Learning Culture through Purposeful Observation-Sample
Description or Interpretation
Completion requirements
Due: Thursday, March 17, 2022, 11:55 PM
Description or Interpretation Exercise
(adapted from Craig Storti, Figuring Foreigners Out)
Describing without interpreting or making value judgments is not easy and must be practiced regularly. Eventually you will assign meaning to behavior, but by first describing behavior before seeking accurate interpretation, you may avoid making serious mistakes in another culture.
Below are ten pairs of statements. In each case, the one is a description and one is an interpretation. Put a D next to the description and an I next to the interpretation.
_______ 1a. The man is angry.
_______ 1b. That man is talking quite loudly.
_______ 2a. The boss doesn’t trust his subordinates.
_______ 2b. The boss doesn’t delegate responsibility.
_______ 3a. The woman stands 3’ away when speaking to others.
_______ 3b. The woman is cold and reserved.
_______ 4a. The man is afraid of his boss.
_______ 4b. The man never contradicts his boss in public.
_______ 5a. She doesn’t have strong opinions.
_______ 5b. She never speaks up in meetings.
_______ 6a. The worker never does anything until he is told.
_______ 6b. The worker is lazy.
_______ 7a. He lied.
_______ 7b. He said yes when the answer to my question was no.
_______ 8b. She wasn’t listening.
_______ 8b. She didn’t look him in the eye when he was talking.
_______ 9a. He stood very close and gestured a lot when talking.
_______ 9b. He’s very aggressive.
_______ 10a. She’s insecure and power hungry.
_______ 10b. She doesn’t share information with her subordinates.
Assignment
- Complete the exercise above, jotting down your answers on a piece of paper.
- Reflect on how subtle the difference can be between description and interpretation. What are implications of mistaking one for the other?