Let us achieve this:

CHAPTER 2  Explain how cultural and global

issues affect communication;
COMMUNICATION AND  Appreciate the impact of

GLOBALIZATION communication on society and the

world;
 Write a reaction paper on
ACTIVITY
Take a look at the picture and answer the following communication challenges in a
questions: global atmosphere and methods for
1. What is the image saying about the world today? effective and ethical global
2. What do you think has contributed to the easy communication;
access and exchange of information these days? Why?
 Determine culturally appropriate
3. In transacting or communicating in a global
setting, what vital preparations must be done? Why? terms, expressions and images
 Adopt cultural and intercultural
awareness and sensitivity in
communication of ideas; and
 Apply the varieties and registers of
spoken and written language in the
proper context.

Kim, G. [Link]
communications-technology-hd-png-download/
Communication- an act of conveying intended information and understanding from one person to
another is called as communication

Globalization- “key to the worldwide integration of humanity” increased interconnectedness and

interdependence of peoples and countries

In Southeast Asia for example, the ASEAN Integration has been a buzzword among social
communities, opening a wide array of discussion for future collaborations.

For their part, Filipinos have increased their awareness and acceptance of the notion that
they belong to a diverse, global community. This is not confined to communication with people
from other countries, but is inclusive of communication with their own societies, even with the
minorities and the indigenous peoples. It is therefore imperative that they learn to communicate
effectively with people regardless of age, gender, race, ability, religion, sexual orientation, income,
marital status or ethnicity.

Communication in the modern world must be anchored on the concept of diversity, since
effective communication and the ability to understand cultural differences are skills that have
become requisites not only for a meaningful social life but also for a successful professional career.

Even professionals from the countries that are traditionally known for sticking to their
native tongue (Japan, Korea, Vietnam) have started to learn English, as the internationally-
recognized lingua franca, with the concept that learning English does not make them less Japanese,
Koreans or Vietnamese. Hence, it is equally important for Filipinos to remain competitive in the
highly globalize environment by learning to communicate effectively and ethically in multicultural
settings.

In addition, digital technology has erased territorial boundaries among countries and
among people with varying cultures. The notion of being “stranger” has been revolutionized as the
people whom we used to treat as strangers are now our co-workers, classmates or friends-
eventhough some only in social media.
 Hence, there is a need to develop graduates and professionals who are multiculturalists-
those who are engaged with and respectful of people with different cultures. These are not
necessarily people from other countries all the time, since a country may have sub-cultures among
its general society. In the Philippines, for example, there is no argument that people from Southern
Tagalog have a different culture from the Bicolanos and those from Zamboanga have different
norms and beliefs from Ilocanos.

What are the effects of globalization on communication?

Connecting with people on the other side of the world is now easier than it was a few years
ago. Satellites, fiber-optic cables and the internet, make it effortless to share information with those
in different time zones and locations. Global communication is directly affected by the process of
globalization and helps to increase business opportunities, remove cultural barriers and develop
a global village. Both globalization and global communication have changed the environmental,
cultural, political and economic elements of the world.

1. Increased Business Opportunities

Many companies today hire employees that are located in other countries. Using
communication vehicles such as video calling makes it simple to converse with
colleagues across the globe, almost making it feel as if they are in the same room.
Technology also make it easier to connect with suppliers and customers all over the
world, and to streamline those relationships through improves ordering and shipment
tracking
2. Remove Cultural Barriers
Many people perceived culture to be the root of communication challenges. When
people from two different cultures try to exchange information, the way they speak,
their body language or their mannerisms can be interpreted differently by other person.
The way people approach problems and how they participate in communities is all
influenced by culture but eing able to communicate effectively and frequently with
colleagues or friends across the planet helps people understand each other’s cultures a
little better.
 3. Creation of Global Village
Affected both by globalization and global communication, the global village is created
when distance and isolation no longer matter because people are connected by
technology. Widespread telephone and internet access have been life changing for
many people across the world without having to leave their place.

ACTIVITY:

Are you ready to communicate in a global and multicultural environment? Assess

your readiness to communicate effectively with people having different cultures. Simply answer
TRUE or FALSE.

______1. I enjoy communicating with persons who are like me in terms of interests and with the
same socio-economic status, as much as I enjoy communicating those who are not like me.

______2. I am equally sensitive to the concerns of all groups of society and I genuinely care to the
plight and issues surrounding them.

