Learning about Cross-cultural Communication by Movies

Abstract

In cross-cultural courses, the teacher would inevitably face the challenge of providing cross-cultural experiences in teaching, and students are eager to have real exposure to other cultures. One way of simulating the feel of entering another culture is through movies. There are many interesting movies telling about cultural conflict, cultural shock and miscommunication in transnational experiences. By analyzing some cross-cultural examples in movies, the teacher could provide authentic examples close to real life for students to learn and understand communicative skills between two or even more cultures. This article provides a way of understanding cross-cultural communication by three movies: Lost in Translation, My Big Fat Greek Wedding and The Joy Luck Club. The research shows how films can be used in direct reference to concepts related to cross-cultural communication. It also illustrates the review of the movie can enrich the class discussion and reserve the voice of the culture of interest.