Deck 3: Communicating Interculturally

Question 1

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

Answer 1

True

Question 2

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

Answer 2

True

Question 3

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

Answer 3

True

Question 4

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

Question 5

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

Question 6

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

Question 7

Some cultures are much more complex than other cultures.

Question 8

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

Question 9

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

Question 10

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

Question 11

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 12

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

Question 13

High-context cultures view adherence to laws as being more flexible.

Question 14

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

Question 15

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

Question 16

Culture is inborn.

Question 17

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

Question 18

In 2011,Canada welcomed about 250 000 immigrants with about 90 000 being skilled workers and entrepreneurs.

Question 19

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

Question 20

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

Question 21

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

Question 22

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

Question 23

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 24

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

Question 25

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

Question 26

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

Question 27

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

Question 28

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

Question 29

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

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

Question 30

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

Question 31

For important business communication,use a professional interpreter (for oral communication).

Question 32

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

Question 33

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

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

Question 34

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

Question 35

Employees can improve their intercultural communication skills by _____________________.

A)helping non-native speakers learn English.
B)respecting cultural preferences for communication style.
C)understanding their own culture so that they can recognize its influences on their communication habits.
D)all of the above.

Question 36

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

Question 37

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

Question 38

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 39

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 40

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

Question 41

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

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

Question 42

Ethnocentrism can be overcome by ________________

A)accepting multiple cultures on their own terms.
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

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 44

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 45

Back translation ________________

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

Question 46

IBM's Corporate Service Corps has so far sent more than __________ teams to more than 30 countries.

A)1000
B)50
C)200
D)160

Question 47

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 48

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 49

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 50

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 51

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 52

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

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

Question 53

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 54

To learn as much as you can about a culture ____________

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

Question 55

Using humour in communication is discouraged because _______________

A)it's unprofessional.
B)it's considered unethical.
C)it usually relies on intimate knowledge of a particular culture.
D)humour is not a part of the communication process.

Question 56

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 57

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 58

Stereotyping ________________

A)is never a good practice.
B)assigning a wide range of generalized attributes to an individual on the basis of membership in a particular culture or social group.
C)lets you deal with individuals as they really are.
D)is often the result of thorough,specific,and accurate evidence.

Question 59

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 60

Xenophobia is ________________

A)a fear of strangers and foreigners.
B)recognizing the differences that exist between your culture and other cultures.
C)focusing on the possibility that your words and actions will be misunderstood.
D)all of the above.

Question 61

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

Question 62

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

Question 63

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

Question 64

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

Question 65

One way to protect against poor translation is to back-translate the same message into the original language.

Question 66

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

Question 67

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

Question 68

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

Question 69

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

Question 70

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

Question 71

What is a culture?

Question 72

People in Canada and the United States show respect by addressing top managers _________________

A)by their first name.
B)as "Mr.Roberts" or "Ms.Tremblay."
C)As "Sir" or "Madam."
D)as "boss."

Question 73

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

Question 74

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

Question 75

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

Question 76

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 77

In a(n)high-context 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 78

Briefly describe at least three advantages of a multicultural workforce.

Question 79

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

Question 80

What is ethnocentrism,and how can it be overcome?