Teachers’ selection of the literature they use in instruction frequently depends on how they interpret, in other words whether or not they accurately take in the authors’ perspectives. This point presents a particular challenge in the selection of international literature. International literature reflects a country’s and a region’s unique cultural values and practices and is usually not written for people outside the country of origin. Therefore, it is possible that readers in other countries may not understand/be aware of those values and misinterpret the stories. Since Asian and the Western countries, including the U.S., hold maximum sociocultural differences and the perceived cultural distance has remained significantly wide, reading and interpreting literature from Asia can present tremendous challenges to Americans. The book addresses the challenges teachers face when interpreting and teaching with international children’s literature from Asia. The book engages readers with comprehensive coverage on theories, concepts, pitfalls, and applications when endeavoring to use international children’s literature from Asia in classrooms. The book should be used to teach how interpretations/worldviews vary by cultures, and how power influences such interpretations/worldviews. Strategies and frameworks will be provided relating to how teachers can be more culturally conscious of their own biases and develop culturally authentic interpretations.

The Bible was written within collectivist cultures, and it's easy for Westerners to misinterpret—or miss—important elements. Combining the expertise of a biblical scholar and a missionary practitioner, this essential guidebook explores the deep social structures of the ancient Mediterranean, stripping away individualist assumptions and helping us read the Bible better.

Brandon O'Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. Identifying nine areas where commonplaces of modern Western thought diverge with the text, the authors ask us to reconsider long-held opinions about our most beloved book.

In this selection of papers presented at the International Conference on Cultural Dialogue and Misreading held at Peking University, leading academics from all parts of the world explore the significance of relativism in a postcolonial world.

This new volume, Children’s Literature from Asia in Today’s Classrooms: Towards Culturally Authentic Interpretations, aims to provide readers with interpretation guides and practical ideas when they endeavor to make use of Asian international children’s literature in the classroom. It attempts to help readers interpret stories from Asia more authentically, and focuses both on international children’s literature and also on international literature read by young adults. In an increasingly interconnected world, understanding Asian international children’s literature and effectively using it are worthy goals for PK-16 classrooms and teacher education programs. The book is divided into two parts. Part I discusses how to authentically read children’s literature from four countries: India, Thailand, China, and Japan. These chapters provide guides for meaningful interpretations of cultural aspects of children’s stories from these countries. Part II consists of annotated bibliographies of international children’s literature from selected Asian societies: China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The editors believe that readers will find each author’s cultural insights fascinating and useful as they attempt to read with cultural authenticity.

Despite the wide differences in manifest content, all the portrayals of the Chinese sprang from the Euroamerican need to maintain a race-based separation from the Chinese."--BOOK JACKET.

“Full of colorful anecdotes…tells us a lot about the French but even more about ourselves.”—Los Angeles Times This is an intriguing and thoughtful analysis of the many ways French and Americans—and indeed any members of different cultures—can misinterpret each other, even when ostensibly speaking the same language. Cultural misunderstandings, Raymonde Carroll points out, can arise even where we least expect them: in our closest relationships. With revealing vignettes and perceptive observations, she brings to light some fundamental differences in French and American presuppositions about love, friendship, and raising children, as well as such everyday activities as using the telephone or asking for information. “An entertaining, informative book…often witty…a vital source for learning how to establish amity not only between the U.S. and France but among all the world’s nations.”—Publishers Weekly

This revised and updated fourth edition of this core textbook builds on the text's established success. It provides the basis of knowledge, understanding and practice for developing skilled work communication in an intercultural world. Using many illustrations and international examples, the book analyses culture, cultural diversity and cultural similarities and differences in how we interact at work and in the psychological factors that influence our communication. It shows how to overcome impediments to intercultural communication and interact effectively with different others, whether face-to-face or by email, chat, text, phone or video. It describes cultural differences in negotiating, cooperation, coordination, knowledge sharing, working in groups and leadership, and demonstrates how to perform these activities skilfully in an intercultural setting. This textbook is the ideal companion for students taking undergraduate modules in cross-cultural management or managing diversity on international business or business administration degrees, in addition to MBA courses and specialist postgraduate modules on international and comparative management. New to this Edition: - New and improved pedagogical features, including end of Part exercises, activities and role plays - Topic-by-topic coverage of computer-mediated communication, explaining how it is affected by culture and in turn affects intercultural communication - Discussion of new developments in the field such as the increasing emphasis on language and discourses - Focus on new types of research such as country-by-country studies and reports of realities on the ground