Challenges of Intercultural Communication

Considering 80% of a conversation is based around indirect communication,

with only 20% being verbal conversation, it is no wonder intercultural
misunderstandings arise. Adding to this, the difference between high context cultures
and low context cultures may create intercultural misunderstandings due to
differences in speech patterns and differing levels of usage of indirect
communication. Understanding differences in communication styles aids intercultural
communication and minimizes miscommunication, conflict and offence.

Note that misunderstanding in intercultural communication may not always be

caused by verbal utterances. Misunderstanding may also occur due to wrong
interpretation of the non-verbal code.

For instance, not everyone has a word for “Hello” or “Hi” or do they wave their hand to
greet people. For example, muslims greet other muslims (and sometimes, non-muslims) by saying
“As-salam alaykom” (pronounced as Ahl sah-LAHM ah-LAY-koom) which literally means “may
peace be upon you”. Every culture has a unique way of greeting people and we’ve found the most
unique ways to say hello around the world! Study the table below.

Country/Region Type of Greetings Meaning

Tibet Sticking the tongue out Tibetan monks stick their
tongue out to greet people.
They also press the hands
together and place them in
front of their chest to show
that they “come in peace”.
They started doing this to
prove that they’re not the
reincarnation of a cruel king
from the 9th century that had a
black tongue.
Philippines “Mano” Elders are greeted by taking
one of their hands gently and
pressing it on your forehead.
They call this gesture “Mano”
(which is “hand” in Spanish)
and it’s used to show respect.
Japan Bowing People greet each other with a
bow in Japan. The problem is
that their bows differ in angle
and duration depending on the
person they’re greeting.
Oman Nose “kisses” Men often greet each other by
pressing their noses together.
New Zealand Hongi It is similar to the Oman
greeting except they also press
 their foreheads together and
look at each others eyes.
Tuvalu The traditional greeting in
Tuvalu is to press their cheeks
together and simultaneously
inhaling.
Malaysia Malays usually stretch out
their hands and touch the other
person’s fingertips
Greenland Kunik Placing thnose and upper lip
against the cheek or forehead
of the other person and taking
a deep breath.
Kenya Adamu The tribe warriors perform an
elaborated jumping dance.
Thailand Wai People greet each other by
pressing thei rhands together
in a prayer fashion and
slightly bowing their heads.
Botswana Handshake To perform this, you have to
follow 3 steps: extend your
right arm, place your left hand
on your right elbow, and press
hands together; Interlock your
hand with the other person’s,
interlacing thumbs; and then
return to the original position
and say “Lae kae?” which
means “How are you?” in
Setswana.

Hand Gestures in Different Countries

Hand gestures are a great way of reinforcing what you’re saying, but caution as they may
mean different things in different cultures.
Thumbs up
This widely recognized sign of approval or agreement is

actually used as an insult in Bangladesh. In certain

parts of the Middle East, thumbs-up is definitely a highly
offensive thumbs-down. The thumbs-up sign has been
confusing people for thousands of years!

Come here
This is used in the United States to ask a person to step
forward, but in Asia this gesture isn’t welcome It should
only be used to beckon dogs…if you do it in the Philippines you could be arrested.

The horn fingers

In USA “the horn fingers” is adopted by rockers and it is a sign of approval, rock on!
Hook ’em Horns is the slogan and hand signal of the University of Texas at Austin. But in many
Mediterranean and Latin countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Spain, Italy and
Portugal, to make this sign at someone is to tell them that their spouse is cheating on them.

Looking at your watch

This means ‘I’m in a hurry’ or ‘I’ve got to be somewhere’. In the Middle East, however, a
conversation should run its natural course, as it would be very rude to look at your watch mid-
conversation. In Arabic culture, once communication has started, it must “take its time”.

The Ok
In most of the English-speaking world, as well as in several other countries, this hand gesture
means that everything is fine, great, okay and/or perfect. In Brazil, however, it is considered a
rude gesture. The most famous example of this was in the 1950s when Richard Nixon visited
Brazil and flashed the “Ok sign” to a waiting crowd upon arriving in Rio de Janeiro, who
responded with boos!

The “V” Sign

This sign has two formats: one with the palm faced outwards, and another with the palm inwards.
In the US, both ways refer to “victory” and peace: protesters against the Vietnam War and activists
adopted the gesture as a sign of peace. Because the hippies of the day often flashed this sign (palm
out) while saying “Peace”, it became popularly known (through association) as the peace sign.In
other places, such as in the UK, Australia and South Africa, the same gesture with the back of the
hand facing the other person is considered to be an extremely insulting.

Task
1. Why do you think it is important to know the meaning of non-verbal codes?

REFERENCES
Intercultural Communication.(2018, July 17.) Retrieved from
https://intercultualcommunicationn.weebly.com/misunderstandings.html

Travel Moments. Say Hello:11 Ways People Greet Each Other Around the World. (2017,
November 13). Retrieved From https://www.opodo.co.uk/blog/greetings-around-the-
world/

What Hand Gesture Mean indifferent Countries. Retrieved from https://blog.busuu.com/what-

hand-gestures-mean-in-different-countries/