Posts Tagged ‘communication’
The humor of badly translated signs
If you’ve traveled, then you’ve likely stumbled across a badly translated sign that caused you to do a double take or even to burst out laughing. Lonely Planet recently had a Lost in Translation photo contest about these signs and the results are hilarious.
East Asian culture in the news
Why is Japanese culture resistant to Facebook? Why do the Chinese lament their high-performing educational system? Here are some interesting cross-cultural snippets from recent news items.
How Twitter (and technology) can change a culture
There is no doubt that Twitter has its fans and its detractors. There is also no doubt that this social networking phenomenon is affecting the way that millions of people interact online, as well as the means by which information is distributed. But can Twitter also be having an impact on a culture’s communication styles? [...]
Bringing stand-up comedy to the Arab world
Do Arabs appreciate stand-up comedy? They do. At least, that seems to be the consensus of some North American comedians who recently appeared in Jordan. Interestingly, stand-up comedy is not common to all cultures. How can it be, when such comedy often involves insulting groups of people, and in particular governments and politicians? Such freedom of speech is [...]
Cultural differences in the Chinese and American workplaces
Much has been written about the differences between the cultures of the United States and China, but what in practical terms do these differences mean? Hannah Seligson just wrote a business article for the NY Times about the growing trend of young Americans taking jobs in China, and about the cultural challenges that arise when people from two [...]
Understanding a culture through its expressions
Language is a great way into the mind of a culture. But if you don’t speak another language, you can at least understand some of how another culture thinks by looking at some its favorite expressions. There was recently an article published on Matador Abroad that took a look at 10 expressions that define cultures. [...]
Differences between the U.S. and Chinese educational systems
There are obviously many cultural differences between the United States and China, which stem largely from the fundamental fact that one country has an individualistic view of the world and the other is a more group-oriented society. In the U.S., individual rights and self-realization are highly valued, while in China considerable importance is placed on hierarchy and respect for societal [...]
Communicating with Muslims
People in various cultures perceive the world differently. This is one of the main causes of communication miscues between individuals from diverse regions of the world. If you want to see an excellent example of how the meaning of simple words can vary from one person to the next, check out this article in the Christian Science Monitor [...]
Culture in the news
Culture is at the root of how we act and how we perceive the world. Whether we like it or not, we are all molded by the assumptions of the culture in which we are raised. So as I read through the news, I like to find examples of actions or statements that can best be understood [...]
Stop crying, you’re British
You’ve heard about the British penchant for the stiff upper lip and their disdain for unseemly displays of emotion. But you wonder how true it really is. After all, we live in an age of emotion. People bare their souls on reality television shows and Facebook pages every day. Old habits, though, die hard. The [...]
The shoe toss heard round the world
By now, everyone has heard of the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George Bush during a press conference. Almost all of the press coverage has dutifully reported that throwing a shoe at someone is a grave insult in the Arab world, a comment that has sparked countless other individuals to respond with [...]
Learning about age and culture in Korea
Students who take advantage of study abroad programs have a wide variety of experiences. In the best scenarios, they not only have a fun and enriching life experience, but also come away with nuggets of insight into the culture of a new country. That’s what happened for Laura Corser, who was recently profiled in the [...]
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Bob Riel is a writer and a traveler. Go here to read more about Bob, his work and the Travels in the Riel World blog.
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