culture-and-communication--文化与交际大学论文.doc

Culture and CommunicationAbstractAs is known to all, China has already entered an era of rapid development and created a miracle in economic field in the process of globalization. Following the frequent communication between China and other foreign countries, our nation is further involved in the international affairs, mainly in business practice. With the expansion of the economic and commercial cooperation, the cultural environment of the intercultural communication has been more and more complicated. All the value systems, thinking patterns, and even behavior mode in different cultures varies from person to person, which highly affects business activities, and ,whats more, it determines the consequences. Therefore the cultural factors have been emphasized. Although traditional Business English teaching has been concerned in the language cultural differences, it is always inclined to focus on the explanation about business knowledge or language training, which fails to realize teaching goals due to the neglect of passing on the intercultural knowledge. As a result, in the process of Business English teaching, apart from the initiating business skills, we should also pay more attention to the cultivation of intercultural communication competence.In the past, intercultural communication theories were more applied into FLT teaching and less combined with Business English. As a matter of fact, the application of cross-cultural communication to the teaching of Business English in the context of Chinese colleges should be operated in such a way that students could be able to learn the cultural differences between China and western countries. At the same time, students will understand the basic ideas governing the respective cultural entities. By analysis and comparison, business cultural differences are studied the higher level of cultural thinking. And this must be the premier goal of Business English teaching.Generally speaking, the thesis consists of the following questions: firstly, why should we teach and learn Business English from the intercultural communication perspective? Secondly, what could we analyze the relationship between intercultural communication and Business English teaching? Thirdly, how should we develop cultural awareness and improve communication ability?Key Words: value systems; cultural factors; Business English teaching; intercultural communication; cultural differences摘要众所周知的是，在经济全球化的浪潮中，中国已然步入了快速发展的时代，并在经济领域创造了一个奇迹。伴随着频繁的国际商业交流，我国越来越多地融入到国际事务中，尤其在商务活动方面。然而，随着国际经贸合作的不断扩展，跨文化交流也处在一个多文化，复杂的文化环境里。不同的人有着不同的价值观、思维方式、行为模式，这些差异会极大地影响商务活动的各个环节，甚至决定商务活动的成败。因此，商务活动中的文化因素越来越受到人们的重视。传统的商务英语教学虽不断涉及到语言中文化差异，但往往注重了商务知识的讲解和语言训练而忽视了商务英语中文化知识的传授，造成了很多商务活动的失败。因此在注重知识讲授的同时更要重视跨文化交际能力的培养。跨文化交际理论传统上应用于外语教学，与商务英语结合相对较少。而跨文化交际研究与商务英语教学的结合点应该落在让学生了解中西文化的差异，探究各自的基本思想和观念。通过分析对比，从更深层次上理解商务中的文化差异。这也必须是商务英语教学最重要的目标。这一论文主要由以下几个问题构成：第一，为什么要从跨文化角度分析商务英语教学？第二，商务英语教学与跨文化交际有何联系？第三，我们该如何培养跨文化意识并提高交际能力？关键词：价值观；文化因素；商务英语教学；跨文化交际；文化差异 IntroductionWith the development of globalization, the contact with the world has become more and more frequent. It is well-known that English has become an important international language and has a great impact on business affairs, so Business English is a necessity and we attach great importance to its teaching and learning in correspondence with the social development. For the sake of satisfying the need for business talents, lots of courses concerning Business English have been set in many universities, even middle schools. However, the present Business English teaching method is far from satisfactory.1.1 Purpose and Scope of the ThesisGreatly influenced by the traditional teaching, Business English is still inclined to value linguistic knowledge rather than communicative competence. Admittedly, great numbers of learners still put an emphasis on business vocabulary and grammatical rules, leading to the consequence that they fail to express ideas by means of English in practice, and causing the miscommunication or failure in the communication. Therefore, the urgent need for the time being is to improve learners cultural awareness and develop their intercultural communication competence in Business English teaching, so as to achieve the final goal and real purpose of Business English teaching. So the writer chooses Business English teaching and learning as the topic of his thesis in order to help students improve their intercultural communication ability in business English learning.1.2 Theoretical Framework and Methodology of the ThesisIn spite of the fact that various methods have been applied in the course of Business English teaching, the result is still far from expectation. Therefore, the author tries to explore a new perspectiveIntercultural Communication theories in an attempt to have a more effective learning feedback.It is well-known that attitude has a great impact on communication competence, and according to the view of Social psychologists, attitude should be made up of cognitive, affective and conative. As Gudycunst, one of the famous communication experts, (1984) put it, an efficient intercultural communicator is expected to have component of cognitive, affective and behavioral simultaneously. Our scholar of Intercultural Communication, Jia Yuxin(1997)summarized the theory of Gudycunst and proposes that the communication system should include strategic ability as well. Based on these models and theories, the writer will analyze the constituent of intercultural communication competence and give an instruction in Business English teaching.This thesis is progressed by a quantitative approach by means of collecting and analyzing considerable examples taken in books or the real life. Literature ReviewIn this chapter, the study of Business English and its teaching will be overviewed, and the study on intercultural communication will be introduced in detail.2.1 Characteristics of Business EnglishBusiness English is regarded as a “mediating language between the technicalities of particular businessesand the language of the general public” (Pickett, 1989:5). Pickett (1989) suggests two particular aspects to business communications: communication with the public and communication within a company or between companies. Communication with the public is likely to be in the first language. Non-native speakers use Business English mainly for inter-company. Picketts distinction is useful but it fails to cover the increasingly wide range of todays business activities, such as fax transmission, complex L/C operation, etc. Various communication channels, different topics covered and diverse relationships will all affect the choice of Business English.Business English is classified into English for General Business Purposes (EGBP) and English for Specific Business Purposes (ESBP) (Dudley-Evans and St. John, 1998). EGBP courses are usually for pre-experienced students or those at very early stages of their career. Students take the course either at universities or at language training school and the course are always massive in topic contents and skill cultivations. ESBP courses are prepared for those job-experienced learners, in which a certain aspect of business or some particular skills will be festered.Business English in the international trade plays an increasingly important role. Business English language has its own characteristics; to really master the