By on April 27th, 2016
4 Common Cultural Misunderstandings and How to Fix Them
When you are hosting an international student in your home, you’ll be introduced to a world of exciting new ideas and traditions, just as the student is immersed in your own. It’s a fantastic way for you all to learn about the world and its many cultures. But, you’d be surprised by how some of the tiniest things can change from culture to culture, and still have a big impact.
Cultural misunderstandings are going to happen during your homestay host experience. It would impossible to not have a few bumps. Thankfully, everyone is going into this situation expecting a few, so it should be easy to get past them. Here are some common cultural misunderstandings you may have to deal with in your role as a host family.
- Conflict Avoidance
In many cultures, particularly East Asian cultures, addressing a problem, and thus risking conflict, is to be avoided at all costs. Students are taught that the adults in authority around them are next to infallible, and to question their instruction or behavior is considered the height of rudeness. You may not even know that your host student is experiencing a problem at all, because they may choose to keep a polite respectfulness in place at al times. If you discover that your host student has been avoiding addressing a problem, the best way to handle this is to privately tell them that it’s okay to come to you when they have concerns or complaints. Don’t do this in public or around other people, because in many cultures, being publicly called out for avoiding a problem is considered a great insult.
- Manners
In American culture, saying “Please”, “Thank You”, and “Excuse Me” are drilled into us from the time we can speak. You’ll hear mothers reminding their children “What do you say?” after every interaction, and that’s very normal. In other cultures, it isn’t. Perhaps it’s that the please and thank you is implied, or perhaps good manners are shown in other ways, like rising when an elder joins a room. In any case, don’t be quick to judge your host student on their perceived manners. The best course of action may be to simply get to know them better, and learn about the manners that are acceptable in their country.
- Language Barriers
Part of why your guest is studying abroad is to learn English. As you talk with them, there will inevitably be a few misunderstandings along the way. English is one of the hardest languages to become fluent in, because of the wide range of nuance and localized vocabularies that are part of the language. If your student uses a word incorrectly, and accidentally says something offensive or insulting, the best thing to do is to privately correct them. Be sure to keep a lighthearted attitude to avoid making the student feel self-conscious about their English, which can hinder their progress.
- Body Language
All cultures have different ways of using their hands and bodies to communicate. While making an “A-OK” sign with your thumb and forefinger is acceptable here, in other cultures it is considered a disrespectful sign. Some East Asian cultures do not allow shoes to be worn inside, while some Arabic cultures consider showing the feet to be disrespectful. It’s best to simply learn from your guest by asking them if there are special cultural considerations they feel the need to follow, and to apologize if you accidentally offend with a gesture.
With some common sense and a good sense of humor, none of these problems are difficult to solve. Your international student guest will be just as eager as you are to learn about the differences and laugh through the mistakes.