______3. I can tell when persons with different cultures do not understand me or are confused by
my actions.

______4. I am not afraid of interacting with members of minority groups nor with members of a
dominant culture.

______5. Persons from other cultures who do not actively

participate in a conversation, debate or any form of discussion Marshall McLuhan
act that way probably because of their culture’s rule.
He coined the term “Global
village”.
______6. Persons from other cultures have the right to be angry
at members of my own culture.

______7. How I handle conflict or disagreements with persons from other culture depends on the
situation and on the culture they are from.

______8. My culture is not superior to other cultures.

______9. I am knowledgeable of how to behave when communicating or interacting with people

having different cultures.

______10. I respect the communication rules of cultures other than my own.

The greater the number of statements that are HONESTLY TRUE to you, the more
prepared you are to welcome the opportunity of communicating and interacting with people from
different cultures. This is very important aspect in one’s personal life or professional careers, since
avoiding intercultural communication is virtually inevitable in any organization.

This is especially true in business organizations, when products can go global and the
manner by which any product is communicated to the global market can make or break the brand.
Here are few examples of business miscommunication in a global setting:

Gerber dealt with issues in some cultures where women have low literacy rates such
as Africa and the Middle East. The women in these cultures generally use pictures to
tell them what food they are buying. When Gerber started selling their product in
these countries, the women saw the picture of the baby and believed that there was a
baby or part of one baby in the jar.

Irish Mist is a brown whisky produced in Dublin, Ireland. In

Germany, however “Mist” literally translates to “crap”.

Joni (read as “Yoni”) is a brand of skin product. However, Yoni means “uterus” or
“vagina” in Sanskrit and is an Indian representation of female genitalia, especially
pertaining to the Hindu goddess Shakti.

Undoubtedly, globalization has affected the way people and companies communicate with
each other. In some cases, cultural differences have accentuated cultural insensitivity, which is
most felt in the business world. Since everyone is a consumer of particular business products, it is
important to know the issues, etiquette, protocol, communication styles and negotiation
approaches of people from different cultures using the business experience as example. Here are
some instances when lack of cultural or linguistic sensitivity in global communication severely
affected companies or products:

McDonald’s spent thousands on a new TV ad to target the Chinese consumers.

This features a Chinese man kneeling before a McDonald’s crew and begging him to
accept his expired discount coupon. The ad caused uproar over the fact that begging is a
shameful act in Chinese culture.
 Similarly, McDonald’s also unintentionally offended thousands of Muslims when it printed
an excerpt from the Korean on its throwaway (takeout) hamburger bags. Muslims saw this as
sacrilegious.

Some staff at the African port of Stevadores saw the supposedly

internationally-recognized symbol for “fragile” (i.e. broken wine glass). Since in
their culture, they treat the pictures printed on packages to be representation of
what’s inside, they thought it was a box of broken glasses and threw all the boxes
into the sea.

 The film “Holywood Buddha” caused outrage and protest on the streets of Sri Lanka,
Malaysia and Myanmar (Burma) when the designer of the film’s poster decided to show
the lead actor sitting on the Buddha’s head, which is an act of clear degradation against
something holy.

 Coors (beer) once had its slogan “Turn it loose” translated to Spanish, but it became to
mean “Suffer from diarrhea”.

All of these examples are predominantly business-related, where companies failed to regard
cultural differences in packaging and communicating their product to the global market. However,
the cost of cultural insensitivity in global communication can be felt in everyday communication,
as cultural misunderstandings often lead to misinterpretation and unnecessary tension between
people. Here are some examples demonstrating this in a global setting:

 Showing the sole of a shoe (by crossing one’s legs and pointing one’s shoes to the speaker,
for example) means nothing to observers in most Western and Asian countries, In Muslim
cultures (such as Saudi Arabia) however, the gesture is perceived as insulting. Similarly,
crossing one’s legs while seated is customary for Westerners, but this is faux pas in Korea.

 Blinking rapidly while another person is talking is normal for most people, especially
during tense situations. For Taiwanese, this is considered impolite.
  The Japanese view the business card as an extension of their body, while Americans view
it simply as a business formality. Hence, when Japanese hand over their business cards
with two hands and with great care, they get insulted when the person just put it away with
haste.

