Question

Question 1: 150 word post

Translating psychological tests into different languages is often a problem for cross-cultural psychologists. Americans have a reputation for only knowing English, whereas people in other countries often speak more than one language. Do you know a foreign language well enough to actually communicate with someone in another country? How important do you think it is to learn another language as part of understanding their culture?

Answer 1

Yes, I am well versed in French and can communicate with the localites who use it as the mother tongue in their country. It is important to learn another language apart from English in order to gain insight to the culture of people who speak different languages. Language has various expressions and slang which are used verbally and non verbally which are confined to particular groups or communities which allows them to share a common bond. This strongly reflects on their culture and how being polite could be different, and also how various emotions are expressed in a way in which it would be perceived differently by different cultures. It also helps to gain insight into the social structure and the system of providing respect and voicing dissatisfaction. The way in which language expresses a particular emotion varies from one culture to another, and is necessary to educate oneself regarding it to deeply learn about a particular society or culture as a whole.