Page 104 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

American Deaf Culture 89

“Straight Talk”
The degree of direct or indirect communication a culture tends to
employ can be plotted along a continuum for purposes of com-
parison, just as we have noted variations along the collectivist/
individualist, high-context/low-context, polychronic/monochronic
continua. It is interesting to note that in most of the cross-cultural
literature, mainstream American culture is treated as if it were
located on the “direct” end point of the continuum. A common
comparison pits direct American communication against Japanese
communication, which is seen as representing the epitome of in-
directness. In actuality, there are at least two world cultures that
practice a much more direct style of communication than hearing
Americans and whose members would characterize the typical
American style as “beating around the bush.” One of these is
American Deaf culture and the other is Israeli mainstream cul-
ture, which we will briefly discuss to help shed light on the way
the direct style of communication functions.

Japanese American Deaf Israeli
INDIRECT DIRECT

Israeli culture has been likened to sandpaper because it is
“rough, grating, devoid of a smooth finish” (Shahar and Kurz 78).
For example, if someone disagrees with you in the United States,
he or she might say, “Excuse me, I have a problem with what
you’ve just said.” In Israel, you are much more likely to hear, “You’re
wrong!” “In informal Israel, ‘smooth’ is often suspect. It is equated
with being artificial, insincere, hypocritical. Rough is real; …hon-
est, authentic” (78–79). Israelis get right to the point, even if they
have a negative comment. In a business situation where Ameri-
cans might preface a criticism with a softening phrase such as “It
seems to me that...” or “You might want to consider…,” many
Israelis would say directly, “This part of your project is impracti-
cal” or “These dates on your timeline are impossible” (123–27).
In Talking Straight: Dugri Speech in Israeli Sabra Culture, author
Tamar Katriel describes directness as “the most central element
in the Sabra’s [native-born Israeli’s] expressive repertoire” (Katriel
1986, 48). Dugri refers to a truthful, clear-cut, unambiguous ex-
pression of feelings or opinions. Despite the fact that such Israeli
speech does not make use of politeness formulas, it “is associated

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