1、ContentsIOn Differences of Privacy between Chinese and western countries摘要：隐私是人们控制及调节与他人交往的机制，在当前文化多元化和文化全球化的进程中，隐私问题已成为人们日益关注的问题。在跨文化交际中，由于东西方文化差异而引起的人们的隐私观的差异，中国人和西方人持有不同的价值观念，因而对于隐私的含义、范畴的理解以及维护隐私的意识也不相同，在国际交往中难免因此产生冲突。分析中西价值观的不同文化溯源，探讨中西隐私观差异的根源，以推动国际交流顺利进行。关键词：隐私观；文化；交际；调节机制Abstract: With the r
2、apidly challenge word, people throughout the world have found it increasingly necessary to minimize the rate of misunderstanding due to miscommunication in their contacts with another. In the oats most human beings were born, lived, and died within a limited geoographical area, never encountering pe
3、ople of other cultural backgrounds. It might be said that technological advances have been most effective in creating the borderless word, the global community. As our world shrinks and its inhabitants become interdependent, people from remote cultures increasingly come into contact on a daily basis
4、. It is no longer hard to find situations in which members of ice isolated groups of people. Now these people may live thousands of miles away or right next door to each other. So all the people are faced with the challenge of understand this world. So when the east meets west, there are many proble
5、ms. The different concept of privacy between western countries and Chinese is one of these problem. Privacy is a mechanism for people to control and regulate the interaction with others. In the current process of cultural pluralism and globalization, privacy issue has become the big issue of growing
6、 concern. Due to the differences of Chinese and Western background, Chinese and Westerners have different values. Thus the meaning of privacy, the scope of management, solution and the awareness of the maintenance of privacy are different. In intercultural communication, peoples different views on p
7、rivacy due to cultural differences between east and west result in communication barriers. We should analyze the difference of Chinese and Western values and explore the root of the difference of the privacy concept of the westerns and Chinese, in order to promote international exchanges and communi
8、cation which is carried out smoothly.Key words: The concept of privacy; difference; culture; communication(中英文关键词不一致)ContentsIIContentsCHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .1.1 The different concepts of privacy between China and western countries1.1.1 The concept of privacy in western countries1.1.2 The concept o
9、f privacy in China CHAPTER 2 The Different Performances of Privacy between China and Western Countries.32.1 Different topics .32.1.1 The polite and privacy .42.1.2 The age and privacy .42.1.3 The salary and privacy.62.2Different space.CHAPTER 3 The Causes for Different Privacy .93.1 Different histor
10、y .93.1.1 The history of China3.1.2The history of Western countries3.2 Different values 3.2.1 Chinese value3.2.2Western value CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION .11REFERENCES .19ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .20Contents3Chapter 1 Introduction1.1 The Different Concepts of Privacy between China and Western CountriesIn modern so
11、ciety, with the development of technology and economy, the communication between China and western countries has become more and more fluently. There are more and more strong collision and impact between Chinese and western cultures. Culture is the material wealth created in the history of human soc
12、iety and the process of practice and spiritual wealth. “Intercultural Communication” (Cross - Cultural Communication) refers both to native speakers. Communication between non - native speakers or in the language and context is different. The concept of privacy has the objective definition. It is di
13、fferent because of the differences of socio-cultural, coupled with the personal different subjective understanding. Privacy is a universal phenomenon, with a distinct cultural identity. It exists in a variety of different cultures, but its performance and performance extent are different because of
14、the culture varies. In different cultures, the people the privacy pursuit of the focus and intensity have also been different.“As the difference of privacy, the contradiction, misunderstanding, communication failure between China and western countries, are common. So to avoid the conflicts, we shoul
15、d know and study the differences between china and western countries deeply; we should put aside minor differences so as to seek common ground; we should respect each others culture and put up the different concept. If we can do those, it can lead a successful communication in cross-cultural communi
16、cation. The concept of privacy originates from western countries. It is the individual or group control the people of the adjustment mechanism, which is a survival characteristic. Cain, namely the hidden the secret, or would not inconvenient public things; the private, namely the private affairs, is
17、 existing in private life and personal space affairs. The privacy is the thing existing in private life, for example, the secrets of the space of affairs, activities and related information. It is contrast to the public life space, public affairs, and related information. Wang Liming said that the p
18、rivacy is the personal things or personal space which has nothing to do with the public interest and the persons who dont want the others to be involved in it. In a word, privacy is the personal information, private activities, and the personal space. Privacy is also a kind of cultural phenomenon an
19、d a concept that is based on race, history and culture. Different countries have the different history. Different history leads to the different meanings or concepts of privacy. At last, the awareness of protecting the privacy is different. The concept of privacy is different.1.1.1 The concept of pr
20、ivacy in western countriesPrivacy means that freedom from interference or public attention. The meaning comes from “The Oxford advanced learners English Chinese Dictionary” So we can know that the western people regard the privacy as a right that one neednt to tell others about own things and no one
21、 interferes him. It is a concept of respect. The western people think that privacy can protect individual from others control and interference. They can express their emotion and mood freely. They have the chance to comment their behaviors and experience very well and choose new behaviors. It still
22、can make people have the opportunity to define thinking between family groups and formal occasions so that people have different communication of options in different field of Contents4cooperation to maintain personal and social coordination and balance. Westerners stress emphasis on privacy .As the
23、 modern technology makes the problem today especially prominent. According to the Survey, Americans pay attention to the privacy mostly in 21 century. Presently, though in western countries, there are some differences in culture, consciousness and customs in their lives. But they have one common poi
