A Practical Reference Guide to Intercultural Communication

AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES AND CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS: AN OVERVIEW

Intercultural competence is a lifelong project - throughout our lives we meet and interact with people of the opposite sex, different age groups varying socio-economic, political, education and cultural backgrounds. The socialisation and educational processes influence the development of our own identity and at times, shape the way we deal with cultural differences. Our attitudes, behaviours, values and organisational culture impacts on the way we operate and conduct our business.

Interculturality requires one to take a step from cultural incompetence towards effective application of cultural knowledge, awareness, sensitivity and competence that is necessary for professional practice. Intercultural competence is a systematic and systemic process.

Quite often staff in academic institutions have to find their way through the conundrums of ambiguous social and business situations that require intercultural competence brought about by: growing offshore academic offerings; increased numbers of international students; a new cohort of students from new migrants including refugees and humanitarian entrants whose ethnicities are different from those of traditional immigrant groups in Australia; and increased student population of Australian Indigenous students undertaking tertiary studies. Given these conditions, cultural differences, disability, religious, sexuality and gender differences between staff and their students may exacerbate 'communication' problems.

Changes in the character of the university student population are irreversible therefore academic staff are required to appropriately respond to diversity and continue to observe professional principles of inclusivity in teaching and learning.

Since the 1990s Australian universities have been preoccupied with finding ways of responding to internationalisation of education and the rapid student population transformation which have had direct effects on the education system.

There is need therefore to create a guide to assist academics in communicating within these environments and allow greater intercultural exchange in the academy.

Embracing Interculturality
Murdoch like all other universities, has to adapt to these changes and provide professional development support to assist staff to effectively work with diversity.

"In welcoming Australian and international students from diverse backgrounds Murdoch University recognises that individual students may be seeking different things from their university experience for their lives. …Students can expect to study in a student-centred environment that provides suitable physical facilities and support services, sufficient learning resources and accommodates a variety of learning styles to enable effective learning" (Office of Policy and Planning, University's Education Operational Plan 2003 – 2007: p. 2).

To assist you with challenges that interculturality brings to academic business it is suggested that you acquaint yourself with the intersectionality of multiple forms of identity such as gender combined with race, age, sexuality, disability, religion, ethnicity and other socio-economic factors that come into play such as educational background and economic status. You should also be aware of the fact that your own socio-economic and political background influences your premises, observations and interpretations.

There are no universal solutions or specific rules for responding to cultural diversity in the classroom. Indeed, this is a complicated and sensitive matter and whenever it is brought up it has the potential to create uneasiness, resentment and arguments amongst staff.

This following reference guide suggests some practical and relatively simple ways to assist you as a lecturer, in your interaction with a diverse learning community. It is intended to help you increase your awareness of intercultural matters that might be sensitive for the international, domestic and offshore learning community. Some factors such as economic status affect all students but ethnic, ability, religious and gender differences between staff and their students may exacerbate them.

There are a number of crucial steps that you should/can follow if you are to respond to the needs of a diverse learning community. First you must be willing to LEARN and DO.

INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE IS A CO-RESPONSIBILITY
Intercultural competence does not ask you to behave like someone else, or imitate another culture, but rather, you are asked to actively learn about the people you are working with for effective communication. For example, you could start by developing openness to differences.
- Understand that culture is not static - cultural context is always changing
- Have the ability to operate across many types of boundaries, both the real and imagined. For example, if you are teaching offshore in Japan, it is important to understand Japanese culture and protocols in order to conduct your business effectively and professionally.

Intercultural competence is a co-responsibility. A key to developing intercultural competence is to respect and understand diversity and grounds of discrimination and harassment provided in the equal opportunity legislation.

Complexities based on intersectionality factors – such as social status, gender, level of education and age group can have an impact on communication.

For staff teaching offshore, intercultural competence is an essential part of professional conduct expected from the experts dealing with our business partners.

