Cultural Fluency as a Guide to Effective Intercultural Communication: The Case of Japan and the U.S.

Yukiko Inoue

doi:10.36923/jicc.v7i3.444

Open Access Article

Yukiko Inoue ⁽¹⁾

(1) College of Professional Studies University of Guam , Guam

https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v7i3.444

Issue
Vol. 7 No. 3 (2007)

Submitted
May 27, 2005

Published
September 30, 2007

Keywords:

intercultural communication, cultural fluency, cultural communication, Japanese forms of communication, nonverbal communication

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Abstract

Intercultural communication serves a vital role in that it can forestall miscommunication and misunderstanding. Because of increased intercultural contact and interdependence, people in the world are forced to "rethink" intercultural communication in order to acquire effective intercultural communication competence. The present paper provides a critical discussion of the conceptualization of intercultural communication and the commonly acknowledged challenge of intercultural communication. With a focus on Japan and the U.S. (since both countries have remarkably different forms of communication in terms of nonverbal communication particularly), the paper defines culture and explores the following: (1) origin of intercultural communication research; (2) cultural fluency and willingness to communicate; and (3) words versus haragei (a Japanese concept), touching upon intercultural (business) communication.

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Authors

Yukiko Inoue

College of Professional Studies University of Guam

Yukiinoue2005@yahoo.com (Primary Contact)

Author Biography

Yukiko Inoue, College of Professional Studies University of Guam

Yukiko Inoue, Ph.D., is a Professor of Educational Psychology and Research and the Chair of the Department of Foundations and Educational Research in the College of Professional Studies at the University of Guam. Her research interests include interdisciplinary studies on student learning and development, and the social contexts and learning with a higher education focus. She is the editor of the journal of Micronesian Educator. Inoue is also a published poet.

Inoue, Y. (2007). Cultural Fluency as a Guide to Effective Intercultural Communication: The Case of Japan and the U.S. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 7(3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v7i3.444

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