"When studying foreign languages, don't forget about body language," Anne Merritt said.
Something as simple as a gesture can show friendliness in one culture, embarrassment in another, impatience in the third. Even silence means different things in different places. If you want to avoid making some mistakes when traveling abroad, you should pay attention to the following.
Touch
Britain, along with many countries in northern Europe and the Far East, has a "noncontact (非接触性)" culture. In those countries, there is very little physical contact in people's daily talks. Even touching someone's arm by accident is the reason for an apology. However, in the highcontact cultures of the Middle East, Latin America, and southern Europe, physical touch is a big part of daily life.
What's more, there are different standards for the touch. In much of the Arab world, men hold hands and kiss each other in greeting, but would never do the same with a woman. In Thailand and Laos, it is a taboo (禁忌) to touch anyone's head, even children's, In South Korea, elders can touch younger people with force when trying to get through a crowd, but younger people can't do the same.
Eye contact
In most Western countries, frequent eye contact is a sign of confidence and attentiveness (专注). We may think that a conversation partner who looks away is either not listening to us or lying. Of course, this is not the standard around the world.
In many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, the unbroken (不间断的) eye contact would be considered impolite and rude. These cultures consider avoiding eye contact a sign of respect for bosses and elders. In these parts of the world, children won't look at an adult who is speaking to them, and nor will employees look at their bosses.
