Learn Gestures to Improve Fluency in a Foreign Language
Anyone who has worked for a business that has branches overseas knows that there is certain protocol when opening a store in a different country. The biggest one would be cultural gestures. Gestures give away what you’re saying without you verbally saying it, or knowing how to. You can cause a lot of confusion in a foreign country if you don’t understand common gesture practices.
In Japan, there are gestures for just about everything, many of which are actual sign language uses. You stick out your pinky finger to indicate “girlfriend,” or slide your pointer finger along the curve of your jaw to indicate a facial scar, a common stereotypical trait of the “yakuza” (Japanese mafia.)
There being a deeply ingrained sense of hierarchy in Japanese society, even the way you sit and bow indicates your position. When sitting with someone of higher status then you such as a boss or a teacher, you should sit with your legs underneath you–this is extremely uncomfortable to do for long stretches of time, but sitting in a less comfortable position than your superior shows that you acknowledge your lower status. Bowing is also so ingrained that people on their cellphones will often bow to whomever they’re talking to.
If you plan to study abroad in a country, absolutely try to pick up some gestures before you get there. A harmless thumbs up is interpreted as the middle finger in the Middle East. Nodding a lot is common courtesy in Japan because it shows you are an active listener, compared to the U.S. where your head remains pretty much stationary. Not paying attention to your actions may lead others to see you as cold or rude when you are attempting to be warm and friendly.
Learning gestures is also beneficial in that they are extremely easy to pick up and can convey a lot. You don’t have to worry about correct pronunciation or grammar. You can also use it to emphasize whatever you’re saying in a foreign language, especially in the beginning stages where you might not have a lot of vocabulary to work with. If you’re in the more advanced stages, making the extra effort to learn corresponding gestures takes you another step further toward fluency–you will not only be able to talk but also carry yourself like a native speaker.
So when you go abroad, do your best to follow what others are doing. Be careful of your actions and how you carry yourself, otherwise you may find yourself at the receiving end of a hearty thumbs up.
More of my Language Articles:
- How I Skipped An Entire Semester of Japanese in One Month
- Tips in Building Up Vocabulary in a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Foreign Language Skills By Being Consistent
- Why You Should Learn a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Listening Skills in a Foreign Language
- Speak a Foreign Language Fluently, or at Least Pretend You Can
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