44) When speaking with someone from another culture, avoid
A) talking down to the other person.
B) using any foreign phrases.
C) paying any attention to the person’s body language.
D) doing all of the above.
45) If you translate a message from English into another language, it is a good idea to
A) translate it word for word.
B) have it back-translated.
C) use several translators.
D) do all of the above.
46) International business communication has been hampered by opening trade barriers
throughout the world.
47) Culture influences how messages are sent and received in the workplace.
48) The level of cultural diversity at a company will have little effect on business communication
at that company.
49) As it applies to the contemporary workplace, the idea of diversity is limited to issues of race
and ethnicity.
50) As the differences between cultures increase, the chances for misunderstandings when
communicating decrease.
51) Members of a well-established culture tend to view their culture as complete, which can dull
or even suppress curiosity about other cultures.
52) The concept of cultural competency applies when a person becomes such an expert in his or
her culture that most communication is largely automatic.
53) Studies have shown that people often have cultural biases of which they’re not even
consciously aware.
54) Cultural context refers to the pattern of physical cues, environmental stimuli, and implicit
understanding that conveys meaning between members of the same culture.
55) Members of low-context cultures place more emphasis on nonverbal communication than on
verbal communication.
56) In low-context cultures, businesspeople tend to focus on the results of the decisions they
face.
57) In some cultures, planning for the future is regarded as a waste of time.
58) In every culture, it’s safe to assume that people view material comforts earned by individual
effort as a sign of superiority.
59) In general, attitudes toward work and success are consistent across the world.
60) Following the “Golden Rule” is not an effective strategy for adapting to other cultures.
61) When traveling to another country to conduct business, you should assume that frequent eye
contact is regarded as a sign of honesty and openness in any culture.
62) Evidence suggests that whatever the culture, men and women tend to have slightly different
communication styles.
63) People in the United States are generally accustomed to having less privacy at work than
their counterparts in other cultures.
64) When communicating with people from other cultures, it is best to apologize when you make
a mistake.
65) Because high-quality translation software is now widely available, the demand for
multilingual communicators continues to decrease.
66) There are no differences between English as it is written in the U.S. and English as it is
written in the United Kingdom.
67) When conducting business with others who speak a language other than English, it is best to
avoid trying to speak any words or phrases in their language.
68) In general, when writing to someone in another country, U.S. businesspeople should be a bit
more formal than they would be otherwise.
69) When writing to someone for whom English is a second language, you should avoid using
slang and idioms.
70) In intercultural conversations, speaking slowly is usually regarded as a sign of disrespect.
71) The process of sending and receiving messages between people of different cultures is called
________ ________.
72) Cultural ________ is an appreciation for cultural differences that affect communication and
the ability to adjust one’s communication style to ensure that efforts to send and receive
messages across cultural boundaries are successful.
73) As businesses become more global, the workforce is increasingly ________: made up of
employees with different national, religious, and ethnic backgrounds.
74) ________ is a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms
for behavior.
75) Some companies use ________ ________ to ensure that a document or message has been
translated correctly.
76) ________ is the tendency to judge all other groups according to your own group’s standards,
behaviors, and customs.
77) ________ is the practice of assigning a wide range of generalized attributes to an individual
on the basis of membership in a particular culture or social group.
78) ________ is a fear of strangers and foreigners.
79) Cultural ________ is the pattern of physical cues, environmental stimuli, and implicit
understanding that convey meaning between two members of the same culture.
80) In ________-context cultures, people rely less on verbal communication and more on the
context of nonverbal actions and environmental setting to convey meaning.
81) In a ________-context culture such as exists in Germany, people rely more on verbal
communication and less on circumstances and implied meaning.
82) One important social difference among cultures is that of ________ orientation: some
cultures emphasize planning and investing while others do not.
83) Differences in ________ ________, such as gestures and eye contact, are a major source of
misunderstanding during intercultural communications.
84) When preparing messages for multicultural audiences, it is best to avoid slang and ________
expressions such as “More bang for the buck.”
85) ________ ________ refers to any form of computerized intelligence used to translate one
language to another.
86) Briefly describe at least three advantages of a diverse workforce.
87) What is culture?
88) What is ethnocentrism, and how can it be overcome?
89) Explain the difference between a high-context culture and a low-context culture, and provide
at least one example of each.
90) Describe at least three common business activities affected by contextual differences across
cultures.
91) Distinguish between “formal” and “informal” cultural rules. Then briefly describe three areas
in which differing informal rules can become evident during intercultural communication.
92) List at least three areas of nonverbal communication that can differ widely among cultures.
93) Before conducting business in another country, why is it worthwhile to learn common
phrases in the native language even if your clients there will speak English?
94) Briefly describe at least three strategies for writing effective multicultural messages.
95) A new employee who speaks English as a second language has just joined the design team
you lead. You notice that she often looks confused during conversations. Describe at least three
useful strategies for this situation.
96) Since cultures do not always share the same perspectives on ethical issues, how can you keep
messages ethical when communicating interculturally?
97) While working in a country with a high-context culture, you schedule a meeting with a
vendor who lives there. When he shows up 20 minutes after the meeting was supposed to begin,
should you take it as a sign of incompetence or disrespect? Explain.
98) List at least three types of nonverbal differences might you encounter when working with
businesspeople from other cultures. Provide at least one example of how these differences might
cause misunderstandings in communication.
99) When doing business in other cultures, what are some strategies you can use to promote
effective intercultural communication?
100) How can cultural differences affect communication styles? What general approach should
Americans take when writing intercultural correspondence?