How can you develop empathy for speakers of other languages and cultures?

Developing empathy for others begins with increasing one's self-awareness, including personal or group values, strengths, and blind spots. After all, just knowing the differences between your and other's cultures has limited benefits in challenging and unknown situations. Rather, the wisdom gained from the self-awareness and reflection involved in developing Cultural Intelligence will be of real benefit to you, regardless of where you are or who you're communicating with.

Walking in the learner's shoes yourself is one of the most valuable experiences you can live. Learn a language at least to some low conversational level (shopping and small talk basics) and challenge yourself to go to a place where it is spoken and try to use the language. Feel what it's like to be overwhelmed, to not understand people, to be able to communicate with some people who show empathy and to feel blocked when you speak to people who don't make an effort to meet you where you're at (often because they don't know how to). Make some cultural faux-pas or misunderstandings and learn from it. This is a humbling experience fostering personal growth. It helps develop intercultural awareness and greater empathy.

To develop empathy for speakers of other languages and cultures, practice active listening, and engaging in conversations with an open mind and without judgment. Immerse yourself in different cultures through travel, cultural events, or exploring cultural media in the target language. Learning a new language helps understand communication nuances, fostering respect for native speakers. Educate yourself about the history, traditions, and social norms of various cultures for a broader context. Finally, reflect on your own biases and be open to changing them. This combination of learning, listening, and self-awareness is crucial for building genuine connections and understanding across linguistic and cultural divides.

In my opinion the most important thing is to have an unbiased mind, in order to develop empathy we need to know about other people´s culture even before starting to learn the basics.

Knowing at least the basics of the target language and developing cultural awareness is a crucial step. If necessary for business, the best way to foster empathy and understanding is to hire an intercultural trainer who can teach you how cultural dimensions shape people's behavior. I strongly advise businesses to hire a language and intercultural trainer if they would like to be successful in closing sales deals or improving communication and productivity among teams in different countries that need to collaborate.

Il ne s'agit pas simplement d'apprendre les bases. Il faut aussi être ouvert à apprendre des concepts, des notions et des façons d'embrasser la vie qui ne sont pas celles de notre langue maternelle. La compréhension interculturelle est souvent difficile car nous ne comprenons pas les concepts qui proviennent de la langue étrangère. Il est donc important de comprendre la base, mais aussi d'être ouvert au fait que certains concepts vont nous choquer, nous déstabiliser et nous déranger. Apprendre une langue, c'est apprendre à vivre et à voir la vie d'une autre façon. Il s'agit donc de faire preuve d'empathie pour le locuteur non-natif afin de percevoir ces différences culturelles pour pouvoir mieux saisir les messages émis par celui-ci.

In my humble experience nothing replaces a total immersion within the new culture and country you are interested in. When I first landed in Hong Kong in the 90s and despite being of Eurasian ancestry myself, I knew I had to learn almost everything anew, from personal or business relationships, negotiating skills, and more. A lemon can be yellow for a westerner but green for an Asian person ;-)

In my experience as a relatively late learner of English (early twenties), it would be a grave mistakes to conceptualize basics as a set of grammar rules for instances. The starting points need to be lexical chunks that serve a communicative function. Speaking of learning English, I would personally take the idea of learning the history of native speakers from a critical perspective, as it would be difficult to identify which native speakers we ought to consider, especially that it’s become a lingua franca.

Both understanding and remembering "where we come from" as a learners of a second, third or fourth language should be a very good start to be empathetic to anyone trying to communicate in what isn't either their or your mother tongue. We are social animals and without a willingness to be vulnerable there is no real communication, no community, just sad and lonely individuals. Then, add curiosity coupled with kindness and your heart and world will expand beyond the borders that would logically define who you are.

As a Japanese language and Mandarin trainer, I believe developing empathy for speakers of other languages and cultures is fundamental to effective language education. I encourage my students to immerse themselves in authentic cultural experiences, whether through watching films, reading literature, or participating in language exchange programs. I emphasize the importance of understanding cultural nuances and historical contexts, fostering a well-rounded approach to language learning.

Who would not know unless you're personally doing business in Japan or South Korea, that it's a big deal to show respect to people in charge or those more senior than you. So, when you hand over your business card, don’t forget to do it with both hands and to give a little nod of your head. It's like the golden rule of business etiquette there. It shows you're respectful, and nailing that body language game is your ticket to success.

Italians, for example, tend to prioritize relationship-building and are oriented towards establishing long-term business connections built on mutual trust. Expressing emotions and sharing strong opinions during debates are seen by Italians as indications of genuine interest in the business at hand. Conversely, emotional detachment is interpreted as a lack of concern and involvement in business negotiations. Trust plays a pivotal role in finalizing business deals as it involves a substantial exchange of information related to a specific business proposal. Meetings are viewed more as opportunities to delve deeper into a business proposal rather than immediate deal-closing sessions. Have you ever thought about that?

Don't be shy to ask questions. If you are a foreign language speaker in this situation, openly showing your lack of proficiency can also be a way of showing your genuine interest. After all, it is better to ask an extra question rather than misunderstand or be misunderstood. If you are a native language speaker, and your conversation partner is struggling with their language level, ask questions to help them develop their argument.

