenoreighttimestotakemorefood,whereasintheUKitwouldbeunusualtodosomorethantwice.ForaUkrainian,todoittheBritishwaywouldsuggestthepersonisnotactuallygenerous.Indeed,Britishrecipientsofsuchhospitalitysometimesfeelthattheirhostisbehavingimpolitelybyforcingthemintoabind,sincetheyrunoutofpoliterefusalstrategieslongbeforetheUkrainianhosthasexhaustedhis/herrepertoireofpoliteinsistencestrategies.Talkingaboutwhat‘swrongisnoteasyforpeopleinanyculture,butpeopleinhigh-contextcountrieslikeChinaputhighpriorityonkeepingharmony,preventinganyonefromlosingface,andnurturingtherelationship.ItseemsthatRonKellyhadtolearnadifferentwayofsendingmessage7whenhewasinChina.AthomeinCanadahewouldhavegonedirectlytothepoint.ButinChina,goingdirectlytotheproblemwithsomeonemaysuggestthatheorshehasfailedtoliveuptohisorherresponsibilityandthehonorofhisorherorganizationisinquestion.Inhigh-contextcultureslikeChina,suchamessageisseriousanddamaging.Inlow-contextcultures,however,thetendencyisjustto—spititout,togetitintowordsandworryabouttheresultlater.Sendersofunwelcomemessagesuseobjectivefacts,assuming,aswithpersuasion,thatfactsareneutral,instrumental,andimpersonal.Indirectnessisoftenthewaymembersofhigh-contextcultureschoosetocommunicateaboutaproblem.ItseemsthatthelettersofrequestwritteninEnglishaswellasinChinesebyChinesepeoplearelikelytoprefacetherequestwithextendedface-work.ToChinesepeople,thenormalandpolitewaytoformarequestrequiresprovidingreasonsthatareusuallyplacedbeforetherequests.Ofcourse,thisisjusttheinverseofEnglishconventionsinwhichrequestsarefrontedwithoutmuchface-work.IntheviewoftheEnglish-speakingpeople,theopeninglinesofChineserequestsandsomeotherspeechactsdonotusuallyprovideathesisortopicstatementwhichwillorientthelistenertotheoveralldirectionofthecommunication.Worstofall,thelackofprecisionandthefailuretoaddressthepointdirectlymayleadtosuspicionsthattheChinesespeakersarebeatingaroundthebush.Tothem,thepresenceofaclearandconcisestatementofwhatistobetalkedaboutwillmakethespeechmoreprecise,moredramatic,andmoreeloquent.However,theChineselearningandusingEnglishincommunicationmayfinditdifficulttocometotermswiththecommonEnglishtendencytobeginwithatopicstatement.IntheChineseculture,statingone‘srequestormainpointatthebeginningwouldmakethepersonseemimmodest,pushy,andinconsiderateforwantingthings.Ifyourspeechgivesotherstheimpressionthatyouaredemandingsomething,youwouldlosefaceforactingaggressivelyandnotconsideringtheothers.Thusyou‘dbehurtingpeoplebyclaimingsomethingforyourself.Insuchasituation,itisusuallyconsideredasmartstrategyifyoucarefullydelineatethejustificationsthatwillnaturallyleadtoyourrequestorargument.Therefore,insteadofstatingtheirpropositionsomewhereinthebeginningandthenproceedingtobuildtheircase,Chinesepeopleoftenfirstestablishasharedcontextwithwhichtojudgetheirrequestsorarguments.Onlyaftercarefullyprefacingthemwithanavalancheofrelevantdetails,asiftonullifyanyopposition,willtheypresenttherequestsorarguments.Unit6CultureandNonverbalCommunicationSometimesourbestintentionscanleadtobreakdownsincross-culturalcommunication.Forexample,oneoftheverycommonmannersoftouchinghandshakingmayresultinconflictwhenperformedwithnoconsiderationofculturaldifferences.Amongmiddle-classNorthAmericanmen,itiscustomarytoshakehandsasagestureoffriendship.Whenwantingtocommunicateextrafriendliness,amaleintheUnitedStatesmay,whileshakinghands,graspwithhislefthandhisfriend‘srightarm.However,topeopleofMiddleEasterncountries,thelefthandisprofaneandtouchingsomeonewithitishighlyoffensive.Therefore,inVernon‘seyes,Kennethwasactuallyanextremelyoffensivemessagetohim.InPuertoRicanculture,asinsomeotherLatinAmericanandEasterncultures,itisnotrightforachildtokeepaneye-contactwithanadultwhoisaccusinghimorher,whileintheUnitedStates,failingofmeetingotherperson‘seyeaccusinghimorherwouldbetakenasasignofguiltiness.Astheprincipalknewlittleaboutthisculturaldifferenceinusingeye-contact,hedecidedthatthegirlmustbeguilty.Generallyspeaking,avoidingeye-contactwiththeother(s)isoftenconsideredasaninsultinsomecultures,butmaysignifyrespectforauthorityandobedienceinothercultures.8Justlikesmile,laughingdoesnotalwaysservethesamefunctionindifferentcultures.Interestingly,forusChinese,laughingoftenhasaspecialfunctiononsometensesocialoccasions.Peoplemaylaughtoreleasethetensionorembarrassment,toexpresstheirconcernaboutyou,theirintentiontoputyouateaseortohelpyoucomeoutoftheembarrassment.Inthiscase,thepeopletherewereactuallywishingtolaughwiththeAmericanratherthanlaughather.Theirlaughingseemedtoconveyanumberofmessages:don‘ttakeitsoseriously;laughitoff,it‘snothing;suchthingscanhappentoanyofus,etc.UnfortunatelytheAmericanwasunawareofthis.Shethoughttheywerelaughingather,whichmadeherfeelmorebadlyandangry,forinherculturelaughingonsuchanoccasionwouldbeinterpretedasaninsultingresponse,humiliatingandnegative.ItisobviousthatthereexistssomedifferencebetweentheBritishandGermansintheiruseoftouch.ThelackoftouchthatseemstobenaturalinBritainmaybeconsideredstrangebyGermans.Whatisrequired(inthiscase,shakinghandswitheachother)inonecountrycouldbetakenasunnecessaryinanother.Theappropriatenessofcontactbetweenpeoplevariesfromcountrytocountry.Figuresfromastudyoffersomeinterestinginsightintothismatter.Pairsofindividualssittingandchattingincollegeshopsindifferentcountrieswereobservedforatleastonehoureach.Thenumberoftimesthateitheronetouchedtheotherinthatonehourwasrecorded,asfollows:inLondon,0;inFlorida,2;inParis,10;inPuertoRico,180.Thesefiguresindicatethattouchisusedverydifferentlyindifferentcultures.Unit7TimeandSpaceAcrossCulturesForpeoplefromtheAmericancultureandwesternEuropeancultures,one‘stimeshouldbescheduledintosegmentsorcompartmentswhicharetobekeptdiscretefromoneanother.Theyprefertodoonethingatatime.Theywillbeannoyedwhentheyhavemadeanappointmentwithsomebody,onlytofindalotofotherthingsgoingonatthesametime.Theydon‘tliketointerruptothersandbeinterruptedbyotherwhiletheyaredoingsomething.Incontrast,peoplefrommanyotherculturesincludingtheChineseculturearemorelikelytooperatewithseveralpeople,ideas,ormatterssimultaneously.Theyaremoreeasilydistractedandsubjecttointerruptions,whichtheywouldnotusuallymindverymuch.ThemiscommunicationbetweenKatherineandthedirectorcanbeascribedtotheirlackofknowledgeabouteachother‘swayofusingtime.Inthiscase,totheChinesedirectoraswellasmanyotherChinesepeople,itisnaturaltohandletheotherthingswhichneededtobedealtwithimmediately.Hemayhavethoughtthat,inthisway,heutilizedthetimebest.ButtoKatherineandmostWesterners,it‘squitedifferent.Theytendtodothingsstrictlyaccordingtothei