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE GUIDE
Avoid language that stereotypes or shows bias against groups of people. Using inappropriate language has the potential to:

• Damage your credibility
• Undermine your argument
• Alienate your students

Reference Guide to Appropriate Use of language

RACE:
Er, Black people, I mean, people of Colour umh what should I say…Black Africans, Africans or Negroes?

Race: The term Black is often used as a political term of solidarity…it includes people who share a common experience of discrimination/oppression because of their race, colour and ethnicity.

Note: It is generally acceptable to use the term as an adjective – The Black community
It is offensive to use the term as a noun – 'The Blacks' love dancing.
Just like many other identity issues, there are people who could object to being referred to as Black.
The following terms are offensive and should not be used: Nigger, Negro, Coon, are offensive.

Mixed race, mixed heritage, mixed parentage

Note that some people of mixed parentage prefer to be called White or Black or according to their ethnic origin rather than measurements of their blood mix – half white, etc.
The following terms are offensive and should not be used: Half caste, point five, coloured, half White, cappuccino, milky-coffee coloured.

Being 'coloured' is based on the apartheid system which classified unequal status of those who are not White. Coloureds are classified as being neither Black nor White, and ranked one level above the Blacks.

People of colour is a term that means nothing…as everyone has colour. This term is used by some diversity trainers however it is suggested that the term people of colour and coloureds should be avoided. People of colour and coloureds have identity. Find out who they are and drop the 'brand' that could be offensive.

Non-Whites – is a term that excludes. It classifies people by their exclusion from the White group and should be avoided. Non-Whites have identity. Refer to them by their ethnicity or people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, or people from marginalised ethnic groups or people from ethnic minority groups.

Reinforcers of stereotypes:
Commonly used phrases like Black sheep of the family

Avoiding racist language is not just avoiding inflammatory terms such as boong and ching chong. These words should not be used at all.

Subtle exclusionist language
You need to be aware of subtle-exclusion use of language that occurs everyday. A good example is the way we describe the 'other' or the 'outer group' by emphasizing visible differences such as skin colour or disability. – eg. The Black woman at the end of the table instead of the woman in a red dress – had it been a white woman one would have omitted the colour description. Or, the Arab man sitting near the man in a navy blue suit. Avoid referring to the ethnicity or racial background of a person or group unless for a valid reason.

Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Australians, First Nations People, Aboriginal Peoples of Australia
Indigenous Australian cultures and experiences are diverse across Australia. The cultural context will often determine whether any usage is offensive, however, here are some key points to take into consideration in your written and verbal communication.

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
DISABILITY: When referring to or addressing people with disabilities use language that focuses on their individuality rather than their disability.

Do not use the term 'normal people' as a descriptor of difference between people with disabilities and people without disabilities.
The term 'normal people' is offensive in the case where it is used as a distinction. Avoid use of negative terms that imply failure such as abnormal. Be specific about the individual.

Specific disabilities and appropriate terminologies

Do not say: people afflicted with, victims of, or sufferers of – it dehumanises the person and emphasises powerlessness.

GENDER INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE
Generic terms for men and women are often exclusionistic – Man as a generic term excludes women – e.g. chairman. It is imperative to find words that include both sexes.
Avoid patronising terms, demeaning or belittling the female staff – such as the girls in the office. Mention their title or names.

SEXUALITY
Insulting terms such as poofter, lezzo or faggot should be avoided. Stick to gay, lesbian and bisexual.
Note: The word homosexual is rarely used by younger LGB people to describe themselves.

You may like to view the following definitions of gender and sexuality language such as transgender and intersex developed by the University of Queensland Australia.
http://www.uq.edu.au/equity/docs/glbtti_term.pdf

NAMES AND NAMING SYSTEMS

Traditionally, the names of Chinese people consist of a family name followed by a personal name. The personal name is normally made up of two Chinese written characters, each of which would appear as a separate written word (often hyphenated) in English. The family name, despite being traditionally given first, should be regarded as the surname for the British/Western purposes.

