Communicating Interculturally

Misunderstandings: Types, Risk & What To Do

A compact map for content, UX and localisation.

Misunderstanding

The listener builds a different meaning than the speaker intended.

Non-understanding

The listener can’t build any meaning at all.

Case study · Linguistic

“You being served?” in Manchester

Type: Non-understanding · Phonology/Accent

On arrival I couldn’t parse a shop assistant’s accent. They repeated “You being served?” and I still left without buying—lost, not unwilling.

Illustrates: non-understanding due to phonology/accent.

Two sources

Linguistic

Words, accent, grammar, semantics.

Pragmatic

Hidden rules: politeness, distance, imposition, emotion.

Types of misunderstanding Definition · Example · Application

Type 1 — Misinterpreting a speech act

Definition
Words are clear, but the action isn’t recognised.
Example
“It’s cold with the door open.” (intended request) → People nod, nobody closes it.
Application
Rewrite hints as actions. UX: imperative CTAs. L10n: choose directness per market.

Type 2 — L1 transfer in L2

Definition
Expressions are carried over from L1, changing meaning in L2.
Example
“Either way” used for “it’s the same (es lo mismo)” → Ambiguous or wrong in English.
Application
Prefer plain terms. Flag idioms/glossaries. LQA: reviewer notes for tricky phrases.

Type 3 — Social norms & politeness

Definition
Misjudging formality, social distance or imposition.
Example
“Close the door.” polite in some settings; blunt in others.
Application
Define T/V policy (you/usted/vos). Calibrate tone and commands per market.

Type 4 — Emotional force across languages

Definition
Intensity of taboo/affect words shifts by language and context.
Example
Swear/love words feel weaker/stronger in L2; pain terms get “flattened”.
Application
Calibrate intensity. Keep meaningful metaphors (healthcare). Test with locals.

Case study · Pragmatic

The open door

Type: Type 1 — Speech act

I said, “It’s cold with the door open,” hoping for someone to close it. People agreed—no one moved. The hint didn’t land as a request.

Fix: write the action you want.

Case study · L1 → L2

“Either way” ≠ “it’s the same (es lo mismo)”

Type: Type 2 — L1→L2 transfer

I used “either way” to mean “it’s the same (es lo mismo)”. It confused my landlord. Literal transfer changed the meaning.

Fix: prefer plain terms; avoid idioms when stakes are high.

Industry applications · by type & risk

Low ! Med !! High !!!

Type 1 — Misinterpreting a speech act

Healthcare
Pitfall: indirect hints aren’t read as requests. Ex: “You might want to...” → no action.
High !!! Mitigation: imperative prompts; teach-back.
AI & MT
Pitfall: bots miss indirect intent. Ex: “It’s cold...” → no follow-up.
Med !! Mitigation: intent resolver for indirect requests.
UX & L10n
Pitfall: soft CTAs reduce conversions. Ex: “Maybe sign up”.
High !!! Mitigation: explicit CTAs; market-calibrated directness.

Type 2 — L1 transfer in L2

Healthcare
Pitfall: idioms shift meaning and are normalised. Ex: “pressure in the chest” vs “angustia”.
Low ! Mitigation: interpreter notes; glossary for symptoms.
AI & MT
Pitfall: literal translation of L1 phrases. Ex: “either way” misread by locale.
High !!! Mitigation: paraphrase sets; locale synonyms.
UX & L10n
Pitfall: borrowed idioms in UI strings. Ex: “either way” for “it’s equivalent”.
Med !! Mitigation: term bans; reviewer guidance.

Type 3 — Social norms & politeness

Healthcare
Pitfall: blunt directives erode trust. Ex: “Close the door.” to relatives.
Med !! Mitigation: culturally appropriate directives.
AI & MT
Pitfall: wrong persona politeness. Ex: overly casual apologies.
Med !! Mitigation: politeness controls; human eval.
UX & L10n
Pitfall: T/V mismatch and imposition. Ex: “vos” in non-Rioplatense locales.
High !!! Mitigation: T/V matrix; market tone kits.

Type 4 — Emotional force across languages

Healthcare
Pitfall: pain terms flattened. Ex: “punzante/ardor” → “it hurts”.
High !!! Mitigation: intensity descriptors; preserve metaphors.
AI & MT
Pitfall: taboo/affect miscalibrated. Ex: softened hate/swearing.
Med !! Mitigation: intensity tests; locale raters.
UX & L10n
Pitfall: tone too flat or too hot. Ex: overuse of exclamations.
Low ! Mitigation: tone kit; remove empty intensifiers.

Case study · Healthcare/MT

“Me duele” → “it hurts”

Type: Type 4 — Emotional force

In triage notes, rich Spanish pain descriptions (“punzante”, “ardor”) were flattened into “it hurts”. The clinical team underestimated severity.

Fix: preserve metaphors & intensity; add structured descriptors.