With China’s opening up, intercultural communication has become more and more frequent between Chinese and foreigners. A good command of at least one foreign language has increasingly been an essential skill for us. People, especially the youths, pay much more attention to foreign language acquisition than Chinese study. I was lucky enough to get the chance to study in Singapore, a country with a multi-cultural.
Singapore is a clean country with different tropical plants. Local people is friendly and life in Singapore is comfortable. But there also have some intercultual conflict with some students from different country.
One day, I had lunch with my friend Cathelin come from U.S.A.. We talked about what should we dress next week in a party. We took out the pictures of our dress. Both of us praise others’ dress. She replied “ Thank you”. That is so strange I think. But when she heared my replied ”No, when I dress it, I look so fat”. She thought this reply is strange too, and her face become confused. After that I searched for the reason from the Internet, and I got the answer.
China is a very troditional country in a various aspects. The Chinese are always pay attention to modest in communication with people, "belcher own statue of people", take it as a virtue. When others praise us, we tend to be say ourself in bad aspect, to show modesty and polite. This is particularly prominent in the call, for example, in the introduction to others will introduced his wife: "this is Jiannei( this word means his wife’s position in society is low)!" Son with the phrase "Quanzi( this word means his son is like a dog )", refer to themselves as "Biren" and so on. But it is different in call someone, and they put words extraordinary splendour. They see this as a kind of polite, a kind of etiquette, and they are forever under someone else. Especially when complimented or praise, the Chinese people always like to put in this sentence: "I can see where is good, you flatter me! No no!"
On the contrary, the western countries have no such cultural habits, when they praised, there will always be very happy to have a chance to say "Thank you" to accept compliments from others. Maybe some Chinese first contact will think this is a kind of narcissism or something! It seems that Westerners’ calling expression habits is different with Chinese. On the contrary, they think: the more close, the more accustomed to a first-name basis. In the U.S.A. , grandson can call his grandpa using his grandpa’s name. The distance between the two are closer than through this activity. In Chinese eyes, it is a great disrespect, is a thing that our parent should punish us.
Due to the differences between Chinese and western culture, we think the west is confident, and they just say what they really think in their mind; When westerners heard Chinese deny their achievement or even put you off as worthless when they hear the praise, will feel very surprised, think Chinese people don't honest.
When some intercultural misunderstanding appears, it often make many jokes,appears circumstances which made people embarrassed.This seriously affected both two sides to associate succeed and the friendship between nations.Therefore,we are necessary to discover its deep-level reason and take some certain measures to develop the intercultural communication ability.Avoids the cultural conflict,let the social communication becoming more free and relaxed between nation and nation,and then ,becoming an enjoyment everyone wants instead of frighten or fear.Let the world become a big family through the fluence communicating!