CHINESE FAMILY NAMES

The importance of the family name is stressed by its being placed first in the sequence. Traditionally, the Chinese clan was a close-knit corporate entity which exercised strong control over its individual members. In many parts of China clans were extensive and powerful, and for this reason a limited number of family names may often be found within a region.

A woman will normally take her husband's family name on marriage, and the children of the marriage would take the father's family name.

JAPANESE NAMES

Name order
In Japan, like in China and Korea, the first name follows the family name. A person with the first name "Ichiro" and the family name "Suzuki" is, therefore, called "Suzuki Ichiro" rather than "Ichiro Suzuki".

Family names
Most Japanese family names consist of two kanji (Chinese characters). The meanings of many of the kanji used in family names are related to nature, geographical features or locations, for example, mountain (yama), tree (ki), rice field (ta), island (shima), village (mura), bridge (hashi), between (naka), below (shita) etc. Some of the most common Japanese family names are Sato, Suzuki, Takahashi, Tanaka and Watanabe.

First names
Japanese first names also commonly consist of two kanji. The meanings of those kanji are often positive characteristics such as intelligence, beauty, love or light, names for flowers, the four seasons and other natural phenomena, or the order of birth (first son, second son, etc.).

Since quite a few kanji have identical pronunciations, first names that are pronounced the same, are not necessarily written with the same kanji. For example, there are about five common versions for the popular female first name Yoko, depending on the kanji for "Yo".

Usually the gender of a person can be guessed by the ending of his/her first name. First names ending with -ro, -shi, -ya, or -o are typically male first names, while names ending in -ko, -mi, -e and -yo are typically female first names.

The names of foreigners are usually written in katakana.

Titles
The Japanese commonly address each other by last name. Only close friends and children are usually addressed by first name. In addition, people rarely address each other just by name, but usually attach an appropriate title to the name. There is a large number of such titles depending on the gender and social position of the person you are addressing. Some of the most frequently used titles are:

• san: (for example Sato-san)
  This is the most neutral and famous title, and can be used in most situations. Only in formal situations, san may not be polite enough.
• sama: (for example Sato-sama)
  This is a more polite form of san, commonly used in formal situations and letters, but too polite in a casual context.
• kun: (for example Yusuke-kun)
  This is an informal title used for boys and men that are younger than yourself.
• chan: (for example Megumi-chan)
  This is an informal title used for young children and very close friends or family members.
• sensei: (for example Sato-sensei)
  This is a title used for teachers, doctors and other people with a higher education and from whom you receive a service or instructions.

Source: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2271.html

RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY

Religions

Two traditional religions in Japan are Shinto, the indigenous religion, and Buddhism which was introduced from the Asian mainland in the 6th century. The two religions have coexisted harmoniously for most of Japan's history and have even complemented each other and melted together to a certain degree. The first Christian missionaries entered Japan in the 16th century, but the foreign religion was later banned from Japan for most of the Edo period that lasted until 1868. For more detailed information about religions in Japan, visit our religion information pages.

The Christian Faith –
http://www.omi.wa.gov.au/omi_guidelines.asp?choice=2

The Buddhist Faith –
http://www.omi.wa.gov.au/omi_guidelines.asp?choice=1

The Hindu Faith –
http://www.omi.wa.gov.au/omi_guidelines.asp?choice=3

Islamic Faith –
http://www.omi.wa.gov.au/omi_guidelines.asp?choice=4
See also Islam - Culture and Religion compiled by
Mr Rahim Ghauri at the Islamic Council

Jewish Faith –
http://www.omi.wa.gov.au/omi_guidelines.asp?choice=5
See also Jewish Holidays prepared by
The Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Service

Sikh Faith –
http://www.omi.wa.gov.au/omi_guidelines.asp?choice=6
See also Sikh Culture and Religion compiled by
The Sikh Association of WA in consultation with the Sikh Temple