Do you have friends from different countries? Have you ever been misunderstood because of your gestures? For instance, you give \u201cOK\u201d sign to your Japanese friends to express that you agree with them but they react differently by curling up their eyebrows in a frown. Why? It occurs because they fail to understand your \u201cOk\u201d sign by interpreting it as \u201cmoney\u201d instead of the approval of something. To communicate is to understand people and their culture. So, let\u2019s learn some diverse cultural interpretation of nonverbal cues in different countries based on Lexika (2018)!<\/p>\n
1. THUMBS UP!<\/p>\n
To an American, this signal means \u201cOk\u201d, \u201csee you later\u201d or \u201ccool\u201d while in Iran, it is considered a rude gesture, same as the raised middle finger. Meanwhile, it is used to express \u201cyou are the best!\u201d in China and \u201cthank you\u201d in Brazil.<\/p>\n
2. Nodding your head<\/p>\n
We all know that this signal is another way to say \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cok\u201d in order to express an agreement. Contrary to popular opinion, it is a sign of disagreement or \u201cno\u201d in Bulgaria.<\/p>\n
3. The sign of the horns<\/p>\n
It is well-known as a rock and roll sign in most parts of the world but Italian, Greek, and Spanish people show it to signal that their partners are unfaithful.<\/p>\n
4. The V sign<\/p>\n
The majority of people in this universe employ the V sign to convey \u201cvictory\u201d or \u201cpeace.\u201d However, when you show it with the palm facing inwards to people in England, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa, it has a similar meaning as raising your middle finger.<\/p>\n
Those examples ascertain that nonverbal messages in a society can have completely different meanings in another society (Matsumoto, 2006). In conclusion, when intercultural people communicate, they need to equip themselves with cross-cultural knowledge to avoid misunderstanding as well as to maintain a good relationship.<\/p>\n
Keep learning & Keep growing!<\/strong><\/p>\n References<\/p>\n Lexika. (2018, April 09). Cultural differences in nonverbal communication. Retrieved from Lexika: https:\/\/www.lexika-translations.com\/blog\/cultural-differences-in-nonverbal-communication\/<\/p>\n Matsumoto, D. (2006, June 19). Culture and Nonverbal Behaviour. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.davidmatsumoto.com\/content\/Matsumoto%20Chapter%2012%20Pages%20from%20Manusov%20II%20Proff-14.pdf<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Do you have friends from different countries? Have you ever been misunderstood because of your gestures? For instance, you give \u201cOK\u201d sign to your Japanese friends to express that you agree with them but they react differently by curling up their eyebrows in a frown. Why? It occurs because they fail to understand your \u201cOk\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":7176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[267],"tags":[421,414],"class_list":["post-7175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language-center","tag-culture","tag-nonverbal"],"yoast_head":"\n