【文章內(nèi)容簡(jiǎn)介】 as that may not exist in the same fashion in different languages.Different cultures may attach different meanings to the same thing or person. Concerning this case,we should know what young females call themselves is very different in China from the States. InChina, girl means someone who is young and single. In a way, it makes a female sound moredesirable to be called a girl rather than a woman. For most people, woman means someone whois married and who probably is not young. In fact, most single Chinese females, such as universitystudents, would be insulted to be called women. While in the West, in formal, public settings, itis customary to call any woman who is past puberty a woman, even though she may not be legallyold enough to vote, marry, purchase alcoholic beverages, drive a car, or sign a contract. Thisterminology became widespread during the women39。s liberation movement in the 1960s. Theterm 39。girl is sometimes interpreted to be demeaning or disrespectful.Case 24:An Unfair DecisionThis case reflects prejudice, which involves an unfair, biased, or intolerant attitudetowards another group of people. In this case, Mr. Bias decided to select someone else, instead ofapplicant from the country Levadel, for the position. That is just because he holds prejudice towardspeople from the country Levadel.Case 25:Success StoryOne of the sources of the frustration and misunderstandings that occurred in this case wasdifferent notions of what was verbally relevant. In this case, Mary was expecting a much moredirect response to her question. Ms. Goshima, however, was unfortable with the question andfelt her response should be very indirect and establish a proper sense of modesty before revealingthe answer to the question. If Mary had been more patient, she would have eventually heard theanswer to her question, but she was not really paying attention when it finally came because shefelt that Ms. Goshima39。s ments weren39。t really relevant to her query.Case 26:Slogans and the Importance of LanguageThe intercultural encounters we experience are not only influenced by language and perceptualdifferences, and language choice based on restricted and elaborated social situations, but also onlanguage and how it is translated for members of a culture. For many reasons linguisticinterpretation and semantics provide the source of numerous misunderstandings. For instance, aninsurance pany discovered that fires inadvertently occurred because warehouse employeesacted carelessly around empty barrels of gasoline, although they previously had exercised greatcaution around full drums of gasoline. The terms full and empty seem to mask the real danger inworking with gasoline drums. Empty drums are extremely bustible, while full drums pose farless threat. The linguistic perception of the word empty in the general culture signified null or void,but in the work culture of volatile products like gasoline the semantic interpretation wasdisastrous. A story is told of a Christian Scientist who refused to take vitamins, since theremender described them as medicine. However, the same person gladly took the vitaminswhen he was told they were food.Case 28:Two Different Communication StylesThe dialogue takes place between a young couple who have been dating for a short time. Theman is a . student, and the woman is from an Asian culture. Note the misunderstanding thatresults as a consequence of the use of direct and indirect modes of munication.In all likelihood, Jim is not going to get much of an answer from Michiko. She continuesthroughout the dialogue using rather general answers to Jim39。s very specific and direct questionsabout her feelings toward the United States. Michiko might believe that Jim is being far too directand invading her privacy. Besides, the fact that she has traveled halfway around the world shouldlie indicative of her desire to be here, right? There must he something about the United States thatattracted her. Michiko cannot possibly say something critical about the United States because shewould lose face, as would Jim, as a native. She relies on imprecise and indefinite answers. Case 29:MisunderstandingIdioms are simply statements that are not strictly true, but their meaning is understood by agroup of people. If you ask what happened to Martha and people say, She kicked the bucket, itdoes not mean that she literally did this。 it means she died. Just like in the case my student39。s frienddid not literally mean that Shang should get out of the apartment. Idioms are mon in allcultures, but when used in intercultural settings they can create a lot of confusion. One potentialarea of misunderstanding related to idioms is when to use them and with whom. For example, Iwould not use the kick the bucket idiom just any setting or with just any person. If I am talkingwith my grandmother and I am going to tell her about someone who has died, I may use what isoften perceived as a gentler idiom and say the person has passed away. Understanding thecontext of when an idiom is appropriate or sensible is part of intercultural knowledge.Case 31:Going Out to EatIn the interaction, Jim is a student at a local university. He was born and raised in the UnitedStates. Akira is an exchange student from Japan. Jim and Akira are eating dinner together in alocal restaurant. They have known each other for only a short time. Not only is Jim39。s style ofmunication overtly personal, but he39。s also quite direct.Jim is trying to involve Akira in the conversation by relating to him his personal experiencesand preferences. Jim uses the first person I no fewer than eleven times and even refers to Akiraas Buddy. Akira never refers to himself in the first person。 Akira generally defers to Jim andsays little, even addressing Jim as Mr. Jim. As a foreigner, Akira probably sees Jim as socially