business and its translation in English, not only experienced in English language knowledge, but also must be familiar with business expertise; in business English translation of the translation must follow certain principles, use of a number of translation strategies. After China joins the WTO, international business activities have become increasingly frequent. Many of these business areas, such as technology transfer, foreign trade, investment, foreign contracting and labor service contracts, international finance, foreign insurance, international travel, overseas investment, international transport, etc, collectively known as the English used in business English. Business English has become the language of economic activity in essential communication tool. BEC tends to be popular in China. More and more people are interested in business English and its translation.Business English vocabulary used in the most remarkable feature is the precise use of technical vocabulary, which contains a large number of specialized vocabulary, with the ordinary meaning of the word commercial, or compound words, acronyms, and other issues involving the business theory and business practice in terms of its language has a very strong professional.2.2 Users of Business EnglishAs previously mentioned, English has become the most available language tool in business negotiation. A Finn conducting business in Bangkok uses English; a Sudanese doing business with the Dutch uses English; the Norwegian in China often use English; an American and a German probably also employ English.Thus most English-medium communications in business are non-native speaker to non-native speaker (NNS-NNS), and the English they use is International English, not that of native speaker (NS) of English-medium countries such as the UK and Australia. For example, Guy and Mattock (1993) use the term “offshore English” for the English spoken between Europeans who do not share first languages and have learned English for practical rather than academic purposes.One of the consequences of the role of English as the international language is that “non-British managers may be able to understand each other more easily when speaking English together than they can understand a native speaker” (Barham and Oater, 1991) and the non-native speakers may understand each other more easily than the native speaker (NS) understands them. People, who share the first language, may share a common use of English which is not the NS use. The NS may have to learn to move from a literal understanding to a contextually based one. For example, the NNS may immediately understand the meaning behind “I insist on the importance of this” and “to resume ones ideas”. A NS may have to emerge from the emotional influence of “I insist” and then realize that the implied meaning is “I emphasis the importance of this”; and, for the same reason, how easily a NS can understand that “to resume” is not “to go on the earlier ideas” but “to summarize ones ideas” depends on the context and their experience as well.2.3 Intercultural CommunicationPeople can not live without Communication. Communication is everywhere. As is known to all, people in all fields, especially businessmen have encountered people from all around the world since the beginning of the time. And the Silk Road has just established a typical example of cross-cultural communication.Like communication, culture is prevalence and has an encyclopedic effect on humans. Culture is also invisible but universal. As we go about our daily lives, we do not have a great sense of our cultures influence. Culture exists everywhere around us between different nations even different countries. Culture has a direct influence on the physical, relational and sensory environment. Yet most of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are profoundly affected by different cultures.Successfully communicating with someone from a different culture or different countries which is very difficult to our human requires a degree of communication competence. Most models of communication competence include an affective and behavioral component, which is indispensable in cross-cultural communication.With the rapid growth of the modern society, the benefits of the Intercultural communication are even greater. Communicating and establishing relationships with people from different cultures can lead to a whole host of benefits, including healthier communities; increased international, national, and local commerce; reduced conflict; and personal growth through increased tolerance.2.4 The Importance of Intercultural Communication Competence in Business English Teaching and LearningNowadays, more and more organizations and enterprises are getting involved in business communication across cultures, between cultures, and among cultures. During the course of doing business, they need be fluent in Business English indispensably, but they are necessarily concerned in business negotiation. As a matter of fact, business communication is intercultural communication. In order to communicate with another culture, you have to come to terms with it somehow. As Scott suggests, “Effective international business skills are the backbone that supports the transaction of business around the world”. It is therefore essential that people living in business areas develop cultural fluency and acquire cultural-sensitive communication tools. As a result, teachers and students should put a higher valuation on the increase of the ability of cross-cultural communication in the course of teaching and learning.Theoretical Foundation2.1 Intercultural CommunicationThe term “Intercultural Communication” has been expressed in many ways, such as intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication, the study of intercultural communication, the study of cross-cultural communication, intercultural communication studies, cross-cultural communication studies and trans-cultural communication. Among them, intercultural communication and cross-cultural communication are more widely adopted. With regards to its definition, L.A.Samovar (2004) gives a very brief description of the term:In its most general sense, Intercultural Communication occurs when a member of one cultural and a member of another culture are at odds. More precisely, Intercultural Communication involves interaction between people whose cultural consciousness and symbol systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event.In terms of its definition, it is essential indeed for us to illustrate the relationships among language, culture and communication.2.2 Language and CultureThe relationship between language and culture is discussed for a long time in linguistics, anthropology, sociology and other fields. It is widely accepted among language educators that there is a close relationship between language and culture. The two are interwoven so closely that if one separates into two, the significance of either language or culture will be lost.2.2.1 Language as Determined by CultureEarly anthropologists, following the theory that words determine thought, believed that language and its structure were entirely dependent on the cultural context in which they existed. This was a logical extension of what is termed the Standard Social Science Model, which views the human mind as an indefinitely malleable structure capable of absorbing any sort