The Paradox of Intercultural Communication

Marketing strategist Helena Merschdorf posits the following question: "What if English as the global lingua franca is both our greatest asset and biggest downfall in intercultural communication?" She argues that the most dangerous misunderstandings occur not when we speak different languages, but when we speak the same one. Simply speaking the same language does not lead to shared meaning. We know that verbal and nonverbal cues do not always translate from one culture to another. Without a shared set of pre-existing cultural concepts, the receiver will decode a message through their own unique lens, which will distort the original meaning of the sender. This is true both in language (verbal communication) and our use of gestures. To improve our communication transactions, we can simplify our language by using denotative language and asking clarifying questions, rather than making assumptions based on our cultural lens. Dialog is key to improving intercultural communication. In our next unit we will examine in more detail the concept of intercultural communication competence and strategies to improve intercultural communication transactions.