Intercultural Communication Stumbling Block Summary

Can People Conquer Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks? A long time ago, I used to wonder what makes intercultural communication become a big challenge to many people in the world. However, I just got a clear answer when I read an interesting article in my English class which I’m going to write about it right now. In “Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks”, LaRay M. Barna, who works for the Department of Speech Communication at Portland State University in Oregon as an Associate Professor, tells about some communication barriers such as language, nonverbal signs and symbols, preconceptions and stereotypes, the tendency to evaluate, and high anxiety, which always occur between people who come from different countries. These obstacles give bad influences and keep people

She writes, “The presence of high anxiety/tension is very common in cross-cultural experiences because of the uncertainties present” (71). Certainly, when we do not understand whatever other people are talking about in a conversation, we will be nervous, timid, or even feel isolated. Moreover, high anxiety can be a result by a misinterpretation of the language. Barna confirms this with a case of an international student. Even though, this student doesn’t understand what his/her classmates are talking about and why they are laughing, he/she has to pretend to understand by smiling. However, he/she really feels uneasy and stressful. Indeed, I have the same feelings and experience when I've worked at Walmart. Sometimes, my nerve is so strained when I don't comprehend what customers are looking for or what managers are talking about in our meetings. It really makes me nervous and unpleasant. Consequently, I usually keep quiet and cannot give any ideas during the meetings. Undoubtedly, high anxiety has bad influences on humans' ability as well as their