Importance of Intercultural Competency

Intercultural competency is of particular importance today. This is indeed relevant in today’s context. Singapore is a place where intercultural competency has to be exercised, given that we are a multi-racial, multi-cultural society. The world is also a much smaller place now than it ever was. “Global Village”, “Globalization”, “Global Markets” are now new buzz words. Travelling is now so common and the number of people settling and working in foreign countries has also increased tremendously.

One of the key changes that this has triggered is the need to communicate effectively with people of different cultures. Knowing the language spoken by another race is an asset but is still insufficient for integrating and communicating effectively in with people of a different culture. Concentrating on structures and forms of language is not enough to genuinely help people communicate in the world today. Intercultural awareness is also a must to avoid any potential misunderstandings or conflicts!

Personally I have not had any personal encounters of cultural conflicts, but I have been faced with situations where I have felt uncomfortable or made others feel uncomfortable due to my lack of understanding of their cultural background or practices. I will just elaborate on one of them.

I still recall a visit to one of friend’s place during Hari Raya last year. I visited his house together with a few other friends. We visited at an hour where a lot people were making their entrance as well. There were a group of females who were just in front of us and they received a very warm welcome. Handshakes and hugs were exchanged. My friend was not back yet, so his mother was at the door to receive us instead. I greeted her very warmly and this was reciprocated. However, when I reached out my hand to shake hers, she did not shake mine and merely smiled. I thought she did not see me reach out my hand for a handshake and did it one more time. She smiled again. However, she looked a little uneasy and merely shifted her focus to one of my other friends after that.

I was a little puzzled. I was attempting to be polite by trying to shake her hand but she did not shake mine in return. When I entered the house, I was greeted by three of my friend’s sisters. I similarly reached out my hand to shake theirs but received a similar response experienced earlier. There was no handshake in return and they had the same uneasy look on their faces! It overwhelmed me a little and I did feel a little hurt, as well as out of place. I got the feeling that I was not welcomed. When my friends and I set down and talked, we realized that we all received similar responses.

Thank goodness my friend showed up soon after and our spirits were lightened. On the quiet, we asked him about the “queer” responses that we received earlier. It was only then that we realized that in the Muslim culture, it was inappropriate for a woman to have physical contact with a man whom they have no blood relations with. However, it is alright for a woman to shake hands with another woman.

It was through this encounter that I was further enlightened of the Muslim culture. All the uneasiness and unnecessary discomfort could have been avoided if I had asked my friend about the customs that they practice before going over.

This experience has reiterated to me the importance of understanding one another’s culture. This will be particular important for all of us be it in the workplace, in school or maybe overseas on a holiday. Cultural taboos can thus be avoided. Therefore intercultural competency is important. =)