Intercultural Communication An Eveolving Discipline...

Intercultural communication is an evolving discipline that encapsulates the interactions between individuals or groups from different backgrounds. Diversity and the need for cultural awareness are forever increasing, and this solidifies the direction in which diversity will take in the future. Intercultural communication is going to be a tremendous part of our future and as individuals it will be part of our personal, social and professional relationships. Intercultural Communication: An Evolving Discipline Effective communication with people of difference cultures can be especially challenging. The way people interpret the world can be strikingly different between cultures. Intercultural communication occurs when a member†¦show more content†¦Through awareness and through the process of intercultural communication, one can become well-versed on all aspects of other cultures, including their history, values and beliefs. There is a tremendous benefit to accomplishing this task. By learning about and exploring other cultures, you will not only learn about others, but you will learn more about yourself. When we observe how other people live, we will look into our own lives and be more aware of how we are living. Culture is a complex concept that can be explained using various definitions. It refers to a community that understands the world in the same exact way, based on common experiences. It can include a group of people that are born into it, or can be defined by a national origin, race and gender. People can change to a certain culture by changing economic status or by moving to a new region. An individual may belong to two different cultures at once. While all cultures in the world share similar emotions, the forms of communication used between them vary to a considerable extent (DuPraw Axner, n.d.). The fundamental aspect of communication is the use of language. In the United States we say â€Å"The fire alarm is going off†, to represent the fact that the fire alarm is ringing. However, in England this means the fire alarm has stopped ringing. Incidently, the meaning of the word is reversed. This is an example of a communication barrier that happens between two different cultures,