There are 195 countries on 7 continents covering a combined area of 148,940,000 square kilometers on our 3rd rock from the Sun. Although all 6,800,000,000 of us humans inhabit the same Earth, there are innumerable cultural differences that separate us. These cultural differences present barriers to communication which may spark misunderstandings, unintentional insults, or total incomprehension. Derek Sivers demonstrated the phenomenon of cultural differences in his quick speech at the TEDIndia2009 conference:
Our tendency when confronted with unfamiliar views of the world is to reject these views and label them as false. In the case of the Japanese tourist, for example, the North American is likely to pass judgment on the Japanese man’s confusing inquiry, despite the question being completely legitimate for the Japanese man.This tendency for information to get lost in translation or misunderstood poses a significant problem for the business world especially.
When companies and executives from different continents and different cultures do business–and million-dollar deals are on the line–it is crucial that both parties understand each others’ point of view. This is where options and courses such as Sauder’s International Business Option come into play. This option requires students to study not only business, but the language and culture of a foreign country in order to be able to communicate effectively with executives of this country. This option is thus an important one to consider for any students thinking of working abroad.