24、nt, which is their concept of privacy. In western countries, people pay more attention to privacy. The content of privacy includes personal time, personal space, personal activities and the right that protecting those things. For example, to respect others personal time, the host should inform the g
25、uests in advance if he wants to invite the guests to home, giving them enough time to arrange their own affairs. As the same as that when we visit others, we also notice others in advance. If we dont do so, western people would think we invade their privacy. In western countries, people have a stron
26、g awareness of the boundary. They dont allow others to step to their own space. For example, in western countries, parents have no right to step in their childrens room, if their children dont allow them in, or they are impolite and unrespectable. The one cant use others belongings if he is not allo
27、wed. Furthermore, one cant ask others about their privacy, for example, personal situation (age, income, marriage, children and so on), the political thought, religious beliefs, the tendency of personal behavior (where to go, and who associate or communicate with, etc) as general, in western countri
28、es, people wouldnt be interfered by others. They also wouldnt interfere with others personal life or privacy1.1.2The concept of privacy in China In China, privacy is the personal things which are not known by others. The meaning is from “Modern Chinese Dictionary”. As the Chinese traditional thought
29、, Chinese people advocate that the individual is subordinate to the group, promote “open“, “selflessness“, and work selflessly for public interests. Private is deemed to be selfish; “privacy“ means that someone brings some derogatory sense, like what are the ignoble things need to hide. Chinese peop
30、le dont support the idea that someone should hide some own things. They regard the personal right as the personal interests. Chinese people almost have no concept of privacy. So there is no one Chinese word which has the same meaning to the Privacy. It shows that there are many differences between C
31、hinese and western people. “隐私权 ”is not the true meaning of privacy. The meaning of “隐私” is the secrete which cant be known by others. But the meaning of privacy is that one has the right not to be interfered by others and to protect own things from being known by others. In China, Chinese people ar
32、e quite hospitable. When they talk with other persons, they always emotionally ask many things related to the persons personal life. They always ask about the age, job, wage, and so on. They always regard these as topics when they have a talk with their friends. Differences between Chinese and weste
33、rn privacy are embodied in the consciousness of protecting private rights with using the law. Privacy as a legal sense of right is first proposed by two American scholars. In 1890, the law professors of Harvard Samuel DWills and Louis DBrandis published “The Right to Privacy” on “Law review”. They l
34、isted privacy as a natural right. But in China, it is quite different. Lowers in China, regard the privacy as the shameful secret. For a long time, we did not regard the privacy as the personality. In 1980s, we introduced privacy into China and then we started to study and protected it. We protect t
35、he privacy indirectly by protecting peoples reputation right or common rights. At the moment, Chinese theory and legal protection of privacy is far behind from the western countries. The awareness of protecting the privacy in law is quite weak.Contents5Chapter 2 The different ways of privacyPrivacy
36、is defined that “The quality or state of being hidden from or undisturbed by the observation or activities of other persons“(Longman Modern English Dictionary); (1)the state of being private and undisturbed, a persons right to this (2)freedom from intrusion or public attention(3)avoidance of publici
37、ty(The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Contemporary English1990). The different privacy leads to the different topics, psychology, space, age and social intercourse. 2.1 The different topics2.1.1 The polite and privacy The difference of privacy leads to the different topics of peoples talks at same con
38、ditions. In different areas, there are different ways of expressing ones ideas. In communication, there are different topics about polite age and salary. The relationship between polite and privacy has many differences in Chinese and English culture. For example, in the Chinese view, we show our car
39、e to others by ask others about their age, marriage, family and so on. It is very polite. However, in western countries, they think their privacy is interfered by others glossily. The sprit of sacrifice of Chinese people becomes the stumbling stock in the development of oneself. In this sense, there
40、 is the essential difference between the Chinese and westerns politeness principle. For example, in china, when people meet each other at first time, they will greet with each other with saying the words: Have you finished your lunch, where are you going to, or what are you going to do. In western c
41、ountries, when others ask other people these questions, they would be very antipathetic. The western people will think that they are monitored by others or their privacy interfered by others. So in western countries, people greet with each other and say something that has nothing to do with personal
42、 things. They talk about the weather, the news and so on. They never interfered in others privacy. For anther example, Chinese people like asking the price of others goods. But in western countries, they think it is impolite that people ask others about their economic. In western countries, people d
43、ont like ask following questions: “How old are you?” “Whats your age?” “What is your salary?” “Are you married?” “Are you a republican or a democratic?” “Do you go to church? But in china, it is common that people ask those questions. They think it is polite and kind to ask others these questions. T
44、he Chinese have been accustomed to this way of talks. They often talk with western people in this way. So it often leads to the mistakes when Chinese people talk with western people. With the frequent communication with westerns people, many Chinese young people would not talk about the topics which
45、 western people think they are privacy.2.1.1.1 The age and privacy In our country, the “old“ is a symbol of the experience, knowledge. However, in western countries, it is a fierce competitive society. It is a society where persons struggle for oneself. When people are old, they think they draw back
46、 down from the stage of the competed society. For women, old means that they lost their charm. Becoming old is a sad thing for one person. So they dont admit they are old. The old mans independent consciousness is very strong; they have the awareness of not admitting the old. So age also became a pe
47、rsons privacy. They dont tell others their age. But in china, asking others age or telling others age is a common thing.For example, one a handsome Chinese man was sitting and waiting for the bus. He saw a beautiful American women. So he began to talk to with her. He said: “Hello, what is your name?” The women
