Deck 3: Communicating Interculturally

Question 1

A company's cultural diversity affects how its business messages are conceived,composed,delivered,received,and interpreted.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Differences in body language are a major source of misunderstanding in intercultural communication.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Culture is inborn.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Cultural pluralism is a negative view of a culture's dualism.

Question 5

Advanced technologies allow manufacturers to produce their goods in foreign locations that offer unfavourable corporate tax rates and high-cost labour.

Question 6

Japan is an example of a country with a homogeneous population.

Question 7

Recent immigrants-those who have arrived in Canada in the last 10 years-account for 70 percent of labour market growth.

Question 8

Some cultures are much more complex than other cultures.

Question 9

From culture to culture,what people consider legal and ethical varies widely.

Question 10

You belong to several cultures,but only ONE affects the way you communicate.

Question 11

Because Canada and Germany have such high-context cultures,they rely heavily on verbal communication and less on implied meaning.

Question 12

People's cultural background influences the way they prioritize what is important in life,helps define their attitude toward what is appropriate in any given situation,and establishes rules for their behaviour.

Question 13

Effective intercultural communication improves the contributions of employees in a diverse workforce.

Question 14

Chinese and Japanese negotiators primarily focus on building relationships before entering into serious negotiations.

Question 15

Cultural context is the pattern of physical cues,environmental stimuli,and implicit understanding that conveys meaning between members of the same culture.

Question 16

Intercultural communication is the process of sending and receiving messages within a specific culture.

Question 17

In 1999,federal legislation was instituted that would make bribing foreign officials a criminal offence in Canada.

Question 18

Regardless of the country you're doing business in,a person suspected of a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty.

Question 19

Formal rules of social etiquette are explicit and well defined,but informal rules are learned through observation and imitation.

Question 20

In China,it is considered polite to pour tea for yourself and then offer the rest of the table some.

Question 21

Many companies recognize that they must be able to conduct business in languages other than English.

Question 22

Many difficulties in intercultural communication occur because people in different cultures have different __________

A) genetics.
B) basic assumptions.
C) environments.
D) media.

Question 23

Machine translation uses computerized intelligence (such as software on websites)to translate material from one language to another.

Question 24

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge all other groups according to your own group's standards,behaviours,and customs.

Question 25

Ethnocentric people fail to communicate with individuals as they really are.

Question 26

Materials most likely to need translation include maintenance manuals,warranties,and product labels.

Question 27

If a nonnative English speaker is making mistakes that could hurt his or her credibility,it would be helpful for you to offer advice on the appropriate words and phrases to use.

Question 28

Knowing what your communication partners expect can help you adapt to their particular style.

Question 29

When ethnocentric people stereotype an entire group of people,they are usually justified in doing so.

Question 30

People from Canada and the United Kingdom rarely misunderstand each other because they speak the same language.

Question 31

In general,when writing to someone in another country,Canadian businesspeople should be a bit more formal than they would be otherwise.

Question 32

Avoid cultural blunders by recognizing and accommodating six main types of cultural differences: contextual,legal and ethical,social,nonverbal signals,and _____________

A) educational.
B) gender and age.
C) employment.
D) ethical.

Question 33

If you don't have the time or the opportunity to learn a new language,learning just a few common phrases is considered insulting in most cultures.

Question 34

For more effective intercultural communications make sure you and the listener agree on what has been said and decided.

Question 35

When speaking to someone for whom English is a second language,you should avoid using slang and idioms.

Question 36

)With market globalization,intercultural communication _____________________.

A) becomes less of a challenge.
B) reduces your chances of interacting with people who speak another language.
C) is aided by advanced technologies such as faxes, overnight delivery, and email.
D) all of the above.

Question 37

To be more effective in intercultural conversations,speak slowly and over enunciate your words.

Question 38

Canadian and U.S.workers typically prefer an open and direct communication style.

Question 39

Jokes and references to popular Canadian entertainment usually rely on cultural issues that your audience will be aware of after living in Canada for one year.

Question 40

To overcome ethnocentrism,you should ignore the differences between another person's culture and your own.

Question 41

When you deal with people who don't speak your language at all,you have a few options,including ________________

A) using an intermediary or a translator.
B) using gestures and sign language.
C) speaking loudly and enunciating clearly.
D) using an English-only policy.

Question 42

Ethnocentrism can be overcome by ________________

A) maintaining an open mind.
B) judging other groups according to your own standards.
C) ignoring the distinctions between cultures.
D) remembering that people from other cultures communicate in ways that are inferior to your own.

Question 43

A more extreme reaction than ethnocentrisim to people in groups is ___________

A) idiomism.
B) xenophobia.
C) closterphobia.
D) stereotyping.

Question 44

Meeting a deadline is less important than building a relationship for businesspeople from ________________

A) the United States.
B) Scandinavia.
C) China.
D) Germany.

Question 45

To convey meaning in a low-context culture such as the one existing in Germany,people rely more on ________________

A) gestures and vocal inflection.
B) indirectness and metaphors.
C) situational cues.
D) explicit verbal communication.

