Task 9. Read the text “Relationships” and translate it.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 385.

Task 7. Read the text “Frankness” and translate it.

Task 8. Find answers to the following questions in the text and write them down:

1. Do Americans tend to be frank in their relationships with others?

2. What do Asians tend to be like as to frankness?

3. How do they may appear in their relationships?

4. Do North Americans appear harsh and aggressive to Asians?

5. How do the Chinese tend to end telephone calls?

FRANKNESS

North Americans tend to be relatively frank in their relationships with others, quickly getting to the point and perhaps being blunt and sharp in doing so. Asians tend to be far more reticent and sometimes go to great lengths not to offend. Thus, Asians may appear evasive, roundabout and indecisive to North Americans; and North Americans may appear harsh, impolite and aggressive to Asians. Telephone customs may be an exception, especially among the Chinese, who tend to end tele­phone calls abruptly after their purpose has been accomplished. North Americans, on the other hand, tend to move on to friendly talk and clearly prepare the listener for the end of the call.

Task 10. Find answers to the following questions in the text and write them down:

1. What does class status determine?

2. What questions might be asked to determine person's class status?

3. How do the views of superior-subordinate relations vary by culture?

4. Does the role of women vary by culture?

5. How do Americans view the attitude to women in Islamic culture?

RELATIONSHIPS

In many cultures, strict social classes exist and class status deter­mines how intimately people are addressed and treated in communication. For this reason, a person from such a culture might quiz a person from another culture to deter­mine that person's class status. Questions concerning occupation, income, title and such might be asked. People from cultures that stress human equality are apt to take offence at such questioning and in fact at the notion of class status. This difference in attitude toward class status is also illustrated by differences in the familiarity of address. Some Americans are quick to get on a first-name basis. This practice is offen­sive to people from some other cultures, notably the English and the Germans, who expect such intimate address only from long-standing acquaintances.

Similarly, how people view superior-subordinate relations can vary by culture. The dominant view in Latin America, for example, is of the necessity for a strong boss with weak subordinates doing as the boss directs. In sharp contrast is the somewhat democratic work arrangement of the Japanese in which much of the decision making is by consensus. Most in American culture view as appropriate an order between these extremes. These widely differing practices have led to major communication problems in joint business ventures involving people from these cultures.

The role of women varies widely by culture. In North America, we continue to move toward a generally recognised goal of equality. In many Islamic cultures, the role of women is quite different. In our view, the practices of the people of these other cultures suggest severe restriction of rights. In the view of the people of these cultures, their practices are in accord with their religious convictions.