学进去

Fluency in another language is a dream of a newcomer to another country. Besides, understanding the culture and learning to communicate comfortably with people of that culture are as important as learning the rules of the language. Language learning and culture learning go together and may take a long time.

Sometimes people feel that they understand a culture after a few weeks or months. People do learn a lot when they first begin living in another culture, but this is only the first step of learning. It usually involves things like learning everyday activities and some basic customs.

To really understand another culture, people have to go beyond the first step. This is a challenge because it is often difficult to know what to learn. Much of what we call"culture" is hard to see.

Culture is like an iceberg. Imagine in your mind a huge iceberg in the ocean. The only part of the iceberg that you see is the top. You don't see the rest of the iceberg because it is hidden from sight in the water. It is easy to forget that it is there. Most of the iceberg is deep in the ocean, just as much of a culture is deep in the ocean, just as much of a culture is deep within its people.

When you meet someone from another culture, certain culture differences are obvious: You hear another language or you hear your own language spoken with an accent. You see different foods, clothes and sometimes physical characteristics of people. You watch new customs or habits, such as the use of chopsticks, and, bowing or kissing on both cheeks as a greeting. These differences are interesting and important, but they are usually not too difficult to understand. They can be seen easily and quickly.

The part of culture that is like the underwater part of the iceberg consists of assumptions (设想)， communication styles, values, and beliefs about what is right and wrong. The hidden part of culture influences much of a person’s way of thinking and communicating. It is the meaning behind his or her verbal and nonverbal language. Learning to communicate well with people from another culture involves understanding the hidden part of culture.