Communication Between Cultures (2017)

Communication Between Cultures 

By Samovar et al. (2017)

Book Review

   Humans are for nature interactive beings. This interaction is supported by the process of communication in which individuals express their ideas, opinions, feelings, and emotions. If we were not able to communicate with each other, interaction will not be possible. One example that supports this fact is the biblical myth “The tower of Babel.” This myth narrates that God could avoid humans from building the tallest tower ever, just by keeping them from communicating. According to this story, since people could not communicate with each other anymore, they could not continue the building. This story also suggests the origin of languages which are an essential part in communication.

 Nowadays, human society is going through a globalization process that is connecting people from all over the world. This process allows people from distinct cultures to interact with each other. Consequently, a new necessity is emerging: How to communicate successfully through different languages with many distinct cultures?

There is a book that exposes the importance of communication between cultures, some of the processes and features involved in effective intercultural communication, and some obstacles that may obscure this process. The book is named “Communication between cultures” by Samovar et al (2017).  This book is an excellent guide to understand as well as improve intercultural communication.

    One theme developed in this book is the cultural diversity that exist in this immense world. The author explains how beliefs and traditions change across cultures. Each culture has its distinguishing features that makes it unique, and each culture perceives the same world in a special way. This diversity is what makes human race so complex. This variety can be the cause of social problems, but at the same time is it what enriches human society. The authors are successful in raising awareness about the value of cultural diversity while giving advice on how to benefit from it. Moreover, the writers emphasize the significance of respecting differences in order to improve human interaction.

      The book also analyzes the complexity of the communication process between cultures, its significance, and how it could be effective. Communication is possible thanks to languages as I mentioned before. So, just imagine people from different cultures who speak different languages and see the world in opposite views trying to interact with each other. This may be hard if not impossible. This impossibility of cultures to effectively transmits their messages to other cultures has caused terrible consequences throughout history. This book suggests what people need to consider for these events to be successful. It shows that the first thing we need to do is to change our minds toward differences. We need to expand the boundaries that exists in our minds. And this could be achieved by reading books like this one. The authors explain the consequences resulting when people are not open-minded toward others. Showing the consequences of intolerance, they convince readers to start changing their behaviors and perceptions of others.

     This is an incredibly useful piece of literature not only because it exposes a problem that is affecting us as society but also because it helps raise awareness. Some decades ago, the educational process about cultural diversity began across countries, so we can say that almost all people have a basic knowledge of the importance of respecting and valuing others´ differences. However, this educative process should not stop any point in our lives. The authors of the book are emphatic in the fact that we should keep learning about other cultures and try to interact with the most people we can because this is the best way to eliminate the barriers that separate us.

I really recommend reading this book but not only to read it for yourself but to share with others what you learn from it. 

Reference

Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., McDaniel, E. R., & Roy, C. S. (2017). Communication between cultures. Boston: Cengage Learning.