Campfire: What is the biggest problem, other than language, communicating with someone from another country?

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Permalink Reply by Ron C on March 25, 2008 at 9:27am

Religion and Greed, Politics. Well and were you live and how you were brought up.
Just a couple of things..

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Permalink Reply by Aelius on March 25, 2008 at 9:31am

Religion is a good one. I don't think greed is applicable though, as that's not something that hinders communicating and understanding ones opinion to someone from another country.

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Permalink Reply by Aelius on March 25, 2008 at 9:27am

I think that even greater then the language barrier is culture. People from various countries have vastly different beliefs and views on a variety of topics. Just because I can speak someone's language does not mean that I 'understand' him. I think its one of the greatest gaps between countries.

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Permalink Reply by Grendel on March 25, 2008 at 9:47am

History plays a big role, specifically America's involvement during war times and economic negotiations. America is seen as the money-grubbing, Bully that throws their military weight around like they own the place. We are self-centered, ego maniacs. We know nothing of respect for other countries and even less about humanities. We constantly stick our nose in other peoples business and feel that it is our right to do so. Somehow, we're also identified as "the rich Americans." The "John" for a global prostitute.

With this history, citizens of other countries develop a predisposition towards any American. You talk differently to a "bully" than you would the cheerleader or gym coach. Rhetoric would change.

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Permalink Reply by Aelius on March 26, 2008 at 12:05pm

I t hink teh topic is directed towards individual communication and not a country as a whole.

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Permalink Reply by Mr_Ant on April 21, 2008 at 12:23am

Unfortunately,what too many foreigners do not realize is that the American people really do not dictate what their government does. They elect people to office and then they proceed to do whatever their rich masters tell them to do. If they tell them to wage war,they wage it. They do not ask the American people for permission to invade a country. They just do it. Even on a local level the people have no control over those they elect. For instance,the people of my state turned down gambling casinos some years ago. We voted against having them. Then,our political leaders found a way to override our vote and now we have them anyway. People's lives are being ruined by gambling and we never even approved it. So,foreigners really need to realize that although it appears that America is a democracy it really is not. It is a dictatorship of the rich who control our politicians or leaders like puppets on a string. It is really so sad. Foreigners are mad at regular American citizens when they are about as helpless to stop their leaders from doing evil in the world as they are. Sad.

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Permalink Reply by Conor on March 25, 2008 at 12:37pm

- The language in which we are speaking is his before it is mine. How different are the words home, Christ, ale, master on his lips and on mine! I cannot speak or write the words without unrest of spirit. His language, so foreign and so familiar, will always be for me an acquired speech. I have not made or accepted its words. My voice holds them at bay. My soul frets in the shadow of his language.

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Permalink Reply by kronnos on March 25, 2008 at 12:38pm

Sp: Yo creo que el mayor problema es la gente que no tiene ganas de entender otras lenguas , ni quiere ser parte de de una comunindad multicultural donde almenos se muestre un interes por saber que informacion esta siendo trasmitida en otra lengua. Eso es parte de un racismo linguistico de algunas comunidades, por ejemplo. Porque todas gran matoria de las peliculas extranjeras tiene que ser traducidas al ingles, por que no son escuchadas en su idioma original? y por que el rock es Español, no es considerado como rock por los fanaticos en paises donde se habla el Ingles? no importan la lengua lo importante es saber que de alguna u otra forma simpre habra alguien que pueda decirlo en otras palabras, o aveces sin palabras....

En: I think the biggest problem is not only the language itself, but the people that are not willing to find out how to access information in a different laguage. there is a linguistic racism in some communities, or probably lazyness. How come all the international movies have to be translated to english? why dont people just read the subtitles?like Everybody do in other countries when they want to watch movies in English. How come for some Rock Fans, Rock in spanish or japanese, or other language is not Rock?
The language is not a obstacle when someone wants to communicate something, there is people that will help, there is body language...communication is not only about word, is about people willing to listen to others...

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Permalink Reply by Andylat on March 25, 2008 at 8:34pm

Yo estoy totalmente de acuerdo con la posturda de Kronnos, si bien desde pequeño entiendo el idioma ingles, que hasta el minuto se ha perfilado como el estandar en comunicaciones globalisadas aun me cuesta comunicarme ya que mi vocabulario no es tan nutrido y no conosco la gramatica completa, por lo que me cuesta responder (aun cuando entiendo el 90% de lo que leo en ingles)

Ajeno al idioma, creo que la otra gran limitante al momento de comunicarce con alguien de otro pais es la forma propiamente tal del lenguaje, en todos lados un mensaje se trasmite de distintas maneras, tecnicamente me refiero al rito con el que se genera una comunicacion, hay muchos detalles que en una cultura son parte imperdible de la comunicacion y cuando choca con una persona de otra cultura puede que esa pequeña diferencia marque la linea entre un rato agradable y una pelea

cheers

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Permalink Reply by Flamekebab on March 25, 2008 at 11:00pm

I see what you mean, I've known many people who have learnt English who eventually got the hang of the fine details but it took many years and lots of exposure. I don't know the fine details of Spanish, sadly, but it's nice to see that despite sleep deprivation I'm still able to understand what you're saying.

I hope!

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Permalink Reply by Flamekebab on March 25, 2008 at 10:56pm

It does make me somewhat concerned to see people who only speak English and have no grounding at all in any other language. I'm somewhat proud to say I read the Spanish version of your post to get the meaning of it, then checked it against the English. I'd reply in Spanish pero estoy muy cansado, no he duermo hoy y, ah, you get the idea, I'm knackered!

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Permalink Reply by CrazyCheshireCat on March 25, 2008 at 2:04pm

We are afraid of one another due to preconceptions of other cultures given to us by our societies. It seems this is a huge barrier since many take these to be truths; already prejudice and unwilling to find truths for themselves. Once we believe something to be true, we stop searching, growing, learning. Instead we put up walls.

It is very hard to even attempt communication when someone has a preset notion about you before you have even met or conversed. What that person already has in their head about you will drastically influence what they say and how they act around you.

We do not know what to do around one another so as not to offend or to be seen in a negative manner due to the the way we act or speak. We are afraid because we think or feel eachother to be from another world, not just another country. Because of preconceptions and prejudice, we do not see eachother as equal.

Because of this we are in some way afraid to attempt communication at all.

With the internet, the face-to-face is substantially different. We are all equal here, we are all connected on the same planet. Communication has no limitation, which makes the fear to connect with one another a rarity.

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