Activity #12 Intercultural Plan

I have thought a lot about how I am going to keep growing as an intercultural communicator. I work at a YMCA and it is a very diverse. I work with people of all ethnic backgrounds. I know in the past when someone has come to the YMCA to work out and drop off their child in child care, I always assumed that they spoke English. Many of the parents use their children as translators. I need to realize that when I speak to someone I should not assume they speak English, like they have always lived in the United States. I know now I need to speak clearly when speaking with people that may not know English as well, but not to speak ungrammatically and slow because that can be condescending.

Once at the YMCA I went to find a mother, I was really out of breath when I came to see her and I was talking really fast. She had to ask me to slow down and then called her son over to translate, after she heard what I had to say from her sons ears she laughed and said its okay. I run into situations like this a lot where I work and I always feel so embarrassed that I just assumed someone would be able to understand me.

I have also found working with many ethnicities, that people don't use the same body language as Americans. Many people come to the United States and they experience culture shock. They don't understand why we may look at them in the eyes or smile at them when they walk past. I have learned to not judge someone if they seem uncomfortable with something and give that person space.

I have often judged people from other counties when they bring their child to our care because their child has a name that I am unable to pronounce. Their parent also tells me their name and doesn't spell, so I feel they are assuming I know how to spell that name. I will now try hard to ask for the spelling of the name, and hopefully after a few times of meeting that child I can remember how to say it.

I want to be able to live a life that does not judge other cultures, it is not up to me to judge how someone else lives their life. I have never been one to judge others for their lifestyle or where they are from but I would like to live that way and try to understand other cultures. I can do this by not assuming they speak English and understand American body language. I will also try to remember names of people and learn about their culture.

What is one way you be a better intercultural communicator?