PREFACE

Thank to God who has given grace and mercy to the author so we can successfully complete this paper timely, with title "Intercultural Communication".
We would like to thank our friends who have been taking part in the making this paper until finish eating, and also to all those who helped in the completion of this paper.
We realize that in the preparation of this paper there are still many flaws and is far from perfection. Therefore, critics and suggestion is needed here for the improvement of this paper.. The writer hopes that this paper will be useful not only for the writer but also for the readers.

Bandung, September 2015

Author

Table Of Contents

Preface 1
Chapter 1 3
Introduction 3
1.1 Issue background 3
1.2 Purpose of the paper 4
Chapter 2 5
Theory and Discusion 5
2.1 Notion and Principle of Intercultural Communication 5
2.2 Misinterpretation Intercultural Communication in the Lecture 7
2.3 Obstacle in Intercultural Communication 9
Chapter 3 12
Conclusion 12
Bibliography 13

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Issue background

The world today is filled by an ever growing number of contacts resulting in communication between people with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
Not just happen out of the country, Indonesian society has always been known to be very heterogeneous in many aspects, such as the diversity of ethnicity, religion, language, etc. Is common as an Indonesian citizen with the differences in culture in our society, because of the breadth of Indonesian region.

Culture is a lifestyle that developed and shared by a group of people and passed down from generation to generation. When someone tried to communicate with people of different cultures and adjust differences, proved that the actual culture is also studied.

In fact, we often can’t accept or have difficulty to adjusting the differences that occur as a result of the interaction, and we usually have difficulty interaction with them without unified communications and as we know, when someone wants going to study abroad, they have to study first the culture or the customs of the country. Because, if they do not study about it, it can makes them confused and also can make misunderstanding. Not only misunderstanding but also can make embarrassment.

In the lecture’s life, not all of the students have the same cultural background but with diverse cultures, sometimes it makes the wrong perception when do verbal communication or non-verbal communication.

Therefore, intercultural communication needs to be studied and researched constraints in order to avoid misunderstandings of verbal communication and non verbal communication.

1.2 Purpose of the paper
The goal of this paper is to fulfill task subjects intercultural communication, also has another purpose, which is:
1. To find out the notion and the principle of intercultural communication
2. To find out the cause of misinterpretation intercultural in the lecture
3. To find out the obstacle of intercultural communication CHAPTER 2
THEORY AND DISCUSSION

2.1 Notion and Principle of Intercultural Communication

Basically, communication and culture are the two things that can not be separated. The English term 'Communication' has been evolved from Latin language. 'Communis and communicare' are two Latin words related to the word communication. Communis is noun word, which means common, communiality or sharing. Similarly, communicare is a verb, which means 'make something common'.The word 'culture' derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin 'colere', which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture. And the mean of inter is ‘between’.

Intercultural communication is communication between people of different cultures, for example, inter-ethnic, inter-ethnic, racial and social classes. Gudy Kunst and Kim conceptualize the phenomenon of intercultural communicationas "... a transactional, symbolic process that includes linkages between individuals from different cultural backgrounds." The key word is process. Intercultural communication should be viewed and analyzed as a complex process, not just a meeting.
Intercultural communication principles guide the process of exchanging meaningful and unambiguous information across cultural boundaries, in a way that preserves mutual respect and minimize antagonism, and the principles of intercultural communication is:

- Self-Awareness and Intercultural Differences
The greater the difference between cultures, the greater the self-awareness (mindfulness) the participants during the communication. It has positive and negative consequences. Positive, self-awareness is perhaps makes us more alert. This prevents us from saying things that might seem insensitive or inappropriate. Downside, it makes us overly cautious, not spontaneous, and less confident. For example, someone who migrate from one island to study at another island should know the differences in language, in order to avoid misunderstanding.
- Relativity of Language
Because the languages in the world are very different in terms of semantics and structure characteristics, it seems reasonable to say that people using different languages will also differ in the way they perceive and think about the world.
- Reduces Uncertainty
If cross-cultural differences is large, then the uncertainty ambiguity in communication is larger. Many of the communication we try to reduce uncertainties so that we can better decipher, predict and explain the behavior of others.
- Language As Mirror Culture
Language reflects the culture. The greater the cultural differences, then the greater the differences in both language and communication in nonverbal cues. Therefore difficulty in communication can happen.
2.2 Misinterpretation Intercultural Communication in the Lecture

