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Aug 02

Maintaining Peace in a Country at War: How can Cultural Awareness Training help Soldiers on the Front Line?

The debate concerning the international involvement in Afghanistan is currently raging after the massive leak of reports on the internet site Wikileaks. According to these reports, the situation in Afghanistan is extremely difficult, mainly because of the lack of support from the Afghans who some consider to be quite hostile to the international task force. There are around 100,000 multinational soldiers currently in Afghanistan carrying out duties ranging from fighting the Taliban to maintaining law and order to rebuilding projects.

In order to reduce the resentment of the local population toward the soldiers, many military commanders are starting to provide language training alongside intercultural training courses to their troops. This new approach is particularly interesting as it shows that military officers acknowledge the fact that interacting with the local population requires a specific set of cross cultural and linguistic knowledge and skills. Indeed, understanding the local population, unique customs and cultural values can help the soldiers to adapt to their new environment and interact more effectively with Afghans.

Afghanistan Matthew Rowe i Maintaining Peace in a Country at War: How can Cultural Awareness Training help Soldiers on the Front Line?

Knowing how to appropriately behave, especially with women or children, can greatly help soldiers in their daily roles. Cultural awareness training courses are important as they can also help soldiers understand essential do’s and don’ts to avoid critical incidents.

To take a simple example, while the “ok” sign formed by connecting your thumb to your index finger is perfectly acceptable for westerners, it is a particularly rude symbol in Afghanistan. In situations where there is a lot of noise or distance soldiers may signal to others with this sign. Afghans can take great offense to this and react violently.

Another example of cultural faux pas in Afghanistan that cultural awareness training can help soldiers avoid is that of the prayer rug. In many Afghan homes and even temporary accommodation like tents, Afghans will have a prayer rug. Without an understanding of the underlying cultural and religious values, many soldiers may mistake prayer rugs for normal rugs and walk over them with their shoes. This can be considered a great insult to their religion and therefore them as individuals. Having cultural awareness training before any post will help soldiers be aware of factors or actions that can cause great insult or offense damaging any relationship they are trying to build.

Cross cultural awareness training courses are even more effective if they are blended with language training courses as this combination will improve soldiers’ ability to socialise with the local populations. Being able to socialise with Afghans is extremely important as it prevents the creation of enemies, limits conflict and helps soldiers gather valuable intelligence about the situation on the ground. Most importantly, the knowledge gained in cultural awareness training blended with language training will help soldiers reduce the risk of dealing with the locals in Afghanistan and reduce the number of (sometimes deadly) critical incidents.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

Tagged with: Afghan culture • Afghanistan • Afghanistan War • Communicating across cultures • Courses - Cultural Training • cultural faux-pas • intercultural communication • intercultural training • intercultural training for the military • Language Training • soldiers

Jun 01

Communicaid in the Press: Language Skills in the City

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector, International Business English, Language Training, News about Communicaid 1 Comment »

In an article written for Complinet, Karen Higginbottom speaks to Communicaid and investigates the need for globalised financial firms to give their employees language training even if they are English native speakers. She discovered that even if English is the “official language” when it comes to business, an increasing number of firms are wishing to deliver language training courses to their employees.

Looking at the example of the City of London, the world’s most renowned financial place, the importance of language training is evident.

IMG 2040002 cora malinak 425x282 Communicaid in the Press: Language Skills in the City

This trend of providing language training is easily understandable. As financial firms increasingly develop their activities overseas, they recognise the importance and value of having employees who can speak different languages. This is particularly true in markets where English is not widely spoken or used or when dealing with junior collaborators who have not mastered the use of English in a professional context.

Speaking another language will help to ensure the success of any global expansion or investment opportunity. Being able to speak the local language is also a good way to show commitment and a genuine will to work with foreign counterparts, even if they are able and willing to speak English. Demonstrating some interest in their mother tongue is a good way to build a fruitful working relationship.

The ability to speak other languages is prized by most companies and can also provide a boost to executives’ careers. Karen Higginbottom quotes a report from the Confederation of British Industry showing that language skills are an important factor for a third of employers when it comes to recruiting new employees. Being able to speak another language is also a plus for expatriation candidates as they will be perceived as more capable of assimilating to the culture of their host country if they know the language. This quick assimilation will help them to be more efficient and operational within their new working environment.

Finally, language training will also help people to understand how they speak their own language to foreign nationals which is also key. Reducing acronyms and being careful about the use of humour will make a huge difference for anyone doing business in the global marketplace.

Providing high quality and tailored training to global organisations and responding to their specific requirements in function of their size, area of expertise and working environment is key for a culture and communication skills consultancy like Communicaid. Language training courses like French Language Training Courses or Russian Language Training Courses can be tailored and adapted to suit any type of requirements, ensuring a maximum return on investment. Participating in a Communicaid language training course is the first step towards learning a language and ensuring you and your organisation make the most of international opportunities.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

Tagged with: City of London • French language training courses • language skill • Language Training • Language training courses • Professional language training • Russian language training courses • Working Succesfully Across Cultures

Apr 10

Multilingualism: Advantages of Seeing the World from Different Cross Cultural and Linguistic Angles

Communication Skills Training, Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Language Training No Comments »

The Italian film director Federico Fellini once said “a different language is a different vision of life”. A person’s world can stretch out in front of them for miles and miles or it can be a box around them depending on who they can communicate with.

Learning another language can open up new worlds, broaden your horizons and bring you into contact with many new cultures. The language you speak can mould your world view and by association your experience of life. Opening up to new cultures can enrich your life and give you new opportunities. Taking part in a cross cultural training program or in a language training course can help you broaden both your mind and your world view, increasing your cross cultural competence and your ability to communicate across cultures.

Scripts catscandotcom i Multilingualism: Advantages of Seeing the World from Different Cross Cultural and Linguistic Angles

Many people think that learning a new language will be boring or too time consuming, but they are often surprised by the progress made even after the first few language training courses. Even a basic knowledge of a language allows you to communicate and interact with someone from another country. Being able to say something as simple as ‘¡Hola, buenos días!’ (Hello, good morning! in Spanish language) will improve the positive impression you make on your Spanish speaking counterparts while it will also help you to build the trust that is so vital when building international business relationships. Seeing that this secret code registers and gets a response from the native speaker can be very satisfying indeed. After a few more language training sessions this could follow onto a conversation – and from there who knows?

Businesses can greatly benefit from building the cultural and linguistic skills of their employees. Speaking another language can open new markets up to you that were previously closed. Because English predominates as the ‘global language’ of trade and commerce, people often forget that the ability to conduct business with a non-English speaker in their own language, and with knowledge of their cultural values and norms, can build lasting bridges and forge links with that individual or company for many years to come. By taking part in Communicaid’s cross cultural training programs or in our language training courses, you or your staff can learn the language and culture skills needed to truly break any communication barriers and achieve global success.