How to avoid cultural shock

如何避免文化冲突

A. what is culture shock?

何为“文化冲突”？

Culture shock describes the impact of moving from a familiar culture to one that is unfamiliar. It is an experience described by people who have traveled abroad to work, live or study, and people who have been closely related to foreigners. It can be felt to a certain extent even when abroad on holiday. It includes the shock of a new environment, meeting lots of new people and learning the ways of a different country. It also includes the shock of being separated from the important people in your life, who you would normally talk to at times of uncertainty, who give you support and guidance.

译文：

文化冲击描绘了从一种熟悉的文化转移到另一种陌生文化的影响。这是那些已经在国外工作过、生活过亦或学习过的人的体验，也是那些亲密接触过外国人的人的感受。甚至在国外度假也可能感觉到一些。它包括对一个新环境、面对许多新人以及了解一个陌生的国度所遇到的震惊，这些人在你遇到困难时通常会给你支持和指导。

在我国，工资、职业、薪水、婚姻都是常谈的话题，而在西方国家这些是个人隐私，不可轻易触碰，否则是对人的大为不敬。在中国别人夸奖你时，常回答“哪里，哪里。不敢当，不敢当。”美国一般回答“谢谢”。

另外西方国家的人说“不”就是不，勿需再一次邀请，而中国的“不”或许是期待别人再一次邀请的委婉的学法。另外东西方文化中的许多礼节问题也是十分不同的。还有不同国家有许多不一样的禁忌，如在中国不能作为礼物的白色衣服、绿色帽子、钟等。美国的数字13，日本韩国的数字4等。

B. five tips on how to avoid culture shock

避免文化冲突的5种方式

1、try to find some information about the country and culture you are going to.

找出你要去的国家或地区的资料。

2、try to have some control over your expectations, your self-awareness, and your personality, since you will have little control over the new culture.

既然你不能控制新文化，那么要对你的期望、你的自觉意识和你的个性有所把握。

3、try to be open-minded and optimistic.

要尽量胸怀开阔，乐观。

4、try to think that facing a new culture is more like a mental challenge than a physical one.

尽量朝这方面想：面对一种新文化，与其说是体力上的挑战，还不如说是一次精神上的挑战。

5、look for ward to personal change- one result of living in another culture will be that you will change; you will be on your way to becoming a bilingual, bicultural person.

期待着个人的变化---生活在另一个文化中的一个后果就是你会有所改变，你会自已的方式变成一个操双语言、懂两国文化的人。

C. coping with culture shock

怎样处理文化冲突

The most effective way to combat culture shock is to step back from a given event that has bothered you, assess it, and search for an appropriate explanation and response.

（与文化冲突挑战的最有效的方法是：退后一步想这件使你伤脑筋的事，分析它，然后找出最恰当的解释及应作出的反应。）

a. observe how others are acting in the same situation as you had trouble with.

观察其它人是怎么处理好这种你有过麻烦的相同情形的。

b. asked a local fesident or someone with extensive experience how they would have handled the situation and what it means in the host culture.

向当地的居民或者有经验的人请教看他们会怎样处理这种情形，以及在当地文化中是什么意思。

c. plan how you might act in the future.

计划好你将来可能怎么做。

d. test the new behavior and evaluate how well it works.

试验你的新行为、评估效果如何。

e. decide how you can apply what you have learned the next time you find yourself in a similar situation.

决定好下次你发现自已遇到类似情形时怎么应用好你所学的东西。

Facing a foreign culture

面对一个外国文化

Many students bring unrealistic expectations to a new culture:

许多学生带有一种不切实际的期望进入这种文化。

（1）    student: people are basically the same, so we shouldn’t have any problems.

从根本上人们是一样的，所以我们不应该有任何问题。

Yes, but in details of how they organize their society, people are not the same.

是的，但是在人们如何组织他们的社会的细节问题上，人们是不一样的。

（2）    Student: my way of doing things is obviously the best.

我处理事情的方法显而易见是最好的。

This is an ethnocentric, arrogant attitude.

这是一种有种族优越感、傲慢的态度。

（3）    student: I’m just going to be myself—that’s the best way to get along with others.

我只会保持自我----那是和别人相处的最好的方式。

Students should make visible signs that they want to learn about the new culture.

学生应该明显有一种想学习新文化的的迹象。

（4）    student: the best way to deal with a situation is to be well organized.

应付局面的最好方法是组织得有条理。

Being well organized is necessary, but a false crutch to integrating int a new society.

进行有条理的组织是必要的，但是要融入一个新的社会里这并不完全可行。

（5）    student: I may encounter problems, but I’ll deal with them as they arise.

我可能会遇到问题，但是我会等到它们出现时再处理。

People who don’t try to prepare thimselves don’t know how to deal with problems when they encounter them.

当问题出现时，不试图准备好自已的人不知道怎样处理它们。

（6）    student: I’ll basically be a nice person and they’ll see that.

我将从根本上做个好人，他们会看到这一点的。

That’s probably true, but it’s not enough in the long run.

那也许是对的，但是从长远说来还是不够。

（7）    student: I’ll just be one of the gang.

我只要成为他们中的一份子就好了。

Students should not act against their own values. All culture have ways of saying yes or no and the way to better integrate is to learn how to say yes or no in a new culture.

学生们不应该违背他们自已的价值标准。所有的文化都有表达好或者不好的的方式，加强团结的途径是学会怎样在一种新文化中表达好或者不好。