Culture and communication are inter-related. Hall (1959) believes that "culture is communication and communication is culture" (p. 169). Every culture has its own unique language; language made of beliefs, traditions, ideals and values which is a strong determinant of how one describes an experience and behaves in a situation. Different culture perceives the world in a distinct way, unlike any other culture which forms a language and acts as a means of communication. In the article “Cultural Variability in Communication”, Gudykunst (1997) states that the culture where one is socialized, shapes the way they communicate and the culture they share can be affected over time by the way they communicate. The world is getting smaller, meaning,
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“Social workers shall function in accordance with the values, ethics, and standards of the NASW (2008) Code of Ethics. Cultural competence requires self-awareness, cultural humility, and the commitment to understanding and embracing culture as central to effective practice” (NASW, 2015, p. 4). Cross-cultural communication helps broaden the knowledge and deepen the respect for the infinite values and norms of individuals from the diversified social …show more content…
Coming from a place which is known for and rich in culture has deeply influenced the way I communicate; for example, using different word choice and language pattern while talking to the varied audience, for instance using polite words and higher form of respect for the elders and talking to peers and children is more casual. The advantage of coming from a place with diversified culture is learning to respect others culture and developing the skills to deal with people from different background and better sense of understanding which might make it easier to build a relationship with client. In Nepali culture, calling the elders by their first name is disrespectful. However, in United States, it is the other way around. I’ve noticed people calling each other by their first names, regardless of the age differences. This is going to be area that I will need to work on, because I am still accustom to the Nepali culture. Notwithstanding, it is important to adopt to the American culture as it align with the NASW code of ethics, regarding setting professional boundary with the clients. Social workers are provided with the NASW Code of Ethics to be used as a guideline to their professional practice (Colby and Dziegielewski, 2016, p. 13). In support, Dolgoff et al. (2012) agreed with the previous statement by stating “social workers need guidelines to help them decide [what’s
“Social workers shall function in accordance with the values, ethics, and standards of the NASW (2008) Code of Ethics. Cultural competence requires self-awareness, cultural humility, and the commitment to understanding and embracing culture as central to effective practice” (NASW, 2015, p. 4). Cross-cultural communication helps broaden the knowledge and deepen the respect for the infinite values and norms of individuals from the diversified social …show more content…
Coming from a place which is known for and rich in culture has deeply influenced the way I communicate; for example, using different word choice and language pattern while talking to the varied audience, for instance using polite words and higher form of respect for the elders and talking to peers and children is more casual. The advantage of coming from a place with diversified culture is learning to respect others culture and developing the skills to deal with people from different background and better sense of understanding which might make it easier to build a relationship with client. In Nepali culture, calling the elders by their first name is disrespectful. However, in United States, it is the other way around. I’ve noticed people calling each other by their first names, regardless of the age differences. This is going to be area that I will need to work on, because I am still accustom to the Nepali culture. Notwithstanding, it is important to adopt to the American culture as it align with the NASW code of ethics, regarding setting professional boundary with the clients. Social workers are provided with the NASW Code of Ethics to be used as a guideline to their professional practice (Colby and Dziegielewski, 2016, p. 13). In support, Dolgoff et al. (2012) agreed with the previous statement by stating “social workers need guidelines to help them decide [what’s