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Do you think Bob's confusion is due to cultural differences? Why?

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In this short clip, the differences between Japanese and Western cultures vividly communicate to the audience in the humorous way. The main dramatic and conflict point here is the Western actor, Bob, who cannot speak Japanese, has to finish his job in a classical Japanese business workplace. In this situation, the language barrier can be considered the major issue that impedes Bob from smoothly engaging in the Japanese workplace.

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Suntory Time! - Lost in Translation (1/10) Movie CLIP (2003) HD

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As Piller (2017) argues, language offers us concepts for experiencing the world around us, and different language speakers may sometimes offer different concepts for perceiving and experiencing the same discourse. In other words, these differences in human language may cause differences in their experiential characteristics or components, such as norms, rules, values, and behavioural expectations, which are known as cultural schemas (Hyun, 2020). In this scenario, Bob, as an individual who speaks English tends to possess a different mindset or “cultural schemas” from the other members of the group who speak Japanese, therefore, Bob feels isolated and cannot “fit in” the Japanese landscape.

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In this Japanese shoot scene, the different ways of expression from English speaker Bob mark his “outsider” identity from other Japanese. On the other hand, the director is considered as an “insider” and possesses more power than Bob.

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Also, here the role of “director” emerges because of institutional conventions, societal expectations and the possession of knowledge (Bowe et al, 2014), and it is naturally imbued with power over other contextually related roles such as actor and translator (Bowe et al, 2014). Therefore, the director possesses more power than others and can decide what is correct or appropriate in this interaction (Holmes, 2005).

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Jiaqi Pan 1067837

Yiyang Liu 1412101

Meichen Zhu 1491931

Yuchen Shi 1140098

Gris Pan 1522542

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Cross-Cultural Miscommunication: Power and Information Asymmetry

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Cross-Cultural Miscommunication: Power and Information Asymmetry

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In this scene, the Japanese director holds power not only due to his authority in the work environment but also because he has greater access to information and resources (Bowe et al., 2014) —such as language fluency, cultural context, and control over the production. Bob, as a foreigner and non-Japanese speaker, lacks access to this information and resources, creating a power imbalance that heightens his confusion.

The Weberian perception of power frames this situation where Bob is coerced into performing acts he wouldn't normally do, as he is unable to fully understand the director's instructions(Bowe et al., 2014). This power imbalance—stemming from unequal access to information (language and cultural cues)—creates a communication barrier, reducing the effectiveness of their interaction and straining their working relationship.

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Power Imbalance and Cross-Cultural Silence

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Power Imbalance and Cross-Cultural Silence

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Using the theory of power imbalance and employee silence, In Lost in Translation, the scene where Bob struggles to communicate with the Japanese director can be analyzed. As Morrison and Rothman (2009) suggest, "the power imbalance inherent in organizational roles is perhaps the most important factor that makes employee silence such a common experience."

In this scenario, the director holds authority and control over the advertisement shoot, while Bob is in a relatively subordinate position, exacerbated by language and cultural barriers. This power imbalance leads Bob to feel incapable of effective communication, resulting in his withdrawal from the conversation​(Lee, 2009).

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In the film Lost in Translation , there is a scene in which the hero, American Hollywood actor Bob Harris, goes to Japan to shoot a whisky commercial. During the filming of the advert, the entire film crew is Japanese and there is a not-so-professional English interpreter. Communication between Bob and the Japanese director creates great confusion and misunderstanding due to cultural differences. The director instructed Bob on many details in Japanese, but the interpreter relayed very little information, resulting in an unpleasant filming process in which Bob could not understand the director's true intentions.

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The interaction between Bob and the director exemplifies the differences in communication styles across cultures:

American culture: Bob comes from a low-context cultural background and is accustomed to direct and clear communication of information. He expects the interpreter to accurately convey the director's intentions and wants clear instructions to get the job done.

Japanese Culture: Japan is a high-context culture that relies more on non-verbal cues such as context, cues, and emotions in communication. The director's lengthy instructions contained a wealth of contextual information and cultural cues that were simplified or lost in translation, exacerbating communication barriers.

