We hear the saying “when is Rome, do as the Romans do” frequently. Weather people adapt and accept the culture of the country they visit is very subjective. I believe that people should definitely adapt and accept the customs of the place they visit. Not to mention that people don’t need to know the language of the specific location inorder to understand and learn their culture. In this essay the potential reasons for this will be discussed.
To begin, when visiting a place that may differ from the visitor’s home-land, having information about the culture of the location they are touring may save them from unintentional trouble due to misinterpretations, the locals being unaware of the outside traditions and customs. One prime example for this is, in the U.S. people traditionally handshake one-another when greeting. In Japan however, they are accustomed to bowing when two individuals meet. To save thyself from an embarrassing and sticky situation Americans can learn to bow and vise-versa for the Japanese.
Consequently, you do not need to know the language of the place you visit in order to learn about their culture. For example, in the U.S. it is customary to tip for good service. On the other hand, the Japanese find it rude and insulting to tip. In order to learn this, there are many tour-guides and people who can fill you in on this matter. With the help of technology, translating languages is now at the palm of our hands.
In today’s time and age, technology is exponentially advancing at a rapid rate, therefore it isn’t mandatory to learn the language in order to learn about the culture of different locales. It has become easier than ever to communicate with people who don’t speak the same language as you. Even so, connecting with them and learning about their customs is an important part of growth.