To the above, I would add discarding some of the non verbal cues that one takes for granted in one’s community. For instance, being loud can be a sign of rudeness in some cultures, while in others it’s just a normal aspect of communication. Additionally, eye contact isn’t always a go-to. In some cultures, especially in the middle East for instance, it may not be a good idea to maintain eye contact with someone from the opposite sex.

To the above, I would add discarding some of the non verbal cues that one takes for granted in one’s community. For instance, being loud can be a sign of rudeness in some cultures, while in others it’s just a normal aspect of communication. Additionally, eye contact isn’t always a go-to. In some cultures, especially in the middle East for instance, it may not be a good idea to maintain eye contact with someone from the opposite sex.

It is so important to realize that there are different ways to do things! We tend to judge what others do using our own standards and beliefs, and challenging them can be difficult. However, when you do it, when you reflect upon your choices and compare your experiences with those from others, you find a world of possibilities! You start to understand why people think, talk or act in a certain way and why you do it. At a certain point, you become kinder with them and with yourself. Here comes empathy!

We live in a world totally different from where we grew up in. Because of digital technology, there is now a melting pot of various cultures online that we can learn from, appreciate and respect. Reflect critically on these differences - see the beauty in having varied points of views, respect these differences and appreciate how these differences have created a harmonious yet chaotic melting pot of language and culture, while showing the potential for personal growth and social development. We are living in a global village of individual and cultural differences that seek understanding and freedom of expression and a better way of looking at old ways of thinking and feeling. What may work for one culture may be totally alien to another.

I always used my sense of acculturation to blend my best practices within the new cultural set I evolved within. Don’t assume anything as superior, observe, observe and observe… and learn something new of great value!

This starts with two basic beliefs: first, that language and thought are two different things; second, that languages are plates where cultures are served. Ideally, we would like speakers to develop a greater deal of fluency—I would dare to add another concept to linguistic fluency, which I would call cultural fluency. Learners need to develop cultural awareness alongside linguistic one, as it all builds into communicative competence.

We live in a world totally different from where we grew up in. Because of digital technology, there is now a melting pot of various cultures online that we can learn from, appreciate and respect. Reflect critically on these differences - see the beauty in having varied points of views, respect these differences and appreciate how these differences have created a harmonious yet chaotic melting pot of language and culture, while showing the potential for personal growth and social development. We are living in a global village of individual and cultural differences that seek understanding and freedom of expression and a better way of looking at old ways of thinking and feeling. What may work for one culture may be totally alien to another.

In Rome do like Romans do! My first move is usually to sit at the table of a coffeehouse or a restaurant and observe locals while reading the local paper. Ideally try to meet a native person who can give you a quick summary of dos and don’t… so you don’t look like a fool on day one. And you can also prepare your stay by studying beforehand the new culture with a platform like GapsMoov.com

In Rome, do like the Romans, but not too much! I personally understand the need for cultural sensitivity when interacting with speakers of other languages, but we shouldn’t let that hinder communication or be overly presumptuous that we become ‘plus royaliste que le roi’. Communication is meant to build bridges between people from different cultures, and the possibility of offending others will always be a factor.

Indeed, and to me (and deeply missed Anthony Bourdain) food is probably the greatest connector. When you learn local cuisine, cooking and sharing meal and drinks with people you learn so much more than just reading a book about a culture or a country. Personal interest in history and art have also been very useful for me when immersing in Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino and above all Japanese culture, as probably one of the most aliens to a westerner…

I have found it helpful to connect with children in the culture I want to communicate with. They are far less inhibited and have fewer masks: you can rely on them to express, possibly in a less informed way but definitely more honestly, the concerns and fears and joys of the culture. When teaching English to Spanish kids and teenagers, for example, I experienced things like a five-year old boy slapping my backside and winking at me like someone twenty years older, and suddenly understood a whole lot more about Andalusian men! :-)) By listening to the teenagers talk about their political insights, I also got a glimpse into deep conservative, monarchist paranoia and its opposite: outspoken Republicanist progressivism. Kids just reveal more!

Eat, feel, smell, laugh, and taste in different cultures. You may not fall in love with everything in other cultures, but most often than not, some of your perspectives will change. I lived in China for three years, and it was important for me to challenge my ‘taste buds’. In most cultures, including mine (Morocco) , people do mostly express their thoughts while eating together. Imagine this, in my country the table is traditionally round and usually everyone eats from one big round plate that’s put in the middle (It’s considered rude to pick food from other than your side of the plate). This might sound irrelevant, but these details do matter.

Ideally, learn more than one language. It will allow you to draw comparison and be more open to different customs and communication styles.

It might be harder for novice learners to empathize with speakers of other languages due to cultural differences and differences in life experiences and their meanings. This can be explained by using the terms sameness and otherness. People of the same culture and language tends to have more similar emotions, understandings, and reactions to the same experience, and thus experience the feeling of being the same. Otherness refers to the notion that significant differences in emotions, reaction, and meanings related to the same experience can cause people to feel as if they don’t belong to the same group. The degree of the otherness can affect the degree to which people empathize. I believe emotional and self-awareness should be taught.