Intercultural Miscommunication

The foremost challenges of intercultural communication are the linguistic challenges of language learning, the evils of stereotyping, and the social issues of inclusion and impartiality. Businesses where English is spoken universally due to teams’ cultural and linguistic diversity are becoming places of intense intercultural communication. Let me exemplify with a case of intercultural communication in Denmark that focuses on how one Chinese team member experienced intercultural communication when she first arrived in Denmark.

Introducing Shuchun, a high-ranking executive at a major Danish clothing company. Together with three fellow Chinese colleagues, she has faced the linguistic and cultural challenges many Chinese professionals encounter when joining divisions in countries outside Asia. In this context, Asian employees in general and Chinese employees in particular are often perceived as being quiet and shy. When I interviewed Shuchun about her experiences of intercultural communication in the workplace, she mentioned that when she joined the Danish team almost two years ago she was afraid to speak up because she lacked confidence in her English. Also, she didn’t quite understand the conventions of Danish conference and boardroom discussions and so found it difficult to get the timing right: either she didn’t know how to get a word in edgewise or she found that her turns were interrupted by more vocal, Danish colleagues who in a misguided attempt to be helpful completed her sentences for her. As Shuchun often didn’t know what the expectations of a particular setting such as a meeting, open group discussion, or presentation were, she would think it safer to keep quiet than to speak at the wrong moment or say the wrong thing. Thus, her silence had very little to do with Chinese cultural traits. Shuchun concedes that some of her fellow nationals intentionally remain silent in professional settings because they think it inappropriate for an employee to publically challenge a colleague or superior, however, most wish to participate more actively, as did Shuchun. Despite her seniority and confidence in her professional abilities, what kept Shuchun from engaging was not her cultural background but rather a lack of confidence in her English and limited understanding of Danish decorum. Also, silence was not only something she chose but something that was forced on her when her peers kept interrupting, when colleagues and superiors didn’t allow her time to speak up, or when the conversation turned to local issues she knew nothing about. In this environment, the silence and perceived shyness was a cultural stereotype and a truism that was continually reinforced through the misinterpretation of actual practices involving everyone in the company.

To understand Shuchun and her Chinese colleagues’ views on intercultural communication and how they actually address intercultural communication, it is important to include both perception (what we think we do) and performance (what we actually do) in intercultural communication as our perceptions are not always accurate. Sociolinguists compare language usage to the weather: sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don’t. Meanwhile, perception informs performance and vice versa. But Shuchun did stand out in the sense that she frequently sought out speaking opportunities, in fact, she gradually became a most ardent contributor in meetings. This, however, did nothing to change her perception of herself as having difficulty participating, nor did it change her peers’ perception of her as being a very quiet person lacking in interest and engagement. Indeed, it is one of the drawbacks of intercultural miscommunication that language is taken to be representative of so much more than merely linguistic proficiency. In this case silence, as well as being misinterpreted in the first place, was mistaken not for an expression of limited English proficiency, a lack of familiarity with Danish workplace practices, or a lack of familiarity with local issues, but was rather considered a personal characteristic of being an indifferent and disengaged member of the team.

Changing perceptions is a work in progress but with the evolvement of the team and general acclimation much has changed for the better and will continue to improve as the company (and many like it in various industries) and its employees work in culturally and linguistically diverse teams.

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Anett is a seasoned communicator and the founder and owner of orilingo that helps Danish and international companies with their communications tasks.