“You Are a Multitude”

(paraphrasing Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself”)

By Talia Zur Baruch, GlobalSaké & LocLearn Founder

My earliest introduction to cross-cultural communication began at Yewsdene—the House of the Yew Tree. This was the safe haven “Noah’s Ark” my grandparents built after WWII in Rednage, a quiet village in the English countryside, as an antidote to the War’s horrors. Survivors and friends from across the geo-cultural spectrum of the globe gathered there to heal, to reconnect with nature, and rediscover their faith in humanity.

As a curious child in Yewsdene, I absorbed not only the rich multitude of voices and accents, but also the subtle cultural differences that shaped behavior—norms, values, worldviews, and varied perspectives. This multi-layered richness in communication fascinated me and later shaped my career path in Localization & Product Culturalization. 

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." (Mark Twain)

Twain talked about the transformative power of experiencing different cultures and perspectives through travel. By venturing beyond our familiar environment, we broaden our views, nourish tolerance, and challenge preconceived concepts.

We now live in a world that’s more globally inter-connected. We interact with colleagues, partners, clients across the planet. And to make these interactions more effective, more authentic and more meaningful, we need to stretch beyond our own world of values, norms, and expected behaviors, and understand people within the cultural context of their own regional environments. 

Core Dimensions of Cultural Differences

Cultural norms often show up as behavioral “dimensions” that guide expectations. Understanding these dimensions helps us adapt gracefully across cultures.

1. Time Orientation

   • Fluid Time Cultures: In the Middle East, Latin America, and much of Africa, time is flexible. Task completion takes priority over the clock. A meeting that runs longer to complete the discussion point is valued as responsible and effective rather than disrespectful or inefficient.

   • Punctuality-Oriented Cultures: In Northern Europe, North America, and Japan, punctuality represents respect. Meetings are expected to start and end on time, even if it means postponing unfinished topics.

2. Communication Style

   • Direct Cultures: In the Netherlands, Germany, or Israel, clear and explicit communication is valued as authentic, transparent and trusting. This reflects not only human interaction but also product interface. For example, featuring accessible opt-in checkboxes for user consent before a Sign Up CTA button in Germany--telling consumers explicitly how we’re going to collect, use and share their data--builds consumer trust and lifts user engagement & conversion. In the U.S., however, this feature will introduce friction with negative metrics impact. 

   • Indirect Cultures: In Japan and India, for example, messages are expected to be conveyed subtly and more implicitly to preserve harmony, requiring attentive listening to tone and context, to what is not said. Products in these markets are expected to feature text-rich guided user experience, hover-over tooltips, and linked Navi information pages clarifying why and how users should take the actions designed in the funnel. This also impacts product ui/ux layout design for Asia, organizing text-heavy components in text boxes for easier content digestion, and in hierarchical order for intuitive usability. 

3. Conversational Flow

   • Fast and Fluid: In the U.S., Latin America, and across the Middle East, conversations overlap; interruptions and interjections are natural and organic.

   • Thoughtful and Measured: In Sweden or Japan, silence carries meaning. Pauses allow reflection and are not considered awkward.

4. Hierarchy vs. Equality

   • Hierarchical Cultures: In Japan, China, or Mexico, decision-making follows seniority. Language itself encodes hierarchical respect (eg, Japanese has nine honorific levels).

   • Egalitarian Cultures: In Israel, Sweden, or Australia, input is valued regardless of title. Companies often embrace flat organizational structures.

5. Physical Distance

   • Space as Respect: In Japan, an arm’s-length distance feels comfortably normal and expected.

   • Closeness as Warmth: In Brazil, standing close, making direct eye contact, and expressive gestures signal trust, friendliness, and openness.

Applying Cultural Insights

In Human Interaction:

• Adapt your communication style—whether direct or indirect, fast-paced or reflective—to the norms of your counterpart.

• Be patient with differences; don’t label them as “wrong,” “inefficient,” or “bad manners.” They are simply different expressions of cultural norms and values.

In Product Design and Global Collaboration:

• Time: Offer flexible scheduling where cultures value fluidity.

• Language: Provide formant adaptive to both formal and casual tones, depending on locale.

• UX/UI: Adjust density—open space feels clean in some cultures but “empty and lacking” in others.

A Closing Reflection

If, as Whitman reminds us, each of us contains multitudes, then every interaction across cultures is an invitation to expand those multitudes within ourselves.

So I leave you with this question:

What cultural behavioral differences have you experienced between your own native expectations and others—whether in human interaction or in product interface?