Fostering Intercultural Behaviour (Edited)

Culture, a seemingly simple word, is actually a noun that encompasses “the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time”, as defined by the Cambridge dictionary. To achieve peace and understanding among people with different cultural background, communication is the key element to it. However, it does not appear so when language is a barrier. This following situation illustrates how conflicts arise between two different cultural groups when language is not a common denominator.


This incident happened while I was a tourist in Hong Kong. While I was shopping for a gift at Temple Street, I overheard an argument between a Thai couple and the vendor of a street shop. The Thai couple saw a pair of shoes that they fancied and asked for its price. The vendor replied with HKD 3,500. The Thai couple exclaimed ‘phaaeng’, which in fact meant expensive. To the vendor, he misinterpreted it as cheap, for the Thai word sounded exactly the same as the Cantonese word for ‘cheap’. Immediately, he thought that the couple was rich and was willing to pay more. So he decided to raise the price to HKD 4,000. But still, the couple kept shouting ‘phaaeng’, in the hope of bargaining for a cheaper deal. This 'argument' lasted for a few minutes. In the end, a fellow shopkeeper from one of the neighbouring stores, exasperated from the confusion that had been going on for a good 5 minutes, stepped forward and explained to the tourists that "phaaeng" meant "cheap" in Cantonese. The tourists chuckled at the misunderstanding, and explained to him that they were exclaiming at the high price that was quoted. Eventually, both parties understood each other, and settled on a final price, leaving the tourists happy with their purchase.


As you can see, a simple word with the same pronunciation can have contrasting meanings in two different cultures/languages. If a person is not familiarized with the cultures and languages in a different country, misunderstanding are bound to arise easily. Hence, this story emphasizes the importance of intercultural communication.

Application Letter Critique - Draft 2

To save you guys from the hassle, here is a print screen version of my job advertisement :)
____________________________________________________

Dear Recruitment Officer:


Application for Senior/Medical Technologist (Virology)


I am writing to express my keen interest for the above-stated position, which was posted on the Careers@SingHealth Group website on the 1st of February 2010.

I graduated from National University of Singapore (NUS) with a 2nd Class Honors in Life Science, majoring in Biomedical Sciences. I believe that I am equipped with the skills and qualities required for this position. I am aware that this job requires the necessary laboratory skills for processing and conducting tests on patients’ samples. As I have taken the modules Microbiology and Immunology before, I am adequately experienced in techniques such as Flow Cytometry, Enzyme-Linked Immunoabsorbent Assay (ELISA), Elispot, Giemsa Stain, Dipstick, and aseptic techiques for bacteria and viral innoculation. My thinking and research skills were further honed through my participation in the Final Year Project (FYP). Also, as an earnest learner, I am willing to pick up any new skill during the course of the job. Given my skills and ‘willing-to-learn’ attitude, I am confident that I will be of great help to your team.

I feel that a technologist should have patience, discipline and more importantly passion for the job, for he may have to perform the same long and laborious experiment several times a day. I was a student volunteer of National University Hospital- National Volunteer Action Committe (NUH-NVAC) for 2 years. My role was to visit and accompany the paediatric patients for 2 hours weekly. Though I was requested to conduct the same few activities like teaching them to colour and read, playing games with them in every session, I did not feel bored and was dedicated to my role. These 2 years of invaluable volunteering experience have indeed transformed me into a more patient, disciplined and compassionate individual. With these qualities I posses, I am confident that I will be a good technologist.

I also understand that the need to work effectively with others and the quality of being meticulous are crucial in this job. As a temporary administrative assistant in an insurance company for 7 months, I was able to work and relate well with different people in my department. Also, I had to process and issue insurance policy invoices that involved a large sum of money to customers. In addition, I had to generate a report for the top managerial staffs before the monthly managerial meeting. Through this job, I have trained to become a more analytical and meticulous individual. I believe that I am able to build a strong rapport with my new colleagues and will be meticulous in my work to ensure the preciseness and accuracy of the result.

Being a medical technologist is not merely someone who generates data from blood samples, but is part of a comprehensive team that contributes to the total care of a patient when he or she is at the most vulnerable part of his / her life. With the above-mentioned traits, I believe that I can be a valuable asset to your dynamic team.

I look forward to meeting with you in person to have a more in-depth discussion on what my enclosed resume is not able to furnish. I can be contacted at (65)9123 4567 or xyz@nus.edu.sg.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Yours sincerly,




Wei Ying





Encl: Resume



*note: email address and mobile number are not included due to privacy purposes.