EFE learning modules / Culture, Etiquette & Politeness

scenario 3 elena an international student advisor

Scenario Context

"Elena, an international student advisor, meets with Ahmed, a new student, to discuss the cultural norms and social etiquette of the local environment to help him adjust smoothly."

Speakers
E

Elena

An experienced international student advisor who is knowledgeable about global cultures and social manners.

A

Ahmed

A polite and curious new international student who wants to learn how to interact respectfully in his new home.

The Dialogue

Tap highlighted words to view vocabulary cards below.

Elena
Hello Ahmed! Welcome to your first cultural orientation session.
Ahmed
Thank you, Elena. I am a little nervous about making mistakes in public.
Elena
That is completely normal. Today, we will discuss to help you feel more confident.
Ahmed
What exactly does mean?
Elena
refers to the customary code of polite behavior in society.
Ahmed
So, it is like a set of ?
Elena
Exactly! It helps people interact without causing offense.
Ahmed
I see. How should I greet people here?
Elena
A firm handshake is common here, but you should also maintain .
Ahmed
What do you mean by ?
Elena
It means being aware that people from different backgrounds have different traditions.
Ahmed
In my country, we bow sometimes. Is that okay here?
Elena
People will understand, but they might be surprised. It is good to learn the local .
Ahmed
What is the for arriving at a meeting?
Elena
is very important here. You should always arrive on time.
Ahmed
If I am five minutes late, is that a problem?
Elena
In some professional settings, even five minutes can be seen as disrespectful.
Ahmed
I will make sure to be very of everyone's time.
Elena
That is great. Also, consider the of eye contact.
Ahmed
What do you mean by ?
Elena
It means a subtle difference. For example, direct eye contact shows honesty here.
Ahmed
I thought staring was rude. This is very different for me.
Elena
It is not staring; it is just a brief look to show you are listening.
Ahmed
I worry about a of my gestures.
Elena
Just be observant. A that is friendly at home might mean something else here.
Ahmed
Should I follow strict when talking to professors?
Elena
Yes, it is safer to use formal titles like Professor or Doctor until they ask you to use their first name.
Ahmed
What about personal space?
Elena
We value personal space. Usually, an arm's length is a good distance.
Ahmed
Thank you for these tips. I feel much better now.
Elena
You are welcome, Ahmed. Learning is a journey.
Ahmed
I will practice every day. I want to respect the local culture.
Elena
That attitude will help you make many new friends!

Scene Vocabulary

Practice vocabulary words & meanings.

Etiquette

/ኤቲኬት/

ሥርዓተ ማኅበር

The customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group.

በኅብረተሰብ ውስጥ ወይም በተወሰነ የሙያ ቡድን ውስጥ የሚጠበቅ የጨዋነት ባህሪ ደንብ።

Social norms

/ሶሻል ኖርምስ/

ማኅበራዊ ደንቦች

The unwritten rules of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that are considered acceptable in a particular social group or culture.

በተወሰነ ማኅበራዊ ቡድን ወይም ባሕል ውስጥ ተቀባይነት ያላቸው ያልተፃፉ የእምነት፣ የአመለካከት እና የባህሪ ደንቦች።

Cultural sensitivity

/ካልቸራል ሴንሲቲቪቲ/

ባሕላዊ ግንዛቤ/ስሜታዊነት

Being aware that cultural differences and similarities between people exist without assigning them a value.

በሰዎች መካከል ያሉ ባሕላዊ ልዩነቶችን እና ተመሳሳይነቶችን ያለ አድልዎ መረዳት።

Punctuality

/ፓንክቹዋሊቲ/

ሰዓት ማክበር

The characteristic of being able to complete a required task or fulfill an obligation before or at a previously designated time.

የተሰጠውን ተግባር ወይም ግዴታ ቀጠሮ በተያዘለት ሰዓት ወይም ከዚያ በፊት የማከናወን ባሕርይ።

Respectful

/ሪስፔክትፉል/

አክባሪ

Feeling or showing deference and respect.

ለሌሎች አክብሮትን ወይም ታዛዥነትን ማሳየት።

Misinterpretation

/ሚስኢንተርፕሪቴሽን/

የተሳሳተ ትርጉም

The action of interpreting something wrongly.

አንድን ነገር በተሳሳተ መንገድ የመረዳት ወይም የመተርጎም ድርጊት።

Gesture

/ጄስቸር/

የእጅ ወይም የሰውነት እንቅስቃሴ

A movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to express an idea or meaning.

ሐሳብን ለመግለጽ የሚደረግ የሰውነት፣ በተለይም የእጅ ወይም የራስ እንቅስቃሴ።

Formalities

/ፎርማሊቲስ/

ሥርዓታዊ ተግባራት

The rigid observance of rules of convention or etiquette.

የተለመዱ ደንቦችን ወይም የሥርዓተ ማኅበር ደንቦችን በጥብቅ መከተል።

Nuance

/ኒውአንስ/

ጥቃቅን ልዩነት

A subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound.

በትርጉም፣ በመግለጫ ወይም በድምፅ ውስጥ ያለ በጣም ጥቃቅን ልዩነት።

Protocol

/ፕሮቶኮል/

ሥርዓተ ደንብ

The official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions.

የመንግሥት ጉዳዮችን ወይም ዲፕሎማሲያዊ ክንውኖችን የሚመራ ይፋዊ የሥርዓት ደንብ።