Question 46

When communicating across cultures,keep your messages ethical by applying four basic principles: Send and receive messages without judgment,show respect for cultural differences,_________________

A) seek social differences, and seek mutual ground.
B) be honest, and identify roles and status.
C) seek social differences, and be honest.
D) seek mutual ground, and be honest.

Question 47

Many international documents are written in English and need no translation; however,some forms of written communication still need to be translated,including ________________

A) routine business correspondence.
B) interoffice memos.
C) advertisements, warranties, and procedure manuals.
D) international business letters.

Question 48

Stereotyping ________________

A) is never a good practice.
B) can be useful in the early stages of learning about a culture.
C) lets you deal with individuals as they really are.
D) is often the result of thorough, specific, and accurate evidence.

Question 49

To learn as much as you can about a culture ____________

A) do volunteer work that gives you experience with people from other cultures.
B) talk to people to find out what they think of different cultures.
C) learn the language.
D) watch foreign television programs.

Question 50

In high-context cultures ________________

A) people rely more on nonverbal circumstances and cues to convey meaning.
B) people rely less on the environmental setting to convey meaning.
C) the rules of everyday life are highly explicit.
D) all of the above.

Question 51

When sending written communication to businesspeople from another culture ____________

A) use slang and idioms.
B) elaborate on every detail.
C) use transitional elements.
D) use humour.

Question 52

Letters from Japanese businesspeople,as compared to letters from Canadian businesspeople,tend to ________________.

A) get directly to the point.
B) be direct and brief.
C) be less direct.
D) sound unnatural.

Question 53

If a Canadian official pays a bribe to government officials in another country,it is _______________

A) always considered a normal part of doing business.
B) considered unethical but not illegal to do so.
C) illegal, under Canadian law.
D) only unethical if the bribe is over $1,000.

Question 54

Back translation ________________

A) ensures accuracy.
B) employs many people.
C) confuses messages.
D) none of the above.

Question 55

Ethnocentrism refers to ________________

A) the study of ethnic groups.
B) the study of cultural diversity.
C) the belief that all immigration into the United States should be halted.
D) the belief that one's own cultural background is superior to that of others.

Question 56

Generally,businesspeople in Canada show respect by addressing top managers ________________

A) by using their job titles.
B) by using their first names.
C) by using "Mr." or "Ms."
D) none of the above.

Question 57

Negotiators from high-context cultures _____________

A) try to reach decisions as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
B) prefer to make their deals slowly, after building relationships.
C) spend a lot of time on each little point to display their good faith.
D) arrive at decisions through consensus, after an elaborate and time-consuming process.

Question 58

When you react ethnocentrically,you ________________

A) assume that others will act the same way you do.
B) recognize the differences that exist between your culture and other cultures.
C) focus on the possibility that your words and actions will be misunderstood.
D) do all of the above.

Question 59

If you have a long-term business relationship with people of another culture,__________

A) there is no need for you to learn that country's language.
B) they will understand that you do not know their language.
C) you should learn a few basic words and phrases of their language.
D) you should only deal with natives who can speak English.

Question 60

When writing letters to businesspeople in other countries,you should ________________

A) use an informal, friendly tone.
B) keep your sentences and paragraphs long.
C) be vague and general in your wording.
D) be brief.

Question 61

Why is it a good idea to learn a few common phrases in a native language before conducting business in a foreign country?

Question 62

Younger employees in Canadian companies often communicate with older colleagues as equals,___________

A) in an attempt to "save face."
B) even to the point of openly disagreeing with them.
C) In an attempt to gain promotions.
D) especially when at a social gathering.

Question 63

What is ethnocentrism,and how can it be overcome?

Question 64

When communicating interculturally look for __________ to make sure your message is getting through.

Question 65

In a(n)__________ culture such as exists in Germany,people rely more on verbal communication and less on circumstances and implied meaning.

Question 66

One way to protect against poor translation is to __________ the same message into the original language.

Question 67

Distinguish between "formal" and "informal" cultural rules of etiquette; then briefly describe three areas in which differing informal rules can become evident during intercultural communication.

Question 68

__________ is a shared system of symbols,beliefs,attitudes,values,expectations,and norms for behaviour.

Question 69

List at least three areas of nonverbal communication that can differ widely among cultures.

Question 70

The process of sending and receiving messages between people of different cultures is called __________.

Question 71

Briefly describe at least three advantages of a multicultural workforce.

Question 72

Ethnocentric people are prone to __________,or attempting to predict individuals' behaviour or character on the basis of their membership in a particular group.

Question 73

If you react with __________,you tend to judge all other groups according to your own group's standards,behaviours,and customs.

Question 74

Both __________ and workforce diversity create advantages-and challenges-for business communicators throughout the world.

Question 75

In international business correspondence,you should __________ your approach,style,and tone to meet their expectations.

Question 76

What is a culture?

Question 77

__________ are phrases that mean more than the sum of their parts and can cause misunderstandings when translated literally.

Question 78

In a(n)__________ culture such as exists in Taiwan,people rely less on verbal communication and more on the context of nonverbal actions and environmental setting to convey meaning.

Question 79

Explain the difference between a high-context culture and a low-context culture,and provide at least one example of each.

Question 80

Differences in __________,such as gestures and eye contact,are a source of misunderstanding during intercultural communications.