Cultural Barriers to Effective Communication between Chinese and English

杨克彦

【Abstract】Effective communication with people of different cultures is challenging. Different cultures lead to various communication problems. If the people involved are not aware of such problems， they are more likely to fall victim to them. This paper describes two main cultural barriers in the communication between Chinese and English-speaking people and demonstrates the importance of cross-culture communication.

【Key words】cultures； barriers； effective communication

Culture is an extremely complex， multidimensional， and all-encompassing subject. It is so important and complicated， when people are communicating with others， it is a must for them to have a good knowledge of the cultures. However， in actual communicating situations， problems often occur due to the lack of relevant knowledge of the cultures. This paper， using examples from Chinese and English people， describes and analyzes the cultural barriers which constraint effective communication.

I. Language constraints

Culture and language are indispensable to each other. Language is intrinsically bound up with culture and no linguistic text can exist out of a certain cultural context. Language is the means through which culture is expressed while culture embodies language at the same time. The acceptance of culture is limited by the diversity in the categories of culture and particularly by the diversity in language-culture and mental culture. Language， of course， is the most important code of all for the transfer of culture. On the one hand， being an intrinsic part of culture， language carries culture， mirrors culture， spreads culture， and helps develop culture. On the other hand， language is strongly influenced and shaped by culture in various aspects of our life.

People from diverse cultures vary sharply in their criteria ranging from perception， evaluation， and attitudes to religions， lifestyles and stereotypes. People can hardly avoid cultural interpretation in the daily communicating process.

Generally speaking， the semantic differences between Chinese and English expressions are as follows：

i. Some words can only be used in Chinese or only in English.

There is a byword in the Chinese language： “夏練三伏， 冬练三九”， whose meaning is to encouraging people to keep on taking exercise. What do“三伏” “三九”mean in English？ Once an unskilled interpreter said “three fu and three nine” to some Canadian people， which made them greatly confused. What he needs to say is “In summer， keep exercising during the hottest days. In winter， do the same thing during the coldest weather”.

Likewise， in Chinese there are no corresponding words to express “cowboy” and “hippie or hippy”. In Chinese， “希比士”or“希比派”， the transliteration of “hippie” also cannot show the eccentric personality of the American youth in the 1960s. “嬉皮士” may be slightly better compared with “希比士”， however， this also results in some misunderstanding， for those youth are not all people of “嬉皮笑臉”（grinning cheekily）， instead， some of them treat the social problems seriously， though their life styles are out of the ordinary， usually wearing long hair， and strange consumes， even addicted to drugs.Consequnently in actual communication， necessary explanations are needed.

ii. Some concepts can get extended meanings in different cultures.

Each language contains numerous words with their extended meanings far beyond the basic ones. Great care is needed in the treatment of these words. The Chinese speakers should be alert when introducing the Chinese brand names of “蓝天” toothpaste and the “白翎” pen， for “blue sky” in American English is often used to mean “invalid securities” and “White Feather” symbolizes cowardice in English.

II. Custom and etiquette constraint

People living in different cultures hold different attitudes and beliefs towards animals， plants， and numbers. What is considered a good omen in one culture may not symbolize the same in another. As we know， Chinese people often associate bats with good luck because the Chinese character “蝠” sounds the same as “福” （meaning “blessing” or “good fortune”）. Some Chinese stick to the belief so much that they name their products “蝙蝠”. But in European cultures， “Bat” is not a good name， for bat is regarded as an extremely evil omen in many European folklores.

In sum， to act and behave appropriately in another culture is a demanding task. Keep this in mind and also realize the facilitating role of cultural knowledge in communication. It has become axiomatic to state that there exists a close relationship between successful communication and culture. Knowing the degree of targets national culture background knowledge influences the ability of communicating successfully. And it is important to train peoples ability of the language in terms of cross-cultural communication.

References：

[1]李清源，魏晓红.中美文化与交际[M].上海：复旦大学出版社， 2012.