Intercultural Communication Ethics and Communication Competence.docx

Intercultural Communication Ethics and Communication CompetenceIntercultural Communication Ethics and CommunicationCompetenceAbstract: This paper investigates intercultural communication ethics is a vital element to promote intercultural communication competence. Firstly, it defines the concept of intercultural communication ethics; Secondly, it illustrates the relation between ethics and the key point of intercultural communication competence; and finally addresses how intercultural communication ethics can improve intercultural communication competence.Key words: intercultural; communication; ethics; intercultural; communication; competence; attitude; empathyMost of previous studies about intercultural communication competence focus on the sensibility of intercultural context, the knowledge of intercultural communication, the skills of language, which submit specific techniques for improving intercultural skills. This paper will offer some qualified views connecting withthe issue of how to become a more competent communicator. That is what will be talked about.1. The Concept of Intercultural Communication Ethics1.1 The Definition of EthicsIt is easy to look up the definition of "ethics", which is moral rules or principles of behaviour for deciding what is right and wrong, in Longman Dictionary Contemporary English. And it also can be explained more complex as moral philosophy, which is a branch of philosophy that relates questions to morality. That is, concepts such as good and bad, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime and so on. What is said above is literal meaning, while ethics is known as one of foundations for interactions in any culture and the other two ones are values and morals. "Values, morals and ethics exist both as written or orally transmitted rules. Such rules help to create an atmosphere of stability as well as one in which cooperative processes of change and adaptation are made easier or less threatening."(Fred L. Casmir, 1997, p.ix) So it is not just an abstract definition or rules, but have the functions tomake the human societies better and development.Different cultures have different ethics. Ethics is not a mould but will change. Fred L Casmir have said :"Ethics does change." When more intercultural communications are taking place, getting non-threatening, cooperative and mutually beneficial way in communication between or among different cultures become complex and ethical issues become more complex. So what kind of communication can make the change ethical system more productive and meet all these requirements? Then it is necessary to find out what is intercultural communication ethics.1.2 The Definition of Intercultural Communication EthicsCommunication ethics pertains to our means or methods of enacting behaviours and to the goals, to intentions, and consequences of our behaviours(Fletcher, 1966). In other words, ethics in communication is about how we should make communication. What is good or bad, and appropriate or inappropriate rules should be used in our conversation and dialogue. Ethics can be defined as "the science of judging human ends and therelationship of means to those ends", and "the art of controlling means so that they will serve specifically human ends"(Garrett, 1955, p.4). That sounds great and perfect rules can be used in intercultural communication. But that is not so say these perfect ethical issues can be make out easily by analyzing existing Patterns. In intercultural communication setting, when different cultural backgrounds influence our conversation, ethical thing will be complex. Why it becomes more complex? Hamentt(1978) specifies four reasons that the ethical issues in only one culture differ from the issues where intercultural communication context is involved. First, ethical standards are different in different cultures. Second, it is harmful for the culture which is researched by outside scholars. Third, culture is individuality and variability, that is why it is not right to analyse the ethical issues in intercultural communication. Finally, there need a cooperation of foreign and host scholars to do the research. "When we choose a communication strategy and ask if it is right or wrong in the way that it affects another person, we are said to deal with the ethical issues of human communication."(Johannesen,1978). In Johannesen opinion, ethical issues is a kind of communication strategies and a promotes the harmonious in our interaction. However, I do not think so. In my opinion, ethic is not a communication strategy, is an attitude, which from any good human moral, like honesty, sincerity, thoughtful and so on to promote healthy and appropriate communication behaviour. In the attitude, the view should be hold is that ethics is closely related to motive, intuition, and emotion. Though communicators from different cultures may have share common needs, interests, or feelings, their ways of acting upon these internal states varies because of cultural differences.2.Relation between Ethics and Intercultural CompetenceGuoming Chen(2007) conceive of intercultural communication competence as "the ability to effectively and appropriately execute communication behaviour to elicit a desired response in a specific environment". No matter what style of the definition of intercultural communication competence, effectiveness and appropriateness are two key terms in defining it.Effectiveness through learning and socialization, while appropriateness have three dimensions: affective, cognitive and operational. In other words, they are emotion, knowledge and behaviour.The exterior causes effect via the interior causes. The interior ones are those that determine. And China has words: "the manner decides all." There are so many