Cultural Gaffes at Home and Abroad
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Narrator: Jody Olsen, Acting Peace Corps Director
All of us grow up learning how to behave in our own society, wherever that may be—in North or South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa. We know and understand what's acceptable, and we don't have to think about many of the ways we behave day to day. It may be as simple as getting into a taxi, pointing at someone, or giving someone a dozen roses. But, visit another country—another culture—and we can easily do something that seems wrong to others. You may even witness a visitor doing something unexpected in your own community.
Making a cultural mistake may be something you do, or something you say.
Let's look at some examples of people making cultural gaffes around the world—including in the United States. And then let's see how to recover from these mistakes, or—better yet—how to avoid them in the first place. And we'll look at how you can help visitors recover when you see them doing something unexpected.
1.Country: Uganda
Scenario: Diner leans over and sniffs the food on his/her plate as meal starts.
Narrator: Sniffing your food during a meal in Uganda is an insult to the host. It implies that you suspect the food is spoiled—not that you are appreciating the aroma. If you must check, be discreet.
2. Country: Sierra Leone
Scenario: As a guest is leaving, you say goodbye, then shut the door.
Narrator: In a small village, when a guest leaves your home, it is polite to walk your guest partway home—at least to the first bridge. After parting, you both walk home. That way, the guest doesn't have to leave alone.
3. Country: United States
Scenario: A visitor from Sydney, Australia, leaves an office building, hails a taxi, and jumps into the front seat.
Narrator: In Australia, it is customary and respectful to sit up front with the taxi driver. Passengers in the United States, however, normally ride in the back seat of a taxicab, and the driver will be surprised by someone attempting to sit in front.
4. Country: Denmark
Scenario: You move to your seat in a row that already has many people seated. You face the stage while squeezing through to your seat.
Narrator: In Denmark and other countries in Europe, it is rude to squeeze past seated people with your backside facing them. To be polite, move down the row facing the people you are passing.
5. Country: Colombia
Scenario: A visitor is describing a charming child, and indicates how small the child is by holding his or her hand low and parallel to the ground.
Narrator: Indicating the height of a person with your hand, no matter how young or old, is rude in Colombia. That gesture is reserved only for describing an animal, and is insulting when used for humans.
6. Country: Thailand
Scenario: A visitor affectionately pats a cute child on the head.
Narrator: In Thailand, the head is considered sacred. Thus, you should not touch a person, including a child, on the head.
7. Country: Argentina
Scenario: A visiting business person arrives on time for a business meeting.
Narrator: It is normal, and expected, that a business meeting starts from half an hour to an hour after the appointed hour. Arriving on time is arriving early.
8. Country: United States
Scenario: A visitor from Europe enters a building, inquires where an office is, and, upon being directed to a first-floor location, heads for the elevator.
Narrator: In Europe and many other parts of the world, what is called the first floor is one story up from the street level. But in the United States, the first floor is the ground floor. No need for an elevator!
9. Region: West Africa
Scenario: When a woman cooking in a rural village notices that she is out of water, a man visiting from the United States gets up and volunteers to go to the spring to get more water.
Narrator: Although his intention was good, it is inappropriate for a man to fetch water in most West African communities. Men have many roles to play, but fetching water from a spring or pump is usually a task only for women or girls.
10. Country: United States
Scenario: A visitor from Europe dines in a U.S. restaurant. When the bill arrives, he or she pays the amount on the bill and leaves.
Narrator: In Europe and elsewhere, restaurant bills include a tip of 15 percent, and it is not necessary to leave an additional tip. However, in the United States, tips ordinarily are not included, so make sure you add at least 10 or 15 percent to the cost of the meal.
11. Country: Jordan
Scenario: An American woman visits Jordan and greets a local man by offering her hand for a shake.
Narrator: In Jordan and throughout the Middle East, it is customary for a greeting between a man and a woman to be initiated by the man. A woman should not initiate shaking hands.
12. Country: El Salvador
Scenario: You're talking with an associate and use your finger, pointing at the person, to make a point.
Narrator: Pointing at a person is considered offensive. If you want to draw attention to someone else, you can purse your lips and tilt your head, use your eyes, or say something quietly.
13. Country: Romania
Scenario: A visiting tourist lovingly gives 12 roses to a Romanian friend, holding the flowers upright.
Narrator: In Romania and elsewhere in Eastern Europe, it is customary to carry flowers with the blossoms down, not up. But much more important: Make sure you give an odd number of flowers for a happy occasion. Even numbers of blossoms are only for funerals.
15. Country: United States
Scenario: In meeting a traveler from overseas, an American host says, "How are you?" The visitor starts to explain that she didn't sleep very well.
Narrator: In English, the expression "How are you?" is more a greeting than a question. It is not appropriate to answer the question literally—even if you are not feeling well. Most people simply repeat the greeting to the original speaker: "And how are you?"
Narrator:
Okay, you can see how easy it is not to know a local custom and behave a little awkwardly. It happens to everyone who visits other cultures. But it doesn't have to happen often, if you try to prepare yourself. And when it happens, you can usually wiggle out of the problem gracefully.
In the first Peace Corps video on cultural gaffes, we advised travelers headed abroad— ONE —to read about the local habits before leaving; TWO—to talk to people ahead of time who understand local customs; THREE—to be aware of other people's reactions to your personal behavior; and FOUR—to watch how others around you are behaving. Those are still the basic tactics for learning about the idiosyncrasies—the unique behaviors—in another culture.
What happens when you make a mistake? You won't always be aware that you've goofed, but you'll usually be able to tell, if people respond awkwardly, if they are suddenly silent, or if they tell you outright. Try to be direct. Ask what you've done wrong. Apologize, if you think it's appropriate, and thank the local person for explaining your error. You can try to laugh about it along with others, if you haven't done anything particularly serious.
To turn the tables, what happens when you see a visitor to your own community make a cultural gaffe? Perhaps the easiest thing to do, and the most helpful, is to be up front about it. For example: "Excuse me. I just wanted to note that in the United States, passengers normally ride in the back seat of a taxi. Don't worry; it's not serious!" Or, "Thank you for the beautiful dozen roses; they're lovely. I will put 11 of them in this vase, and one in the vase in the kitchen. You see, in Romania, our custom is to give odd numbers of flowers."
Most people around the world understand that it isn't easy fitting in perfectly when you travel. They'll give you some leeway to make mistakes. But, just like the old warning on the railroad crossings in the countryside, stop, look, and listen, and you'll be well attuned to doing the right things at the right times.
There's a whole world out there. Adios! Au revoir! Ciao! Take care! Enjoy your journey!
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