ASSESSMENT TO BE GIVEN IN FACE TO FACE CLASSES

LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATION IN MULTICULTURAL

SETTING

ACTIVITY:
How do you get to communicate effectively across cultures? Indicate whether you agree or
disagree with the following statements:

_________1. I am interested in interacting with people who are both like me and different from
me.

_________2. I am sensitive to the concerns of all minority and majority groups in our multicultural
country.

_________3. I can sense when persons from other cultures seem not to understand me or get
confused by my actions.

_________4. I have no fear communicating with persons from both minor and major cultural
groups.

_________5. People from other cultures may get angry with my cultural affiliates.

_________6. I deal with conflicts with people from other cultures depending on the situation and
their cultural background.

_________7. My culture is inferior to other cultures.

_________8. I can manage my behavior when dealing with people of different cultures.

Note: The more number of agreements you have indicates the more prepared you are in expanding
your communication arena by welcoming people from different cultures.
 Living in a globalized world, you encounter people with diverse cultural backgrounds.
Such interactions occur in social, educational, political and commercial settings. Hence, in today’s
era of increased global communication, it is imperative to understand intercultural awareness and
competence. Intercultural competence is essential for us to live harmoniously despite our
differences in culture.

Intercultural communication refers to interaction with people from diverse cultures

(Jandt, 1998).

Forms of Intercultural Communication

1. Interracial Communication- communicating with people from different races

Interethnic Communication- interacting with people of different ethnic origins
2. International Communication- communicating between representatives from different
nations
3. Intracultural Communication-interacting with members of the same racial or ethnic
group or co-culture
According to Gamble and Gamble (2008), communication style among cultures
differs; it may be high context or low context communication.
High context communication is a tradition-linked communication system which
adheres strongly to being indirect. Low context tradition is a system that works on
straightforward communication.

Improving Intercultural Communication Competence

The following guidelines may help you enhance your ability to communicate effectively
across cultures (Gamble and Gamble, 2008).

1. Recognize the validity and differences of communication styles among people.

2. Learn to eliminate personal biases and prejudices.
3. Strive to acquire communication skills necessary in a multicultural world.
VARIETIES AND REGIST ERS OF ACTIVITY:
SPOKEN AND WRITTEN L ANGUAGE Identify the type of language
register used in the given example.
The language register determines the
_______1. Friendly letters
vocabulary, structure, and some grammar in your _______2. Reviews
writing. _______3. Business letters
_______4. Official speeches
We use different language registers for _______5. Most blogs
_______6. Diaries and journals
different types of writing, just as we speak _______7. Articles
differently to different people. _______8. Short notes
_______9. Personal emails
_______10. Professional emails
_______11. Love letters
_______12. Technical writing
_______13. Phone texts
_______14. Announcements
_______15. Letters of complaint

1. Formal Language Register

The formal register is more appropriate for professional writing and letters to a boss or a
stranger.
Formal writing is probably the most difficult type of writing. It is impersonal, meaning it
is not written for a specific person and is written without emotion.
Some kinds of writing are always written in formal English.

Rules of the formal language register:

1. Do not use contractions
2. Spell out numbers less than one hundred
3. Write in third person point of view
4. Avoid using too much passive voice
5. Avoid using slang, idioms, exaggeration (hyperboles) and clichés
6. Avoid abbreviations and acronyms
7. Do not start sentences with words like and, so, but, also
8. Always write in complete sentences.
 9. Write longer, more complex sentences.
2. Informal Language Register

The informal register (also called casual or intimate) is conversational and

appropriate when writing to friends and people you know very well. Informal writing is
written in the way we talk to our friends and family. We use informal writing when we are
writing to someone we know very well. Some kinds of writing can be written in an informal
style.

With informal writing, you can include things such as:

Slang and clichés Figurative language

Symbols and abbreviations Acronyms

Incomplete sentences Short sentences

First person, second person, and third person Paragraphs or no paragraphs

Jokes Personal opinions

Extra punctuation (Hi Bob!!!!!!!) Passive and active voice

3. Neutral Language Register

The neutral register is non-emotional and sticks to facts. It is most appropriate for
technical writings. We use the neutral language register with non-emotional topics and
information.

Neutral writing is not necessarily formal or informal. It is not usually positive or

negative. A neutral register is used to deliver facts. Some writings are written in a neutral
register. This means they are not specifically formal or informal.

ASSESSMENT TO BE GIVEN IN FACE TO FACE CLASSES