YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND
YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND
11
WHO DOES THE TALKING?
1.3
8
Read the two extracts again and complete the
sentences with between 1 and 5 words.
1
There can be misunderstandings even between
people who
.
2
When talking together, different nationalities need
different amounts of
.
3
When responding to suggestions, Americans are
more
.
4
An inferred message is one that is not actually
.
5
The staff in the Japanese office were worried because
they thought that the writer was complaining about
.
9
Identifying stylistic devices
Look at the two
extracts again and underline examples of the
following stylistic devices.
•
anecdotes (short interesting stories about a person
or event)
•
using questions to raise interest
•
using contrast
•
direct speech
VOCABULARY
COLLOCATIONS
10
a
Complete the collocations from the two extracts.
1
To cause
4
Cultural
2
To coin a
5
A tone of
3
To respond to a
6
To set someone's
10
b
Complete the sentences using the collocations in
Exercise 10a.
1
I thought I was seriously ill but the doctor
and told me I just needed more sleep.
2
Shakespeare
many
which
are still used today.
3
When my mum speaks to me in that
, I
know that she’s very angry.
4
are learned from parents, teachers and
other people in society.
5
They want us to
their
by
the end of the week so we must decide whether we
accept their ideas or not.
6
I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to
. In my
society, we often make jokes like that.
SPEAKING
11
a
Work with a partner to think of three pieces of
advice for a foreigner who is coming to do business in
your country. Use the information in this unit, and your
own ideas.
11
b
Work with another pair to share your ideas.
Choose the three best pieces of advice.
‘Understanding differences’
Whenmeeting people fromother cultures, it is vital that
both parties are culturally sensitive and don’t do anything to
cause offence. It isn’t easy. First of all, there are translation
differences, and even people who speak the same language
5
sometimes misunderstand each other. It was Churchill who
coined the phrase ‘divided by a common language’ to talk
about the differences between British English and American
English. A good example of this is the phrase ‘to table a
motion’. In British English, it means ‘to bring an issue to the
10
table for discussion’. In America it has the opposite meaning:
the issue is put on a separate table and not discussed.
As well as words spoken, though, there are other cultural
differences. Some nationalities, such as Brazilians, like to get
very close to the person they are talking to. Other nationalities
15
needmore personal space, leading to a situation where one
person keeps moving forward and the other keeps backing
away, each wondering what is wrong with the other.
Another difference is in how direct we are in our questions and
responses. The Japanese, for example, hate to say ‘No’. It
20
is considered impolite. So, if they hear an idea they don’t like,
they’ll say
I see
or
That’s difficult
or just
Ah
. To an American,
they sound dishonest and evasive. Of course, to the Japanese,
Americans, who tend to respond to suggestions very directly,
and would be likely to say
No way
or
It can’t be done
, are
25
incredibly rude.
So, which nationality is being rude? The answer is, neither of
them. They are merely following their own cultural norms
and, in order to be able to communicate effectively with each
other, they need to understand this.
‘Inferred messages’
To communicate effectively, there are two messages that
have to be understood. One is the actual words spoken
and the other is the inferred message that is unspoken.
For example, if a manager at work says ‘
Could you come
5
into my office, please?
’ in a certain tone of voice, the
employee probably wouldn’t bound into the office with
a big grin on his face and say ‘
Hi!
’ The inferred message
would be understood:
You’ve done something wrong
and I need to talk to you about it
.
10
Businesses employ some of the best translators available
in order to facilitate communication and yet their
executives still have problems with inferred meanings.
I remember on one occasion, I was sent to manage an
office in Japan. On my first day, I walked into my office
15
to find three company representatives waiting to look
after me. I said, cheerfully, ‘
Oh, it’s warm in here
’
meaning to show pleasure at the temperature. In fact,
I caused panic, as this comment was taken to be a
criticism indicating that the temperature wasn’t what I
20
desired. It took most of the morning to set their minds
at rest and convince them not to reset the thermostat to
a more American setting.
Extract 1
Extract 2
