Before we dive deep into cross-cultural communication, here’s an imaginary situation. You run a home décor e-store. A customer from Denmark comes into chat: “Can you offer anything special for a hygge setting?” Although the customer has typed it in English, you don’t have the slightest idea about “hygge” (it is a quality rendering coziness and comfort; it’s one of the Danish culture’s defining characteristics). You simply answer “no,” leaving the customer frustrated and your products in the “Cozy Home” category lying on the e-shelf unsold.
It can be worse.
Imagine you have a new team member from Germany. When you gather for a team-building event, you casually mention: “Well, I expected you to be the first to arrive; aren’t you a German?!” Such an inappropriate remark may sound offensive (based on a stereotype that the Germans are always punctual).
These cases clearly demonstrate failed cross-cultural communication. Even if you don’t recognize yourself in them (hopefully), it’s critically important to improve your cross-cultural communication skills (verbal and nonverbal). FYI, we’re stepping into the era of multiculturalism. So, let’s prepare thoroughly for it!
What Is Cross-Cultural Communication?
Cross-cultural or intercultural communication is an interaction between people coming from different cultures and, more often than not, countries.
The cultural differences between them may include:
Ethnic origin
Religion
Beliefs
Cuisine
Traditions
Behaviors
Social norms, etc.
Needless to say, acceptance of every difference by both parties through mutual respect is only one of the keystones of effective cross-cultural communication. We’ll discuss all of them in a minute.
Meanwhile, explore the most “trafficky” areas where people usually transcend linguistic and cultural barriers.
Spheres and Examples of Intercultural Communication
Business Negotiation
Example:
When an American company negotiates a partnership with a Japanese firm, American partners might want to learn the peculiarities of the Japanese business language.
Multinational Team Collaboration
Example:
Remote employees from the UK and South Korea plan to work on a software development project. They must use virtual communication tools to align their time zones and decide on the proper digital etiquette acceptable for the whole team (formality and titles, response times, etc.)
Customer Service
Example:
A sales representative in a global bank makes cold calls to Middle Eastern clients who are Muslims by religion. The sales rep must respect their Muslim traditions, such as religious holidays and daily prayer times, among other things.
Research or Academic Collaboration
Example:
Laboratory workers from a Western research center are conducting a joint study with their colleagues from Egypt.
As Grant Aldrich, Founder of Online Degree, notes, “Multicultural communication becomes a pressing agenda for colleges and universities that globalize education and initiate student exchange programs. To help students develop cross-cultural communication skills, they often provide free language-learning resources and employ strategies like multilingual dialogue circles, international weeks, or other on-campus activities.”
Healthcare
Example:
A healthcare professional in a multinational city treats patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. The doctor may need to ask patients about their preferences regarding family involvement. Some people (e.g., in Asian or Hispanic cultures) may prefer their families to be involved in medical decisions. In contrast, others prioritize autonomy (in the Western culture).
Traveling
Example:
A couple from Brazil is traveling to Thailand. For successful intercultural communication and travel fluency in this country, they should know that the “Wâi” gesture is significant for Thais, particularly when interacting with senior citizens or those in service roles.
7 Universal Keys to Effective Cross-Cultural Communication
Key #1. Explore the culture’s depths.
Suppose you want to communicate effectively with a friend, colleague, employee, customer, business partner, or anyone else with a diverse cultural heritage behind their back. In any case, the first step is to peel the deepest layers in that particular culture.
While communicating with customers across borders, Roman Zrazhevskiy, Founder & CEO at MIRA Safety, has tested multiple methods to immerse deeper in their cultures. “From reading dedicated books and academic journals or articles, watching documentaries, and visiting historical museums to traveling to the region, connecting with locals, volunteering, and participating in cultural events—anything is handy for delving deeper into the historical roots and researching all contradictions and intricacies.”
For example:
The MIRA Safety team conducted solid historical research for a blog post on Israeli Special Forces, elite units referred to as “Sayeret” in Hebrew, to understand the Israeli military culture better.
Another article debunked stereotypes about the Slav Squat, a “squatting” phenomenon and a part of the “gopnik” subculture originating from the Slavic countries.
Key #2. Approach culturally sensitive topics with caution.
What are those?
The most common topics with high cultural sensitivity are:
Historical events and traumas
Colonialism
Politics
Attitude to sexual orientation or themes like dating and love affairs
Socioeconomic status
Personal finances
And others.
Let’s talk about money. There’s no hiding the truth. Money talks are frequently frowned upon as impolite or taboo in many cultures. Yet, there are even wider cultural discrepancies, particularly when it comes to indebtedness.
