Page 196 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

The Interpreter’s Role and Responsibilities 181

richness of each other’s cultures and to develop their own strate-
gies for working things out. The problem with this line of reason-
ing is that exposure to another culture does not automatically lead to
mutual understanding. In fact there is strong evidence to suggest
that it leads to a continuation or even a strengthening of preexist-
ing stereotypes.
An excellent example of this point may be found in relations
between whites and blacks in our own country. The two groups
have certainly been exposed to each other over many years. Has
that unmediated exposure led to an appreciation of cultural dif-
ferences and a tolerance of contrasting styles of communication?
The answer, in general, is no.
In Counseling the Culturally Different, psychologists and authors
Derald Wing Sue and David Sue cite an example of cultural mis-
understanding that took place at a faculty meeting of a counseling
department during a discussion that followed a proposal to add
more multiculturally related courses to the curriculum and hire
more minority faculty members. When several white professors
raised objections to this proposal, a black male professor, Dr. S.,
addressed the faculty. During his remarks Dr. S. raised his voice,
pounded the table, and “rose from his seat, leaned forward, and
made eye contact with the most vocal objector.” In the ensuing
exchange the white professors urged Dr. S. to calm down and
“address these issues in a rational manner.” Dr. S. continued to
strongly express his views and challenged the other faculty mem-
bers to justify their reluctance to state their own opinions. Finally,
one white male professor requested that the discussion be tabled
“until we can control our feelings” (Sue and Sue 1990, 49–50).
In the discussion following this example, the authors identify
some features of black and white communication styles that often
lead to such cross-cultural misunderstandings. In the type of meet-
ing described above, the white “mode of acceptable communica-
tion is low-keyed, dispassionate, impersonal and issue oriented.”
In contrast, “Black styles tend to be high-keyed, animated, con-
frontational, and interpersonal.” These types of differences mani-
fest themselves in many communication arenas. The danger here,
as Sue and Sue point out, is that “differences in communication
style may trigger off certain preconceived notions, stereotypes, or be-
liefs we may have about various minority groups” (italics added). For
example, a common white stereotype about black males is that
they are full of anger, which often leads them to violence (49–51).

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