Page 37 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

22 Reading Between the Signs

The Field of Intercultural Communication
When we think of studying cultures, the first discipline that comes
to mind is anthropology. Intercultural communication is indeed
an offshoot of anthropology and differs from it in certain signifi-
cant ways. Traditional anthropologists focus on one culture at a
time. During their fieldwork, they immerse themselves for several
years in the culture of a group of people who often inhabit a re-
mote, hitherto unexplored region. There, they learn the language
of the group and observe their way of life, paying special atten-
tion to systems such as kinship, economy, and religion. Rarely, if
ever, do they describe interactions between the group they are
studying and members of other groups.
It is precisely these interactions, however, which most inter-
est the interculturalists. The field of intercultural communication
grew from a practical need that made itself felt in five different
areas at about the same time. The time period was post-World
War II, beginning in the early 1950s. The first area to demon-
strate this need was our government, specifically the need to ad-
equately train diplomats to be sent abroad.
The traditional approach to such training until that time had
consisted of having diplomats attend language classes, then bring-
ing in university professors from a variety of disciplines to lecture
on their respective fields of study. This might include presenta-
tions on the history, geography, climate, and political structure of
the area in question. Once overseas, however, the diplomats trained
in what is now called “the university model” reported with dis-
may that they were unable to function effectively. As a result, the
director of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) hired a group of lin-
guists and anthropologists to improve upon the previous training
methods, among whom was a young anthropologist, Edward T.
Hall, who had experience working with the Navajo and Hopi.
Hall concluded that the missing element in the diplomats’
preparations was an examination of the daily interactions they
could anticipate having in the host country. Hall recommended,
therefore, that the emphasis in training shift from a cultural over-
view to the details of everyday life, which he termed “micro-cul-
tural analysis.” His first publication on the subject, an article en-
titled “The Anthropology of Manners,” appeared in Scientific Ameri-
can in 1955. In it he stated:

02 MINDESS PMKR 22 10/18/04, 11:22 AM