Operating in the niche of finances, Jeffrey Zhou, CEO and Founder of Fig Loans, notices that “For some cultures, debt is normalized in financial planning and finance-related conversations. People may openly discuss mortgages, credit cards, and other forms of debt. At the same time, numerous cultures (mostly in Europe and Asia) have a cultural aversion to debt. In Islamic banking, for instance, the religious practice forbids riba (interest charged on loans).”
Key #3. Interpret and use body language correctly.
Body language awareness is a vital nonverbal skill that predefines the effectiveness of cross-cultural communication.
That is why you must appropriately decipher the differences in body language that may vary dramatically across cultures. They concern:
Eye contact
Facial expressions
Personal space
Postures
Touches
Gestures
Nodding or head movements, etc.
For example:
If you learn the Japanese language and/or study Japan’s culture, you already know that bows are an intrinsic part of social etiquette in this country. Japanese body language wouldn’t be complete without bowing (aka “ojigi”), prevalent in literally all aspects of life (greeting, farewell, apology, or praying in a Shintō shrine). So, whenever you greet a person or want to say sorry in Japanese, it’s a must to accompany your greetings or apologies with a bow.
Mind: Japan has three basic types of bows: eshaku, keirei, and saikeirei.
Key #4. Push DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) forward.
Reyansh Mestry, Head of Marketing at TopSource Worldwide, believes DEI should be your focal point, especially if you aim for effective cross-cultural communication in the workplace.
Reyansh Mestry says, “Figuratively speaking, DEI is the engine that drives mutual understanding and respect in today’s multicultural world. The fuel for it, though, comes from within, from each individual who develops tolerance and open-mindedness, acknowledges any cultural stereotypes or prejudices and gets rid of them, adopts culturally inclusive language, and only later ignites the change outside.”
Supporting racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity in the international team, TopSource Worldwide has launched several DEI initiatives at work. For example, the company celebrates diverse holidays to raise employees’ DEI awareness and ensure smoother interactions between teams from Latin America, North America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA.
For example:
One of them is Eid al-Fitr, one of the biggest religious events in Islam.
Key #5. Steer away from stereotypes and discriminatory language.
So, let’s spotlight biases to make sure you never hold them again.
You’ve already got one at the beginning of the article. (It was about the German people and their punctuality, remember?)
Be cautious against using other biased statements about different nationalities like these:
Italians are passionate and loud.
The Irish people are heavy drinkers.
All Arabs are wealthy oil magnates.
Americans are overly patriotic.
Scandinavians are all tall and blonde.
Jonathan Feniak, General Counsel at LLC Attorney, also insists on cleansing your language and avoiding discriminatory phrases when you speak with people from various cultures. These statements can touch upon race, ethnicity, religion, or other characteristics inherent to a particular culture. Jonathan Feniak recommends, “It would be best to familiarize yourself and comply with anti-discrimination laws in local and state jurisdictions before you go abroad or engage in cross-cultural communication within your diverse community.”
Key #6. Whenever in doubt—standardize.
Naturally, in some situations, you’d want to make your multicultural communications easy-going and informal. However, you must be extra careful about informalities and discard your attempts to drop in jargon or slang if you’re not 100% sure about its meaning. Instead, rely on standardized verbal expressions and choose formal over informal conversational stylistics.
For example:
Let’s say you’re entering cross-cultural communication in a Spanish-speaking environment. Are you familiar with various Spanish dialects, each with a distinctive vocabulary? Do you know all dialect words and their meanings? If you don’t (most probably), you’d better stick to formal Spanish.
Brooke Webber, Head of Marketing at Ninja Patches, remarks, “A general rule of thumb for businesses is to standardize their interactions with customers and improve cross-cultural communication by using AI-powered chatbots. They follow standard norms in the chosen language and eliminate possible risks of misunderstanding. Also, developing conversational AI systems with multilingual support is becoming an ordinary practice among brands.”
Key #7. Don’t hesitate to clarify if needed.
When asked to share cross-cultural communication tips, John Baek, Founder of JSB Digital Works, recommended, “Don’t play Sherlock with what you hear. It’s essential to seek clarification if a cultural peculiarity seems obscure or incomprehensible. More importantly, you should do it politely, expressing your sincere desire to figure it out.”
Here are some polite and non-rude questions to ask about culturally diverse phenomena or things:
Please explain the meaning of [X] to me. I want to understand it better.
What is the historical background of [X]?
Is there a specific term or phrase for [X] in your language?
Why is [X] significant in your culture?
Finally, Your Golden Ticket to Intercultural Communication
Nope, we haven’t forgotten the magical key to grasping a culture’s nuances. It’s language, of course.
Let’s admit it. As a global means of communication, English is not always a panacea for diminishing language barriers and flawless interaction between cultures. And you can’t apply the let’s-better-speak-English rule to every case.
LinguaLift hands you this key to help you open doors to successful cross-cultural communication, whether for building new friendships or professional relationships.
Unlock a new language and culture with LinguaLift.
