Why do I have an accent? Non-native English speakers often use the pronunciation and communication style of their native language when speaking in English, resulting in accented speech. Below are 5 common problem areas that can interfere with intelligibility when...
Cultural awareness is a way of thinking about and viewing the world. It means understanding, respecting and successfully interacting with those whose world views, values, behaviors, communication styles, customs and practices are different than one’s own. Cultural...
Culturally competent healthcare delivery is not just the right thing to do, it ‘s also good business sense. It is the culturally competent organization that will have a competitive edge in the health care market and a decreased likelihood of...
Good communication is a culturally-bound concept. What is appropriate and effective in one culture may not be so in another. However, regardless of culture, all communication carries a message. But who is responsible for making sure that message gets transmitted? Who...
Although most New Yorkers would like to believe it, not everyone around the world is waiting for the ball to drop in Times Square. Here are 10 ways the new year is celebrated around the world. How do you ring in the new year? Spain: eat 12 grapes at the stroke of...
Everyone has an accent. Accent marks one’s native language and geographic region, among other things. A wide range of research has shown that your accent affects how others perceive you, and may even judge you on issues unrelated to accent. Still other...
Good customer service means different things to different people. To ensure culturally sensitive service, become an active listener and watcher to gain insight into customers’ values and beliefs and to avoid cross cultural conflict and miscommunication....
If you’re angry or frustrated at work, would you say so? How would you express these feelings? Depending on whether your culture is Affective or Neutral, your answer will be very different. Affective or Neutral describes how overtly a culture expresses emotions....
Being a good communicator has different meanings in different cultures. In order to communicate effectively across cultures, you need to understand the cultural thought patterns behind the language of communication. These thought patterns influence the way native...
UK Macmillan publisher is in big trouble. It seems that they gave bribes in Sudan for a textbook deal. In Sudan, a bribe is not an uncommon business practice, whereas in the UK, it’s illegal. In some cultures, bribes are a normal part of doing business. In others,...