The Importance of Cross-Cultural Understanding in Today’s Globalized World
Cross-cultural understanding (Cross-Cultural Understanding) means that we also have to talk about understanding culture first. Based on the opinion of Levine (1992), the notion of "culture" is “a shared background (for example, national, ethnic, or religious) from a common language and communication style, customs, beliefs, attitudes, and values."
Cross-cultural understanding refers to the ability to appreciate and respect cultural differences between individuals or groups from diverse cultural backgrounds. It involves gaining knowledge and understanding of the customs, traditions, values, and beliefs of different cultures to develop empathy and sensitivity towards people from different cultural backgrounds.
Cross-cultural understanding requires recognizing and acknowledging that people from different cultures may have different perspectives and ways of viewing the world. It is important to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to interacting with people from different cultures, and individuals need to adjust their behavior and communication style accordingly to build rapport and establish good relationships.
In today’s globalized world, cross-cultural understanding is crucial for individuals to effectively navigate the complexities of cultural diversity. Whether it is in business, education, healthcare, or personal relationships, being able to communicate and work effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds is essential. Cultivating cross-cultural understanding can help promote mutual respect, tolerance, and empathy, leading to a more inclusive and harmonious society.
First, communication is the process of conveying a message or meaning from the sender to the receiver. Communication can be divided into verbal and verbal communication non-verbal communication. Communication aims for effectiveness, overcoming differences in cultural expectations, and avoiding conflicts due to misunderstandings. Humans can use various means or tools to express or communicate their thoughts, feelings, and desires to other humans. Cross-cultural is a term that is often used to describe situations when one culture interacts with another culture and both have positive and negative influences and impacts on each other.
Effective communication is essential in any relationship. Cross-cultural understanding is critical for effective communication because it enables individuals to understand and respect the cultural nuances of a particular group. This understanding helps to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts, leading to better relationships and fewer conflicts. In business, cross-cultural understanding can help businesses cater to the needs of their clients and partners from different cultures, leading to better business opportunities and stronger relationships.
Appreciating diversity is another critical aspect of cross-cultural understanding. The world is full of diverse cultures, and understanding these cultures leads to a better appreciation for them. This appreciation leads to tolerance, acceptance, and mutual respect. In a world that is becoming increasingly diverse, it is essential to appreciate and respect other cultures to foster social harmony.
Cultural sensitivity and awareness are also crucial in today’s globalized world. Being aware of cultural norms and traditions leads to more empathetic and compassionate relationships between people of different cultures. This understanding can reduce discrimination and prejudice, making our society more inclusive. Additionally, cultural sensitivity and awareness can help avoid cultural misunderstandings, leading to better relationships between individuals and cultures.
Cultural sensitivity and awareness require individuals to understand and appreciate the perspectives and experiences of people from diverse cultural backgrounds. This understanding helps to reduce discrimination and prejudice and promotes a more inclusive and respectful society. It is important to recognize that what may be considered acceptable behavior in one culture may not be in another, and individuals need to adjust their behavior and communication style accordingly to build rapport and establish good relationships.
Developing cultural sensitivity and awareness requires ongoing learning, observation, and reflection. It involves gaining knowledge about different cultures, being open-minded, and developing empathy towards people from different cultural backgrounds. It also involves actively seeking out opportunities to interact with people from diverse cultures to understand and appreciate their perspectives and experiences.
In today’s diverse and globalized world, cultural sensitivity and awareness are crucial for effective communication, building strong relationships, and promoting inclusion and diversity. They are essential for individuals to navigate and thrive in an increasingly interconnected world. Cultivating cultural sensitivity and awareness can help create a more harmonious and respectful society, where individuals appreciate and respect the cultural differences of others.
Better international relations are also essential in today’s world. Cross-cultural understanding fosters diplomatic and cordial relationships between nations, facilitating collaboration in a range of areas such as commerce, education, healthcare, and the environment. In a world that is becoming increasingly complex and interdependent, it is essential to have good international relationships to foster peace, stability, and economic growth.
Across cultures, there is also an understanding of culture shock. Culture shock is an individual’s reaction to a new, unfamiliar environment that causes an initial reaction in the form of anxiety because the individual loses familiar signs in the old environment. Culture shock occurs because there is an imbalance of views between one culture and another, so new cultures that come to other cultures lose hope or anticipate similarities. Culture shock can cause stress and tension when individuals are faced with situations that have never been felt before, such as differences in language, style of dress, food and eating habits, interpersonal relationships, weather (climate), study time, eating, and sleeping, male and female behavior, women, regulation, political system, economic development, education and teaching system, hygiene system, financial regulation, dress code, and public transportation.
In cross-cultural communication, ethics and politeness are a unity that we must understand before communicating. With language, a person can manifest his thoughts and express his heart. In conveying it, a person not only pays attention to the content or information to be conveyed, but also must pay attention to aspects of norms, rules, values, and politeness. These aspects need to be considered by the speaker. Talking about politeness, of course, cannot be separated from cultural and social aspects of social spirit directly related to the speech situation. Politeness in language activities is not an easy thing. In its development, the principle of courtesy has become an important part that must exist in every language activity. If a person is able to choose the right words (according to the audience), with good speech quality (with regard to tone, emphasis, volume, etc.), he speaks in a certain way. appropriate, such as the use of non-verbal communication/appropriate limb movements that are relevant and able to place the communicant as a partner, not a subordinate, the person can be said to already have politeness in communicating.
But in this theory, a lot of miscommunication occurs due to cultural and linguistic differences. As an example of intercultural miscommunication, there is one student who conducts student exchange abroad, where he has a friend. When he was invited to visit a friend’s house, he experienced culture shock because his friend called his mother by the name, not "mom." In this case, miscommunication occurred when the student told his friend in a high enough tone because he thought it was impolite. But this can be avoided. There are many strategies that we can apply when we are going to communicate with people who have different cultures and languages. In this case, the right strategy to use is "constructing intersubjective norms for communication" because his friend explained well that their culture there is used to calling their parents directly by name without any mention of “mom” or "dad."
Finally, cross-cultural understanding is essential for better international relations. In a world that is increasingly complex and interdependent, good international relationships are crucial for fostering peace, stability, and economic growth. Cross-cultural understanding can help create diplomatic and cordial relationships between nations, facilitating collaboration in various fields such as commerce, education, healthcare, and the environment.
In conclusion, cross-cultural understanding is essential in today’s globalized world. It enables effective communication, creates better business opportunities, fosters an appreciation for diversity, promotes cultural sensitivity and awareness, and leads to better international relations. As the world becomes more interconnected, it is important to cultivate cross-cultural understanding to create a better world for all.
63720003 — Rizky Maulana Azhari