With English as a global language, we may assume there is a corresponding understanding of British/American customs, ways and body language.

Anyone who has travelled widely or lived abroad for any length of time knows this is a mistake. It can be hard to navigate the rules in certain very formal cultures, such as Japan or Korea, for example.

Don’t put your feet up on the desk in Thailand or Japan since showing the soles of your feet is very bad manners. Closer to home, removing your jacket and rolling up your sleeves means getting down to business in the UK and Holland, but in Germany this action would be regarded as a having a laid back or relaxed attitude.  And, consider the implications of socialising in Russia where it is only polite to keep up with your host drink for drink!

Similarly, when teaching in places with a traumatic history, it is wise to do some homework as seemingly innocuous occurrences can signal more than you intend.  One teacher comments that when teaching Vietnamese and Cambodian students he had a red pen clipped into his shirt front pocket.  Weeks later he discovered that this was THE status symbol of the Khmer Rouge.

So how much do you know about gestures in various countries. Try our quick quiz:
Identify which countries fit the descriptions below:

a)      Bulgaria                                b) Japan                               c) India                                 d) Iraq

1) In which country is ‘yes’ indicated by the wobbling of the head side to side?
2) In which country is ‘yes’ indicated in 2 ways; by the wobbling of the head side to side or by nodding
3 ) In which country is a ‘thumbs up’ hand signal considered a very rude gesture?
4 ) In which country is blowing your nose in public considered bad manners?

Answers are at the bottom of the page.

Implications for teaching English
So, knowing how important it can be to be culturally appropriate, how do we apply this as teachers of English? Is it our job to teach our students more than just the language? Might we want to consider non-verbal communication as well, such as how someone from the UK can perceive arms folded as quite a defensive gesture in conversation?

Now think about this. If we are teaching questions and our student forms this perfectly grammatically correct sentence:

‘How much do you earn?’

how essential is it that we inform them that this is not a very polite question in the UK?

Your experiences
Over to you. Do you teach cultural appropriateness in class – and how? Have you ever got it wrong abroad? What advice would you give to someone coming to live in your country?

If you are interested in this area, the Global English advanced TESOL level 3 course goes into this and various areas of sociolinguistics in more depth.

In the meantime, the 6 minute video below highlights the humourous aspect of getting it wrong abroad. Enjoy!

Answers to the quiz:  
‘Yes’ is indicated by the wobbling of the head side to side in India.
‘Yes’ is indicated in 2 ways; by the wobbling of the head side to side or by nodding in Bulgaria.
A ‘thumbs up’ hand signal considered a very rude gesture in Iraq.
Blowing your nose in public is considered bad manners in Japan.

Over to you
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