scholars have devoted to study how to improve intercultural communication competence, but most of them put attention on the knowledge and skills to cultivate it, the attitude, emotion and the inherent thing in the person have been often ignored. In my opinion, no matter how many intercultural communication knowledge and skills you have got, inappropriate attitude and emotion in interaction, the communicator will fail to have the real affective and appropriate conversation. So, how to improving intercultural communication competence should be changed. That is why intercultural communication ethical issues is taken out here.3.Intercultural Communication Ethics Promote Intercultural Communication CompetenceWhat this attitude look like? "Communicate untoothers as you wish others to communicate unto you"(Tyler, 1978). We should able to see things from the point view of others. Empathy is need to developed. Broome concluded:"Empathy has been recognized as important to both general communication competence and as a central characteristic of competent and effective intercultural communication. However, trying to know other person is not a easy thing, perhaps the most common of all barriers to empathy is a constant self-focus. "The tendency to note only some features to the exclusion of others often cause us to misuse the data we gather about another person."(Samovar, 2000) So the outward of person is only some pictures of the whole draw. A highly empathic individual，not only possesses abilities such as reciprocity of affect displays, verbal response showing understanding, and active listening，but also can respond accurately to another persons feeling and thoughts. Empathy has been confirmed to be as one of the traits that produce intercultural communicationcompetence(Bennett,1979,1986; Yum, 1988). Some scholars conclude four behavioral standards: mutuality,nonjudgmentalism, honesty, and respect.Mutuality indicates that the both sides of communication must try their best to find a common space where they can share the common cultural symbols, so that the two communicators will be closer in feeling and more free to change their information and opinion fully and clearly. The cultural symbol in this common space is not belong to any one communicators own culture. Chinese people always said:"Standing in the others shoes." From here, it can be found that "mutiality" have the almost the same logical with "empathy". If either side will not work hard to reach the ideal place, without flexibility or stubborn on his or her own culture, that intercultural communication will not success. Having a hypothesis, one communicator have enough knowledge of intercultural communication, grasp many communication skill in the intercultural communication context, possess the higher intercultural sensitive, the other one is a taciturn hearer. I believe this conversation will not go on with a swing. It can be said as casting pearls to swine. But we could not make sure that all the people have a higher competence inintercultural communication, in that character, gender, education background, social morals and so on. It must be and usually meet some person who is not good at talking. Then how to deal with it? Therefore the correct attitude is necessary in here. What kind of correct attitude? What is correct? "Correct" in here is the behaviour by the rules of intercultural communication ethics. And the attitude is the other three aspects above: nonjudgmentalism, honesty and respect."Based on open-mindedness, nonjudgmentalism demands a willingness to express ourselves openly when the situation is appropriate and to accept others expression."(Guoming Chen,2007)Nonjudgmentalism reach the aim that the both sides of communication not only exchange their ideas and view freely, but also appreciate and accept the different opinion in intercultural interactions. Clinton had an announcement in the federal government in January 17th, 2000:"We ought not only tolerate the difference between us, but also respect and appreciate it. "About honesty, some scholars concluded that:"Themost important step toward honesty is to be fully aware of our personal and cultural biases in the process of intercultural communication." Some people must say:"White lie is better than honesty!" White lie is sure to be have more conversation strategies, but honesty, an attitude from the fair-minded, warm partners heart. An American voluntary doctor does the cleft-lip and palate operations for African Children and said to aseven-year-old girl:"No one have seen your beauty, but I know what it will be." The doctor must really mean it without less skills.And last is respect. There need our sensitivity to understand and know others needs. It relates to nonjudgementalism. The key point is that accept and appreciate the cultural difference.4. ConclusionImproving intercultural communication competence is based on emotion knowledge and behaviour rather than just specific techniques skills. Intercultural communication ethics makes the intercultural interaction emotional rather than analyzing dialogue style and skills impersonally.References：1.Fred L. Casmir, Ethics in intercultural and international communicationMMahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,19972.Guoming Chen, William J. Starosta, Foundations of Intercultural CommunicationM,Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press,20073.Mitchell R. Hammera, Milton J. Bennettb, RichardWiseman,Measuring intercultural sensitivity, The intercultural development inventoryJInternational Journal of Intercultural Relations, 27 (2003) 421?C443http:/www.wendangku.net/doc/1ba3c7ba443610661ed9ad51f01dc281e43a5644.htmlrry. A. Samovar Richard E.Porter Lisa A. Communication Between Cultures（Third Edition）M，China Renmin University Press，20045.陈汝东，语言论理学M，北京大学出版社，2001【责编郭晓莉】