Intercultural communication is not only about how people communicate with the others with different cultures. It contains many things inside, included how people start to analyze the other culture by talking with one person. People have instinct to find the similarities of perception, of the way they do something with the others. They will have kind of bind with strangers who doing the same things they thought it was right. For example, if you have culture which educated you attitude to bowed when it comes to someone older and someone you respect, while the other stand still like nothing happen, you will feel something like that person is have no ethic.

Intercultural communication is needed for minimize the misinterpretation when start to touch others’ cultures. There’s a no, if people will live without problems. In Indonesia, if you stand as President of the country with hundreds cultures, what you need is to study intercultural communication perfectly. The importance of intercultural communication is for you to understand. Not just about what they are talking about, what they meant, but of course about tolerance.

Like college-life in Indonesia, many students from other cities and islands come. This education institution hold many people from many cities to equalizing goals to success without seeing them from different backgrounds and cultures. They get along with the new culture, or plant their own cultures and watering them by time.

But will they together build the same new characters and living peacefully without any problems? Of course not. There must be misunderstanding, or misinterpretation between them. Like how we as Sundanese, have to be calmly when Sumatra people start to talk loudly. That’s not because they shout or yell, because that’s the way they talk was like that.

If the problem in college-life just about how people have to anticipate the way they talk, its absolutely wrong. This stage where people already choose their own path to success, have their own position in the society. Its getting harder to build new perception or thoughts on anything since you were lived for entire 18 years before turns to college and everything always feels so similar before. Perhaps all of people wants the same goal but not only passing that one street.

Take one story about Mia from Jakarta, and Aya from Sundanese. Both of them walking together since the dorm located not far away from the campus. They passing the small-lake with there are many people so noisy doing their business for event that week. Aya was said, “Gandeng.” And then Mia spontaneous, who heard Aya’s word, take off her hand and both of them looking each other. Aya means that gandeng in her language is so noisy, while Mia thought Aya was complaining about why Mia keep clinging to her arm while walking.

Another story comes from Kiko which from Sundanese, and Evelyn from Batak Simalungun, when they at cafeteria, evelyn forget bring her wallet and have a plan to cancel her order, but Kiko offer a loans her money and Evelyn spontaneously said "Kiko you very bujur, thankyou" and Kiko looks shock. Evelyn means that bujur in her language is kind, while in Kiko language it means ass and thought that Evelyn is rude girl.

2.3 Obstacle in Intercultural Communication

From many cases all over the world about intercultural communication, many factors start to come up. Not forget to mention, this obstacles have to studied in order to make intercultural communication turns effective. Besides, no matter how we try to understand others culture it always happen one moment where we have one feeling say, ‘it’s a big no’.

Adapted from “Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication” by LaRay M. Barna, featured in Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication, edited by Milton J. Bennett (1998). LaRay M. Barna singles out six potential challenges, or stumbling blocks, that may get in the way of a positive exchange experience. Although it is not easy, being aware of these six stumbling blocks is certainly the first step in avoiding them.

1. Assumption of Similarity
Misunderstanding comes like two people with different cultures having conversation and one of them reach the point where they do not think the same way. Just like dialectic approach of difference-similarity like father from American and Japanese are talking about how to raise and educated their children. It must be different and both of them have their own perception about what is wrong and what is right. Even the goal is for the better future of their children.

2. Language Differences
Vocabulary, syntax, idioms, slang, and dialects can all cause difficulty in understanding people from other places, but the person struggling with a different language is at least aware of these challenges. Even if its go with answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’, people will have different perception of how polite you are when you answer directly to deny, make the better option while actually you deny and the other probabilities you can make when answering questions. As the people who study, learn how language is important in communication then we have to adjusting with others communication’s style in order to help overcome unwanted misunderstandings.

