Globally Speaking

How can normal behavior in a cross-cultural situation cause misunderstanding? This is something that often perplexes Americans. Sometimes the reason is a simple matter of a difference in body language, such as the fact that nodding our head up-and-down means "no" in Bulgaria, Turkey, and Iran. Other times, the answer lies in the past of a country where foreigners have a history of throwing their weight around.

For example, if a Westerner in India shouts at a servant who makes a mistake, it may be an unpleasant reminder of the long period when India was a British colony. We might consider an occasional outburst of this sort to be within the bounds of normalcy, but an Indian is likely to consider it inappropriate and insulting.

We can see from this example that the behavior is only the surface of the problem. What's more important is that the local person sees a bad attitude. Because our knowledge of local customs is incomplete, it's easy for us to offend people without meaning to. Being nervous that a single slip-up will spoil an encounter is not what cultural sensitivity is about. The hallmark of a global attitude is the prevention of lingering bad impressions, even if momentary misunderstandings occur.

People in many cultures are becoming aware that unintentional, minor faux pas on the part of foreigners are honest mistakes. We might be excused for refusing a second helping at a meal, or arriving at a party too late or too early. On the other hand, if we lose our temper or behave in other ways that can offend deep-lying local sensitivities, we risk appearing boorish or even downright hostile.

Attitude is a very complex thing. Parts of it are influenced by the history of our civilization, and some of those parts are below our ordinary level of awareness. Even when we are aware that other people can be different from us, the way in which they're different sometimes takes us by surprise. That feeling of surprise occurs when our own cultural expectations are not met. And the way we respond to the surprise reveals something about our ongoing attitude.