Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication

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Summary of Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication By Barna, L. M.
The following is a summary of stumbling blocks in intercultural communication By Barna, L.M (1994)
1 Assumption of similarities
People naively like to assume that all humans are the same and that our biological common needs make us need the same things and therefore communicate similarly. (Barna, 337) argues that we possess an innate ‘discomfort of dealing with difference’ and therefore want everyone to be like us. Everyone should understand that there is no ‘universal human nature’ and rather than assuming similarities, everyone should try to find the common ground in cultures and proceed from there.
2 Language differences
Language difference is a barrier because it is hard to understand what the other person is saying. Words are meaningless when the person they are spoken to does not understand them. (Barna, 340) also gives an example that in some cases ‘no’ means ‘yes’ and points out that ‘in some cultures it is polite to refuse the first and second offers of refreshments.’ She notes that many foreigners have gone hungry because of this case of ‘no’ meaning ‘yes.’
3 Non-verbal interpretations
Different cultures have different non-verbal communication gestures. This stems from different environment which (Barna, 341) notes that the locals ‘see, hear, feel and only smell what has some meaning or importance for them.’ ...