Retroboy
16th Aug 06, 5:53 AM
Just read a fascinating piece in the local paper, quoted from elsewhere, about the perceived differences between the American business/political culture of communication, and the same version in Iran.
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The Fine Art of Hiding What You Mean to Say - Iranian 101: A Lesson for Americans (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1679290/posts)
It is certainly unfair to accuse all Iranians of being liars. The label is judgmental and reeks of stereotype. The more appropriate way to phrase the Iranian view toward honesty, the way many Iranians themselves describe it, is to say that being direct and telling the truth are not prized principles in Iran.
Often, just the opposite is true. People are expected to give false praise and insincere promise. They are expected to tell you what you want to hear to avoid conflict, or to offer hope when there is none.
There is a social principle in Iran called taarof, a concept that describes the practice of insincerity — of inviting people to dinner when you don’t really want their company, for example. Iranians understand such practices as manners and are not offended by them.
But taarof is just one aspect of a whole framework for communication that can put Iranian words in a completely different context from the one Americans are familiar with.
“You have to guess if people are sincere, you are never sure,” said Nasser Hadian, a political science professor at the University of Tehran. “Symbolism and vagueness are inherent in our language.”
This way of communicating is suddenly essential for Americans to understand. Increasingly, it appears that the road to peace, and war, runs through Tehran. And so hearing what Iranians are really saying, not what Americans think they are saying, has become a priority. [snip].
And yet, understanding each other — forget about agreeing — is complicated from the start.... [have to register to get the rest]
Call me wet behind the ears from an international travel perspective, but I find it interesting and compelling that something as simple as basic honesty is treated so intrinsically different between cultures.
Anyone here have any experiences that show fundamental differences in communication between different cultures, not from a language/meaning perspective (e.g. Chevy Nova failed in Latin America and Spain because "nova" translates to "no go") , but from a general thought process point of view?
Is this fundamentally going to get in the way of a globalized world? Or are tools like the Internet helping to break down these cultural differences, or at minimum, help people understand that they exist?
Some big questions from...
-- Retro
------------------------------------------------
The Fine Art of Hiding What You Mean to Say - Iranian 101: A Lesson for Americans (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1679290/posts)
It is certainly unfair to accuse all Iranians of being liars. The label is judgmental and reeks of stereotype. The more appropriate way to phrase the Iranian view toward honesty, the way many Iranians themselves describe it, is to say that being direct and telling the truth are not prized principles in Iran.
Often, just the opposite is true. People are expected to give false praise and insincere promise. They are expected to tell you what you want to hear to avoid conflict, or to offer hope when there is none.
There is a social principle in Iran called taarof, a concept that describes the practice of insincerity — of inviting people to dinner when you don’t really want their company, for example. Iranians understand such practices as manners and are not offended by them.
But taarof is just one aspect of a whole framework for communication that can put Iranian words in a completely different context from the one Americans are familiar with.
“You have to guess if people are sincere, you are never sure,” said Nasser Hadian, a political science professor at the University of Tehran. “Symbolism and vagueness are inherent in our language.”
This way of communicating is suddenly essential for Americans to understand. Increasingly, it appears that the road to peace, and war, runs through Tehran. And so hearing what Iranians are really saying, not what Americans think they are saying, has become a priority. [snip].
And yet, understanding each other — forget about agreeing — is complicated from the start.... [have to register to get the rest]
Call me wet behind the ears from an international travel perspective, but I find it interesting and compelling that something as simple as basic honesty is treated so intrinsically different between cultures.
Anyone here have any experiences that show fundamental differences in communication between different cultures, not from a language/meaning perspective (e.g. Chevy Nova failed in Latin America and Spain because "nova" translates to "no go") , but from a general thought process point of view?
Is this fundamentally going to get in the way of a globalized world? Or are tools like the Internet helping to break down these cultural differences, or at minimum, help people understand that they exist?
Some big questions from...
-- Retro