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Do you think that if the director or translator had made some adjustments in the way of communication, this communication would have been smoother? If so, what adjustments should be made?

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Babbitt, D. G. (2023). Intercultural communication and sport coaching in high-context (Japan) and low-context cultures (United States): A narrative literature review. International Journal of Coaching Science, 17(1), 51–70.

Bowe, H., Martin, K., & Manns, H. (2014). Positioning the self: role, power and gender. Communication across cultures: Mutual understanding in a global world. Cambridge University Press.

Greenberg & M.S. Edwards (Eds.), Voice and silence in organizations. Bingley, UK: Emerald.

Holmes, J. (2005). Story-telling at work: a complex discursive resource for integrating personal, professional and social identities. Discourse Studies, 7(6), 671-700.

Hyun, Y. (2020). Different cultural conceptualizations underlying intercultural business communication problems between Thais and Koreans. International Journal of Language and Culture, 7(2), 214–250.

Lee, J. (2009). Perceived power imbalance and customer dissatisfaction. The Service Industries Journal, 30(7), 1113-1137. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642060802298384

Leotescu, G. S. (2023). Communicating Meaning across High- and Low-Context Cultures – a Comparative Analysis. Scientific Bulletin of the Politehnica University of Timisoara: Transactions on Modern Languages / Buletinul Ştiinţific Al Universităţii Politehnica Din Timişoara: Seria Limbi Moderne, 22(1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.59168/sodh1614

Moody, S. J. (2019). Interculturality as Social Capital at Work: The Case of Disagreements in American-Japanese Interaction. Language in Society, 48(3), 377–402. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0047404519000204

Morrison, E.W., & Rothman, N.B. (2009). Silence and the dynamics of power. In J.

Movieclips. (2011, May 30). Suntory Time! - Lost in Translation (1/10) Movie CLIP (2003) HD [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiQnH450hPM

Piller, I. (2017). Intercultural communication: A critical introduction. Edinburgh University Press.

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High-context and low-context communication is a concept developed by Edward T. Hall. The study analysed how different cultures communicate differently and how much people rely on implicit and explicit messages. In high-context communication, most of the message’s meaning is implicit. It relies on non-verbal expressions, such as facial expressions, tone of voice, and posture (Leotescu, 2023). On the other hand, in low-context communication, messages are explicit and most of the information is conveyed through clear and direct words (Leotescu, 2023).

Japan is a high-context culture. In this social environment, people use implicit messages more than direct messages (Babbitt, 2023). In contrast, the United States is a low-context culture country, where people use clear and direct words in this social context (Babbitt, 2023). Therefore, in the workplace, high context tends to ask coworkers or offer indirect advice in a more gentle way, while low context will correct coworkers’ mistakes directly (Moody, 2019). In the film, the Japanese director uses more cultural context and implicit messages. This is based on the characteristics of Japanese high-context culture. In contrast, Bob’s communication is more direct. So, they are unable to understand each other’s meaning correctly.

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Contextual Implicit Power and Different Cultural Expectations

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Contextual Implicit Power and Different Cultural Expectations

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In this clip, the communication challenges between the protagonist, Bob, and the director effectively illustrate the difficulties faced when low context and high context linguistic systems exchange and interact with each other. The complex content delivery in high context language systems embedded with cultural power, makes the director stronger in communication and symbolizes his authority and status (Leotescu, 2023). Bob, who is unable to understand the content of the metaphor and the power implications therein, is in a weak position, while his confusion and powerlessness is compounded by the incomplete translation.

Besides, there are differences in the expectations of feedback and communication styles between high and low context cultures (Babbitt, 2023). The director, whose communication is rooted in the Japanese language system, takes it for granted that information is conveyed through abstract and indirect communication; however, Bob from an English-speaking background expects clear, direct instructions to accomplish his work. This divergence in cultural expectations complicates their interactions, further enhances power imbalances, and highlights the complexity of cross-cultural communication.

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