Human Encounters

As the world grows more interconnected, people from different backgrounds meet more often, and this book offers a broad primer on communicating across cultures. It introduces the central concepts of intercultural communication, the theories and methods scholars use to study how people interact, and the part that spoken language and body language play in building shared understanding. It also considers the ethical questions these encounters raise.

The author then turns to practical matters. Topics include conversing with people who speak a different language, accommodating unfamiliar lifestyles and worldviews, working with interpreters, reading body language that is new to you, and understanding differing attitudes toward time. Further chapters address moving to an unfamiliar place, the role of power in cross-cultural contact, and ways of handling cultural conflict in general.

This English edition is the first, following an original edition published in Norwegian. The book is richly illustrated.