Cultural Interference In Cross-cultural Communication

AbStractPeOPle are - bo in an age Of gu, and are increaSingly in COntaCwith PebPe from dri CUltures as a resul of the raPd develOPmen of ecompand teclmlogy. Whn PeOPle from differen culfores nd and coInIntalcate, thcircoInmuniche behavior is called crosswt COnnnwhcation. LW plays acoIIUnandin role as a means of COIYnnforatiOn. bo, thds is a great potentialfor coIInnwhcation failures in cross-culW context. even When COInmedatorshaV aCquired qulte peffeCt linghstic cotnPetenCe of the fOreign langUag- suchcOInmtalcation breakdwns are attributabIe to cultIJral bonce resultin frOmdiversity of culbes. The aiIn of this PaPer is to taclde the PrOblem of cultalinttwe in cross-culed cOIIuntalcallon.The PaPer beginS with dedri the tenns lthe cultUf. cOnUntalcthen, langUage,and idelltithe the relationShi of the three. Every langUae used forcOmIntalcation is edly boun uP with the ~ life exPeriell of the natheSPeakerS of that langUage, and the concePt of IanN may be bod Until itincludes alInost all culturaI areas. And cultUre, according tO some socioIogistS andM1OgistS. is cAsedon' W twe in crossedconnntalcation is inevitable as long as ther ealst cultural differenCes.As M is mulWiOnd, cultw Me may aPpear in each aspect ofcross-M W' yet the Pape Wy fOcuses itS discussion on thede ofM bo on wibes, boase in soed'Won, and tranSlatability because of the hat Of sPace. Mewi fore,Whih is at the M core of coMatiOn, iS culturally based. twwi saInPlanalysis lthe colOr tenn, wtals and plants and eUPheInis, the author points Olltha words sharing the sam concePtual meanin tnay differ in associathe meaningand often Prodce the 'cOInmtalcatiV value'. thus rnay become inttwein crossM Understanding. For social interation, people in all cultwsexchan greetngs, mak farewells, exPress tbanks, offer cOInP- and makrepes tO thenL he differen culwts hav differe nonns of intwtiOnand langUages also vny grcay in Patw and conVenons frOm one cultUre toH. Wut enough Anowedge of the culed differenes, peOle are veqlthely to ced mpatic ndstaks by fOllowin thch accustoIned Way, in thacase, conuntalcation breakdowns arise. As langUage is the key tO a culbe ofwhich it is a pot tranSlation in man case are ffeult if nOt ~SSilile. tti ispeM to a langUag or culbe is resistan tO edatiOn, as bo by examPforbobo in the op.For the He of nUmnllZmg culturai bo in crosschcoIInnotatiOn. the pM sets tO sOrt Out the foron and soures of culWintetwnce. Cultal intefferences mainl mhafeSt theInSelves in cultural ndstaksW using a foreign langUag for coInInuIhan. These ndstaks seemNcaIly twess, bu socially and cuItUrail inaPPrOPriate or unaccePtable inllthe target language. Manifestation of cultural interference may fall into several categories as: equating English words with Chinese words in meanings, bringing Chinese customs into cross-cultural communication, or just being at a loss to understand a text or speech in the foreign language. As cultural interferences result from cultural differences, the knowledge of the factors resulting in cultural differences will facilitate the understanding of such differences and be helpful in minimizing cultural interference. Through comparative analysis, the author takes the position that cultural factors like worldviews, values, religions, ethics, historical and geographical environments and the like bear paramount importance in crosscultural communication. The knowledge of them may help people understand why some people value collectivism whereas others value individualism or why some people try to be modest whereas others try to be straightforward. They are also helpful in developing an objective attitude and avoiding ethnocentrism, which is a tendency to view people unconsciously by using one抯 own group and one抯 own customs as the standard for all judgement.The study of cultural interference is of great significance for the teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL) in China. For several decades, great effort...