Singapore being a multi-racial country and a country that relies heavily on tourism to grow, it is important we know about different cultures. This will allow us to communicate effectively to a person from another ethnic group, thus we can avoid misunderstandings.
Even the most trivial actions may be unwittingly misinterpreted. This could be "touching someone's head", you could be displaying affection or perhaps helping that person to brush off the speck of dirt on her hair. However, to a Thai, it is considered a taboo and is very rude.
Another simple gesture that we all do is "shaking hands". This is a common gesture displaying friendless. However, for a male to shake hands with an orthodox Muslim woman is considered a taboo.
I would like to share on an embarrassing encounter I had on "Intercultural Behaviour".
I went Japan a year ago and I was caught off-guard on this particular situation. I was in a mall to do some shopping. I picked a few pieces of clothes that I found suitable, I headed over to fitting room. As I was trying on the clothes, there was a knock on the door! The person was the sales assistant, "Sorry, we don't allow shoes inside the fitting room, please leave them outside," she said. I felt awkward. I quickly slip them off and left them outside. I figured that wearing shoes in fitting rooms as well as in homes are considered to be disrespectful in Japan. Whereas in Singapore or even in other countries, it is appropriate to wear shoes in fitting rooms.
As they say "when in Rome, do as the Romans do." I found this proverb very applicable to this incident. Therefore, we must be well aware of the culture of others so we will not come across as offensive.
This also applies to communicating with another person from a different ethnic group. By knowing their background, culture and practices, we can communicate with them appropriately.
Well you learned something about japanese culture there.
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