If you want to speak a language, it is hugely helpful to know the culture of the people who speak it. That’s why we include culture notes in all of our courses: to teach the cultural awareness you need to understand and be understood in your new language. Here are some examples of the types of information our culture notes include:
Greetings: One area of language that is impacted by culture is how people greet one another. For example, in English it’s common to ask someone “How are you?” and not really expect an answer; it’s just like saying “hello” in some contexts. In Russian, the translation Как дела́? is not used this way. Rather, it’s used with people one knows and when one actually wants to ask about their well-being. Walking into a shop and saying Как дела́? would be very odd in Russian, but sounds fine in English. Knowing how to greet others is not just a matter of learning the translation for “hello, how are you?” You have to know gestures and pick the right phrases based on how formal or informal you should be according to cultural norms. It’s a delicate process and, as they say, you never have a second chance to make a first impression.
Reading between the lines: Some cultures have a more direct communication style than others. If you come from a culture that has a very direct style of communicating, such as that of Hebrew speakers, you might find yourself stepping on the toes of speakers from less direct cultures, such as Japanese speakers. And vice-versa, being too indirect may mean your message does not get registered properly, which can be frustrating. One example comes from our Vietnamese course. In Vietnam, people are hesitant to say that they cannot help you if you ask them for directions, so they may end up giving you incorrect directions to avoid that embarrassing moment. If you know that, you might avoid going on a wild goose chase based on incorrect directions. Cultural awareness is key!
Idioms: An idiom is a phrase that can’t be understood literally. So for instance, if an English speaker says they’re ‘sitting on pins and needles,’ if you didn’t know the idiomatic meaning of that phrase, you might think the person has bizarre masochistic tendencies rather than understanding that they’re anxiously waiting for something to happen. The same kind of phrases are widespread in all languages. (We have a great list of funny idioms here if you like that kind of thing.) To be a proficient French speaker means to be able to comfort a friend who admits to avoir le cafard (have the blues, lit., have the cockroach) by suggesting that you go faire du lèche-vitrines (go window shopping, lit., do some window-licking), for instance. These are the kind of phrases that can trip you up when you move from the classroom to the real world, so they’re important to learn.
Culturally-specific concepts: All words and phrases can ultimately be translated but some concepts are just easier to explain in one language than another. For example, the word Gemütlich in German could be translated as cozy, but it’s more than that. On top of being cozy, Gemütlich refers to things or situations that are comfortable and homey, often in winter and often when friends get together. In short, simple translations don’t always cut it. One often needs a bit of cultural context to use a word or phrase properly.
You can learn the rules of a language without culture, but putting those rules into practice in real conversations requires some cultural awareness. That’s why our courses are all written by native speakers who know the culture they write about well, so that you can sound natural and communicate effectively in your new language.