Evaluate Intercultural Behaviour

With China being more and more open to the whole world, intercultural communication becomes an inevitable part in the daily life of many Chinese people. As a student in the Translation Faculty of Foreign Language School, I’ve encountered some American teachers who taught us American Culture. One of them, whose name is Steve, really leaves a deep impression on me.

Once Steve taught us about American food and he started commenting on the Western food in China: “The taste of the steaks and hamburgers in China is really bad! KFC sucks, McDonald’s sucks, and Pizza Hut also sucks! I really miss the homemade sandwiches and cupcakes in my hometown. You should have a try at the authentic American food to refresh your impression on it.” He did have the floor to judge whether this food in China is delicious or not. We didn’t make any response to him, although the western food in China doesn’t taste so bad for us like what he remarked and we did feel uncomfortable at his comments.

In another class which talked about America music, he delivered an even harsher review of the Chinese pop songs. He was playing Pop Rock music to show the musical achievement in America during the past 50 years. “When I am listening to these pieces of music, I feel that they are just awesome! Really amazing. The Chinese pop songs I’ve heard in the streets here are nothing compared to these. The Chinese songs are commercial and the singers just take it as a job to earn money. And the melodies are manufactured, in a rough way.” At that time I got angry about his words, not because his negative comments on Chinese pop music, but because he made judgements according to his very little knowledge of it. So this time I asked him: “Excuse me sir, would you like to name just ten Chinese pop singers?” His embarrassment could be easily captured by us. Then he changed his topic to his favourite American singer.

In this case I share with you above, I am not trying to indicate that Americans are very impolite and boastful. But Steve’s intercultural behaviours are a little bit egocentric. In his conception, American food and music are the best perhaps because he has been exposed to them since he was born. But things in China are different and it is difficult for him to appreciate the difference in the attitude of embracing cultural diversity, instead of from the perspect of a native American. This kind of intercultural communication barrier exists everywhere, not only in this case. Actually I feel the Chinese food in Singapore is also not as tasty as what I eat in China, but I should not tell Singaporeans that Chinese food here sucks. Instead, the different taste is a kind of different culture which I should respect and embrace.

What’s more, I can also discover the cultural difference between America and China from this case. Steve gave his remarks in a quite outspoken way while. Chinese students wouldn’t show him our unhappiness straightforwardly. (I also did not express my unhappiness directly in the second story.) Steve himself also admitted that Americans are not good at hiding their true feelings and thoughts. But for Chinese, “face” is really an important thing, not only ours, but also others’. That determines the difference in the way we express our opinions and emotions. If we want to promote effective communication between Steve and us, we definitely need to learn more about each other’s culture characteristics and expressive pattern.

I have to admit that sometimes I am also quite outspoken. It is also important for me to learn how to communicate with others in a tactful way and to realize effective communication. Anyway, hope my stay in Singapore will help me in term of intercultural communication.