CHAPTER 2

THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN INTERCULTURAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Test Bank

Essay Questions

  1. Discuss the relationship between culture and language. How are cultural priorities apparent in the language?

Ans: Page 46-50

  1. What are considerations in choosing an appropriate foreign language for intercultural business communication purposes? Provide examples.

Ans: Page 53-57

  1. Discuss different levels of language competency and illustrate the impact on effective business communication.

Ans: Page 57-59

  1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a company language?

Ans: Page 60-62

  1. Christian Sorensen from Denmark is going to do business in Japan. He does not speak Japanese and will need an interpreter. What advice would you give him for selecting a good interpreter?

Ans: Page 64-70

  1. Carmen Garcia from Mexico will use an interpreter for her business negotiations in Auckland, New Zealand. What should she do to use the interpreter most effectively?

Ans: Page 64-70

  1. Discuss the impact of specialized terminology such as jargon and sports terminology on intercultural business communication.

Ans: Page 70-75

  1. How can knowing the conventions for written communication in other cultures help you become a better communicator? Give specific examples of several conventions.

Ans: Page 73-80

  1. How does technology affect intercultural business communication?

Ans: Page: 80-85

True/False Questions

  1. The language barrier to good intercultural communication can be eliminated by mastery of grammatical rules.

Ans: False Page: 46 Difficulty: Moderate

  1. The physical environment of a culture influences the development of vocabulary.

Ans: True Page: 47

  1. Since all cultures share the same basic values, cultures attach the same meanings to these basic values.

Ans: False Page: 47-50

  1. The exact meaning for words is always reflected in the definition in the dictionary.

Ans: False Page: 48

  1. The German and American concept of notarized is the same.

Ans: False Page: 50

  1. One of the functions of the Académie Française is to keep French pure and reject the adoption of foreign words into French.

Ans: True Page: 51

  1. The use of acronyms facilitates intercultural communication.

Ans: False Page : 52

  1. English is the most widely accepted language for business; therefore, native English speakers do not need to learn a foreign language.

Ans: False Page: 53-54

  1. More than 6500 different languages are spoken around the world.

Ans: True Page: 54

  1. The two major Chinese languages are Mandarin and Cantonese.

Ans: True Page 55

  1. Mandarin is spoken in the northern parts of China.

Ans: True Page 55

  1. Perceptions of fluency in a foreign language are influenced by nonverbal communication.

Ans: True Page: 59

  1. The United Nations has developed clear definitions for terms such as language fluency.

Ans: False Page: 57

  1. By law a company must choose the language of the headquarters country as the official company language.

Ans: False Page: 60-63

  1. Technology has made international business travel obsolete.

Ans: False Page: 80

  1. Ethnocentric staffing means that a firm staffs all managerial positions in a foreign subsidiary with people from the home country.

Ans: True Page: 60

  1. In polycentric staffing, managers of the subsidiary are natives of the country in which the subsidiary is located.

Ans: True Page: 60

  1. Geocentric staffing does not consider the cultural origin of the manager in staffing decisions.

Ans: True Page: 60

  1. Any native speaker of a language can function as an effective interpreter.

Ans: False Page: 66

  1. The cultural background of the interpreter may affect the communication process.

Ans: True Page: 65

  1. Briefing the interpreter on the topic of discussion before the meeting will enhance the effectiveness of the meeting.

Ans: True Page: 67

  1. The industrialized countries have come to an agreement on what is an acceptable format for business letters and reports.

Ans: False Page: 73-80 Difficulty: Hard

  1. The writing of dates can be confusing in intercultural communication.

Ans: True Page: 74 Difficulty: Moderate

  1. In American English, 6/5/19xx refers to June 5th, 19xx.

Ans: True Page: 74

  1. The recent increase in migration of people around the world has led to discussions about multiculturalism in many countries.

Ans: True Page: 87

Multiple Choice Questions

  1. Language barrier refers to
  2. violations of grammatical rules
  3. cultural and linguistic violations of communication conventions
  4. poor pronunciation
  5. the use of an interpreter.

Ans: b Page: 46

  1. The words a culture uses are influenced by
  2. the physical environment of the culture
  3. the values of a culture
  4. the priorities of a culture
  5. all of the previous choices.

Ans: d Page: 48

  1. Which of the following statements is not true?
  2. All languages change over time.
  3. Many business terms around the globe are derived from English.
  4. The Japanese are particularly concerned about keeping Japanese free from foreign influences.
  5. French Canadians do not follow the guidelines of the Académie Française.

Ans: c Page: 52

  1. Some say that because English is widely spoken around the globe
  2. English will become the universal language in all business transactions in the near future.
  3. there is no need to study any other foreign languages
  4. there will be a decline of the use of other languages even by native speakers of other languages
  5. many native English speakers make the assumption that they can do business everywhere in English.

Ans: d Page: 53 Difficulty: Hard

  1. The language spoken in Hong Kong is
  2. Mandarin
  3. Shanghai dialect
  4. Cantonese
  5. standard Chinese

Ans: c Page: 55

  1. When you determine which language to study, you should
  2. consider the political and economic importance of a language
  3. evaluate your career goals
  4. find out who the major players are in the industry you are most interested in
  5. all of the previous choices.

Ans: d Page: 53-57

  1. Geocentric staffing means
  2. managers come from any country regardless of cultural origin
  3. managers of a subsidiary come from the country of headquarters
  4. managers of a subsidiary come from the host country
  5. managers come from the same geographic region.

Ans: a Page: 60

  1. The use of interpreters
  2. guarantees that the receiver interprets the message as intended
  3. proves that it is a waste of time to study foreign languages
  4. can facilitate negotiations if the interpreter is prepared for the negotiation
  5. indicates a lack of seriousness about the negotiation

Ans: c Page: 64

  1. In order to improve the environment for communicating with a foreign partner, you should
  2. start with a joke to break the ice
  3. be personal and use first names
  4. know the basics of behavior and social etiquette of your partner
  5. talk as you always talk.

Ans: c Page: 70-73

  1. Which of the following is not true?
  2. The American date 3/7/20xx is March 7th 20xx
  3. The German 3. 9. 20xx becomes 9/3/19xx in American English
  4. The sum $3,956.70 is written as $3.956,70 in most European languages
  5. All multinational companies have agreed to write dates as follows: 5 May, 20xx.

Ans: d Page: 74