3. Nonverbal Misinterpretation
If people with dark expression let you borrow a pen in the middle of the test because you heard your friend say ‘yes’, you must be little sensitive to understand. Some people use nonverbal communication because believe it or not people trust it more than verbal communication. A lot of signs, expressions, gestures and the other movement of body that represent communication without words. Unfortunely, nonverbal communication also have different meaning for each cultures in the world. People non Indonesian was crossing the street and rather than giving ‘stop sign’ to the vehicles, he raised his arm and fisted it. Bet not all of the people understand why he was doing that, but they perfectly know he was trying to stop the vehicles.
4. Preconception and Stereotype
Before living in Singapore, you assume that all preconception about Singapore is just stereotype. Tidy and clean country with discipline resident for the regulation. Then you start living in Singapore for 2 months and you were mistaken. Preconception as an idea or opinion that someone has before learning about or experiencing something directly, giving different thoughts for anyone who hasn’t taste the culture by themselves. It gives positive or negative since people not really jump into the cultures but media. So, the effects is not always make good impression for the cultures, but then stereotype sometimes cover our objective viewing of the world around us, because its only take selectively. We have to avoid qualifying the behavior of one person as being representative for the entire culture, but instead being aware that it only the example you have encountered. That’s why intercultural communication is needed to stay flexible and curious about new information about the culture , also can help you make sense of complex intercultural situations.

5. Tendency to (quickly) Evaluate
Another obstacle to the understanding between persons of differing cultures is the tendency to immediately evaluate and judge someone’s actions and do so through our own cultural values eyes which we often assume is right, proper and natural – rather than try to comprehend completely the thoughts and feelings expressed by the other person or group. It is easy to avoid a communication breakdown by not immediately evaluating a behavior, especially in situations when deep feelings and emotions become involved. That is just the moment when we most need to pause, listen, and observe non-judgmentally.

6. High Anxiety
Facing new and challenging situations may causes stress, anxiety and even physical tension. Everything is normal but how if its give negative effects? Intercultural communication involve two people with different backgrounds and cultures, facing the situations, whether is it A who should anticipate and adapt with the situation, or the other one. People who deliver speech in English in front of British judges, and the venue is located in London, will get uncomfortable while do speech and perhaps can’t maintain about the natural verbal and non verbal interaction. When American people came to Indonesia (sojourners) , they also will feel anxiety. Their ‘normal’ reactions sometimes interpreted as wrong or not match with the cultures and sometimes it takes time to growing the habit in order to harmonize with Indonesian people and its culture.

CHAPTER 3
CONCLUSION

There is no wrong and right in cultures. They lived, from what their parents and environment educated indirectly. Cultures build the way people talk, act, think and the other parts of they carry every time in their daily activity, naturally. No matter how globalization start to influence many aspects of life, culture still always follow.
Intercultural communication is communication between people of different cultures, for example, inter-ethnic, inter-ethnic, racial and social classes. Gudy Kunst and Kim conceptualize the phenomenon of intercultural communications "... a transactional, symbolic process that includes linkages between individuals from different cultural backgrounds." The key word is process. Intercultural communication should be viewed and analyzed as a complex process, not just a meeting. Like Self-Awareness and Intercultural Differences, Relativity of Language, Reduces Uncertainty and Language As Mirror Culture are the principles of intercultural communication, guide the process of exchanging meaningful and unambiguous information across cultural boundaries, in a way that preserves mutual respect and minimize antagonism.
Intercultural communication won’t separate with the obstacles on the way to make it effective. LaRay M. Barna pointed six challenges, those are Assumption of Similarity, Language Differences, Nonverbal Misinterpretation, Preconception and Stereotype, Tendency to (quickly) Evaluate and High Anxiety.
Lecture Students who have acquired knowledge about intercultural communication will have the ability to application of the knowledge of culture and cultural values to the management of intercultural contexts also they can adaptation of their behaviour according to the demands of different intercultural situations, that’s why learn about intercultural is important