In today's highly globalised and mobile world, many of us would have had a chance to interact with someone from a different culture. It can be communicating through the internet or having a face-to-face chat. All of these present good opportunities for one to learn more about the culture and their norms.
During the last winter holidays, I had the chance to visit Europe. It was an eye-opener for me as I finally had the chance to experience the European culture. Prior to the trip, I was told by friends and family members that it was better if I knew some French as the people in France would not want to communicate in a language other than French. However, I was thinking that in today's context, where every country is trying to promote their tourism industry, the popular tourists area would have someone who could speak an international language, English.
However, I was proven wrong upon reaching France. I had bought a train ticket and needed to clarify some issues regarding the usage of the train ticket. Therefore, I went up to the counter. The staff upon seeing me, slid open the panel on the counter. I asked my question in English. However, the staff (probably seeing that I am a foreigner and speaking English), ignored me and continued talking to her colleague. I repeated my questions (a few more times) in English but the staff continued to ignore me. After which, she replied, "No.. Dont know English" and slid back the panel.
At that very moment, I was really fuming. Even if the staff did not understand English, she should have shown some basic respect by giving me the due attention while I was asking my question, instead of just ignoring me. In addition, she could have politely told me that she does not understand English and I could check with someone else.
On the other hand, I also had the chance to visit Japan on an exchange programme. Unfortunately, I fell ill and was sent to the school's sick bay. The staff were not proficient in English and they tried their very best to communicate and understand my condition. It was with great relief that there was an English-Japanese dictionary and the staff made the effort to flip through the pages of the dictionary to show me with the words they wanted to say to me. This greatly enhances the communication between the staff and I and I really appreciated their efforts in doing so.
From these two cases, we can observe that the Japanese makes the effort to communicate with someone of a different culture despite the language barrier. However, the French displayed an indifferent attitude when communicating with someone who does not speak French. I believe that in intercultural communication, both parties should make a concerted effort even though there is a language barrier. It is with great regret that I did not have a good impression of the French culture after the incident. However, I really appreciate the efforts by the Japanese in ensuring an effective communication between us.
Perhaps, this is what defines the culture itself -- the norms, actions and behaviours.
Hi Wei Pin,
ReplyDeleteGreat sharing! Even though I have never been to France, I had learnt from friends that the French are generally quite aloof if you do not converse in French, or worse still, speak to them in English. Maybe they are still feeling sore after an outnumbered English Admiral Nelson managed to defeat the French and their allied Spanish Navy (haha).
On a more formal note, I guess that the French are very proud of their culture and language and hence would expect a person to make an attempt to converse with them in their language. Only then do they feel that the person is showing them due respect. They would then respond to your queries more sincerely and not so indifferently.
For the Japanese, I have to agree that they are very courteous and polite. During my exchange, the host made attempts to converse in English and would always carry an English-Japanese electronic dictionary to facilitate communication. It was a very fruitful experience as she showed me how similar some of the Japanese "Kanji" characters is to the Chinese characters. From this, I also learnt that some aspects of the North Asia culture may have shared the same roots or origins.
Although disparate differences exist between cultures, overlapping aspects or similar patterns do exist as well. The most important takeaway is to be able to appreciate them and be mindful of the taboos.
Regards,
Yi Kai
Hey Wei Pin,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experiences. I can almost physically feel your anger at the French staff. What they did was so rude and familiar that it makes me chuckle. I felt treated in a similarly unpleasant way when I first went on an immersion to Paris for a month. I’ve had French in school before and I tried to only speak French. However, most of the staff that had to deal with tourists was exceptionally rude. I think in the case of Paris it’s less the culture or them wanting you to speak their language and more that they are being flooded with tourists from all over the world on a daily basis. And I think it also depends on who you meet. When I went to Paris the second time, not a single person was being rude. Everyone was very friendly and helpful.
But I’ve heard of many especially English speaking friends that they had rather bad experiences in France. I think the French still hold a grudge against all that is English and think that French is just as much an international language as is English. My dad once told me that when he was travelling around Southeast Asia, he met quite a few French travellers who didn’t know English and didn’t make any effort to learn it at all. In fact, they would even go up to the locals and start speaking French with them, expecting them to understand what was being asked.
The French I met during my stays abroad however were all very interested in other cultures and knew English very well. I guess it all depends on the individual and if they are willing to overcome their pride and expand their horizons.
Kind regards,
Nathalie