Cross — cultural Communication in Business English

罗雪

【Abstract】The factors in cross - cultural communication affects business activities should be paid attention through the process of learning Business English. The successful communication can be realized through the identity with inter - culture.

【Key word】cross - cultural communication； business activities

With the development of China's reform and opening up， there is more and more frequent contact between people both in our country and in other countries. The study to the cross-cultural communication will help us not only understand the world culture clearly， but the people all over the world get real communication. In addition， to master this kind of cross-cultural communication knowledge will also do good to us foreseeing and solving problems in communication.

Broadly speaking， Cross-cultural factors are referred to different social cultural background； different etiquette and way in cross-cultural communication； different modest privacy that people keep； different influence on people's behavior and different values； the festival customs and the habits related to western culture； the taboo words and how to adapt to the new cultural environment and so on.

First of all， It is known that Cross-cultural communication and English learning is inseparable as English is not only a kind of language tool but also a kind of communication ability. Therefore， how to use English in cross-cultural communication plays a particularly important part. Generally speaking， a person speaks a foreign language whose knowledge of the language and cultural knowledge may not be necessarily completely equivalent. In other word， a person who grasps a foreign language better is likely to get a higher expectation from others in that the very person is thought to have mastered the relevant cultural background knowledge as well as the ability to adjust in his or her communication behavior. However， both two does not matters directly. Besides， misunderstanding caused by the cultural factors may lead to a worse effect on interpersonal relationship than that caused by language factors .The basic purpose of learning English is to achieve cross-cultural communication and get in touch with people with different culture background. As a result， the analysis of cultural phenomenon in business English will do good to learning and mastering the business etiquette and skills.

In view of the particularity in business activities， people are usually required to know its intercultural communication knowledge such as the region customs etc ， in order to get rid of some unnecessary trouble when contacting with foreign visitors.

Take the appointment in business as an example ， the most common way is phone-call appointment or contact through intermediary. That is to say that people under different culture background may make different reservations referring to the time. For example， the Latin American countries people often make phone calls or letters for the reservation ahead of a month， and then make a confirmation once again in a week before the formal appointment. In Arab countries， you'd better find a guarantor to help you arrange an appointment when doing business. In Italy， people also tend to be introduced by middlemen in a first business approach and make a record written in Italian.

Lastly， how to solve the cross-cultural communication problem effectively becomes the key in business activities. To begin with， make sure to avoid the obstacles. Then， communicate effectively through the following steps： Firstly， recognize and understand the different national culture unique language and behavior correctly； Secondly， understand the value of the two communicating parties and strengthen the standard cross-cultural awareness； Thirdly， follow the common economic market statute.

To sum up， there is no doubt that different areas have their own characteristics and both have their roots deep in their culture. Therefore， we must learn and study others culture as much as possible and try to seek common ground while putting differences aside when in business activities.

【參考文献】

[1]梁漱溟.东西文化及其哲学[M].北京：商务印书馆，1997.

[2]Dueing，S.（ed.） The Cultural Studies Reader.London：Routledge，1993