8.+INTERCULTURAL+COMMUNICATION

"Knowing a person's language and not his/her culture is the perfect way to make a perfect fool of yourself"

British vs Americans in business [] Japanese vs American greeting -

media type="custom" key="13271450" [] [|Cultural misunderstanding]

Very interesting sketch about intercultural differences in Business by Paul Emmerson at: []

1. Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

2. Working across cultures

DOING BUSINESS AROUND THE WORLD - [|The Economist] Doing business in [|Moscow]

Introduction to Cross-cultural communication Reading task World Business Culture When working in the global commercial environment, knowledge of the impact of cultural differences is one of the keys to international business success. Improving levels of cultural awareness can help companies build international competencies and enable individuals to become more globally sensitive.
 * Categorizing cultures**: [] (high/low, linear, ambiguity, masculine vs feminine, tolerance, etc)

Read about:

Background to business, Business structures, Management style, Meetings, Team working, communication styles, women in business, dress code, tips, successful entertaining about 1 of the countries below

AUSTRIA [] CHINA [] ITALY [] SPAIN [] USA [] FRANCE [] GERMANY [] GREECE [] BRITAIN [] media type="custom" key="8143412" INDIA [] EGYPT [] CANADA [] CZECH REPUBLIC [] DENMARK [] JAPAN [] NETHERLANDS [] RUSSIA [] SWEDEN []

Tipping Quiz

** LISTENING AND SPEAKING ** Project: Bridging the gap between cultures.

SPECIFICALLY ROMANIAN

1. Is it common for a man to cook in a Romanian family? [] 2. What is Romania's greatest city? [] 3. What languages are spoken where you live? [] 4. Those of you who have spent a longer part of your life in another country: Are [English/Spanish/Italians] different from Romanians? [] 5. Are the people in our country/town friendly? [] 6. What is special about our town? [] 7. What is special about the place where you grew up? [] 8. Is Romania multicultural? [] 9. Do Romanians prefer to live in the city or the country-side? [] 10. Does Romania have a traditional dance? [] 11. Describe a traditional wedding in Romania [] 12. When do people give gifts in Romania? [] 13. Is tourism developed in Romania? [] 14. What is student life like in Romania? [] 15. What do Romanians invest in? [] 16. What is expensive in your country/town? [] 17. What environmental problems does our country have? []

As you watch the video, read the text by clicking the "CC" button. Practice reading in chunks rather than word by word.**Improve your speaking** Turn down or mute the audio volume and try to shadow the speaker. Try to say their words at the same speed the speaker does. This is a great way to increase fluency and speaking speed.**Improve test taking skills** As you listen, practice note-taking and summarizing. Listen to the videos and take notes of what the speaker said. Then try to summarize what they said and then check your summary with the full transcript by clicking the "View Text" link. Then answer the respective question about Romania.
 * Use the video links to improve your English.****Improve your reading**

BODY LANGUAGE Cultural differences  //**SMALL TALK**// media type="custom" key="8064406" width="90" height="90" DIFFERENT CULTURES Brand names [|Culture and small talk]
 * Do you think that all cultures "speak" the same body language?
 * How close to each other do people in your culture stand when they are having a conversation?
 * Do people in your culture normally touch each other when they speak?
 * How do you feel if somebody touches you when they are speaking? How does your reaction differ (if at all) if it is a member of the opposite sex?
 * Are there any typical gestures used in your country for insulting? Do you think they are universal or specific to your country?
 * Can you think of any ways in which your culture's body language is different?

British versus American politeness media type="youtube" key="Jbu-eMcEF3s" height="315" width="560"

READING Go to the following site: [] or [] and choose one country and read about its specific culture, then present it in front of the class. Read the following article on [|Culture schock Romania]and express your opinions. Listen to the following conversation on [|Culture contrast] and then decide what may represent "culture shock" for someone visiting Romania.

Claudio Azevedo's blog post: []

IMMIGRANTS Find images of immigrants and comment on the following:

Guess information about the person in the picture: You are the person in the picture. Imagine what your life is like. Tell your story. . Follow up: discussion of some of the problems of moving to a new country
 * How does the person feel?
 * What is s/he thinking about?
 * Where did s/he come from/
 * What does s/he do now?
 * How long has s/he been away from their country?
 * How do they feel about the country they left?
 * How does s/he feel about the country s/he lives in now?
 * What problems did s/he have in the new country?
 * Why did s/he leave their country?

LISTENING - BUSINESS ENGLISH POD [|http://www.businessenglishpod.com/2010/01/23/bep-150-adv-working-in-multicultural-teams-part-2/#more-445]

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