How Context Cultures Affect Translation
Over the past several years, researchers exploring the various facets of intercultural communication have developed labels for the value that certain cultures place on direct versus indirect communication: high-context cultures and low-content cultures. Characteristics of High-Context Cultures Put very simply, a high-context culture is one that relies heavily on nonverbal communication and implicit verbal queues. High-context cultures include those found in many countries in Central Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. People from these regions typically display the following behaviors and traits: • Identity is based strongly upon the family and/or work group. • Relationships are based heavily on trust and develop very slowly . • Great emphasis is placed on subtle, nonverbal communication. • Verbal communication is often relatively indirect. • People typically have very small areas of "personal space." • Time is viewed differently and is seen as more of a...