Before I did any research on the topic of intercultural communications

in animal science, I didnt think about other countries doing research or

anything in this field at all. If you think about it though, they have to
eat to survive just as much as we do, so they are likely going to raise
their animals for meat and do research to increase their production too.
There are a couple of international organizations I found that are used
to share knowledge, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) and the International Livestock Research
Institute. The FAO website is offered in six different languages for all of
their different member countries to be able to use it. China and the
United States are both members of each of these organizations.
China
With these organizations and just other research that is going to be
shared in general, it is important that we are able to understand
exactly what other countries may be telling us. Obviously there is the
language barrier between the US and China, but even for those who
learned how to speak Chinese, we should be able to understand the
contexts under which they speak. When meeting with others,
especially on business, Chinese like to be polite and keep harmony
amongst all parties. They like to have an agenda and stick to it.
Hierarchy is another big factor in how they communicate; when talking
to a superior they are careful about their word choice. Therefore,
communication between people of the same rank is much more
productive and clear. Chinese dont like to talk about the negative or
tell others of bad news. They will put it off until absolutely necessary or
the problem is fixed. China is a great country for our country to
communicate with on this topic, as it is predicted that they will produce
more doctorates in this field than the US (Alworth et al, 2010)
India
India is another bigger country in this field. They communicate quite a
bit differently than we do. We like to talk a lot, including talking just
because we want to talk. They are quiet people and prefer silence,
especially when they are upset in a situation. In addition, they value
listening much more than talking. Expressing more than just necessary
words to someone you dont know very well is something that they do
not believe in. Historically, listening, observing and memorizing are
skills that they have been taught and are especially important in the
story telling of their ancestors.
United States
There are a lot of communication differences that occur right here in
the US with animal sciences research. Our population is continually
becoming more diverse so we have to know how to communicate with
these people, whether or not they are from the US or speak English. In

the lab, it is important to be able to correctly share procedures with

others who may not understand it exactly as you would write or explain
it. There are many schools and workplaces here that have regulations
and/or training in place on diversity. The research labs want all of their
researchers to feel included so they are able to put their best foot
forward to contribute to the furthering of our field.
References
Alworth, L., Ardayfio, K. L., Blickman, A., Greenhill, L., Hill, W., Sharp, P.,
Goren, M. J. (2010). Diversity in Laboratory Animal Science: Issues
and Initiatives. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory
Animal Science: JAALAS, 49(2), 138146.
n.a. (n.d.). Countries. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/countryprofiles/en/.
n.a. (n.d.). Countries. International Livestock Research Institute.
Retrieved from https://www.ilri.org/tagadelic/chunk/2.
Rice, Marah. (n.d.). Differences in Communication. Native Americans.
Retrieved from
http://unioncollegenativeamericans.weebly.com/cultural-differences-incommunication.html.
Upton-Mclaughlin, Sean. (2013, September 24). Tips for
Communicating with the Chinese, Part 1. The China Culture Corner.
Retrieved from https://chinaculturecorner.com/2013/09/24/how-tocommunicate-with-the-chinese-part-1/.