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Intercultural Communication
Service Learning paper
Submitted by:
Emmanuel Josue Toledo Rodriguez
September 12, 2014

Submitted to:
Tamra K. Phillips, M.S.
COMM 2150-002
Department of Communication
Salt Lake Community College

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Service Organization
I volunteered to be English tutor as second language class in the Organization of Una
Mano Amiga. That is in campus of Redwood Salt Community College who is Latino Americans or
Mexicans. Contact information is located below the list:
Elizete Bond
Taylorsville Redwood, STC 240
Elizete.Bond@slcc.edu
801-957-4238

Project
The mission of the Peer Mentoring Program A Helping Hand is to help Hispanic
students achieve their academic goals as well as help new students at Salt Lake Community College
in its infancy. We provide students with educational support, social and emotional. We believe
that students should mentor other students. We are a community that not only inspires and gives
support to our students, but also share our experiences and information from the different sources
of support that the College offers.
For my project, I was assigned to tutor three women: Angelita Fernandes, Nanny Corrales
Nancy, and Veronica Zarala. Angelita is from Peru and she is the oldest of her family of twelve
brothers and sisters. Due to the fact that her family is poor, Angelitas parents couldnt afford to
pay to go high school anymore and she had to dropout. I learned that she had to get a job to
support her family, then later got married with her husband and daughter but she couldnt go to

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college in Peru due to raising a family of her own. Then they moved to Utah in the United States
to get better opportunities that they couldnt have in Peru. She is currently studying to be a nurse.
Nanny Corrales Nancy is from Ecuador. She studies intercultural designs and is a student in the
Student Involving Center. Veronica Zarala is from Mexico City studying English 2710, Intro to
Folklore and Social Work. She is also a member of Una Mano Amiga.
Cultural Groups
Angelita Fernandes is from Peru, in a collectivist society. Her family is poor but gives her
everything she needs. Although the economy is bad at this time, she now lives in Utah, studying to
be a nurse. Veronica Zarala is a person from a collectivist society who is studying in the field of
social work. She loves to speak to a person face to face. Nancy is from Educator and she is
studying fashion in ancient times. She is also from a collectivist society.
Challenges
One of my greatest challenges was speaking Spanish fluently with some of them. I can,
however, easily understand them. Angelita had a hard time submitting her assignments. She had
never used a computer before. I sometimes had to explain everything to her twice in English and
Spanish. When she had homework from English class, I managed to correct some grammar so it
would make sense. Then shed ask me to write a paragraph for her because she had no idea how
to compose it. I had to figure what she wanted me to write for her which can be difficult to portray
what she wants. Veronica is a person that wants to speak face to face. It was difficult to speak with
me, however, because I am like a stranger to her. I can identify with this discomfort. In time we
got to know each another. Nancy is studying fashion. I am trying to figure what I can do for her. I
hardly know any ancient fashion myself which proves to be a problem for me.

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Theory
The theory that I have studied is conversational constraints. I read in the intercultural
book, In contrast to AUM, conversational constraints theory, developed by Min-Sun Kim (2005),
attempts to explain how and why people make particular conversational choices. It suggests five
universal conversational constraints, or concerns: (1)clarity,(2)minimizing
imposition,(3)consideration for the others feelings,(4)risking negative evaluation by the hearer,
and(5)effectiveness. Kim and her colleagues have discovered that people from individualistic and
collectivistic cultures place varying importance on these various conversational concerns.
Individualists seem to be most concerned with clarity; collectivists, with concerns about hurting the
others feelings and minimizing imposition. Concerns for effectiveness and avoidance of negative
evaluation by others seem to be universally important. (Martin & Nakayam, 2013, p. 56).
Also I have done Hofstedes five Cultural Dimensions theory:
Power Distance Index (PDI) that is the extent to which the less powerful members of
organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed
unequally. This represents inequality (more versus less), but defined from below, not from
above. It suggests that a societys level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as
by the leaders. Power and inequality, of course, are extremely fundamental facts of any
society and anybody with some international experience will be aware that all societies are
unequal, but some are more unequal than others.
Individualism (IDV) on the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to
which individuals are integrated into groups. On the individualist side we find societies in
which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after him/ her

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immediate family. On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth
onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, often extended families (with
uncles, aunts, and grandparents) which continue protecting them in exchange for
unquestioning loyalty. The word collectivism in this sense has no political meaning: it
refers to the group, not to the state. Again, the issue addressed by this dimension is an
extremely fundamental one, regarding all societies in the world.
Masculinity (MAS) versus its opposite, femininity refers to the distribution of roles between
the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of
solutions are found. The IBM studies revealed that (a) womens values differ less among
societies than mens values;(b) mens values from one country to another contain a
dimension from very assertive and competitive and maximally different from womens
values on the one side, to modest and caring and similar to womens values on the other.
The assertive pole has been called masculine and the modest, caring pole feminine. The
women in feminine countries have the same modest, caring values as the men; in the
masculine countries they are somewhat assertive and competitive, but not as much as the
men, so that these countries show a gap between mens values and womens values.
Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) deals with a societys tolerance for uncertainty and
ambiguity; it ultimately refers to mans search for Truth. It indicates to what extent a culture
programs its members to feel uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations.
Unstructured situations are novel, unknown, surprising, different from usual. Uncertainty
avoiding cultures try to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict laws and rules,
safety and security measures, and on the philosophical and religious level by a belief in
absolute Truth; there can only be one Truth and we have it People in uncertainty avoiding

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countries are also more emotional, and motivated by inner nervous energy. The opposite
type, uncertainty accepting cultures, are more tolerant of opinions different from what they
are used to; they try to have as few rules as possible, and on the philosophical and religious
level they are relativist and allow many currents to flow side by side. People within these
cultures are more phlegmatic and contemplative, and not expected by their environment to
express emotions.
Long-Term Orientation (LTO) versus short-term orientation: this fifth dimension was
found in a study among students in 23 countries around the world, using a questionnaire
designed by Chinese scholars It can be said to deal with Virtue regardless of Truth. Values
associated with Long Term Orientations are respect for tradition, fulfilling social
obligations, and protecting ones face. Both the positively and the negatively rated values
of this dimension are found in the teachings if Confucius, the most influential Chinese
philosopher who lived around 500 B.C.; however, the dimension also applies to countries
without a Confucian heritage. (Phillips, 2014, p. 85-86).

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Analysis

I implied these theories in my service learning experiences. I dont honestly know whether
I am a collectivist or individualist myself. As I continued going to the Una Mano Amiga for my
service, I learned that the students I work with are collectivist and they help each other. If I am
willing to help out others, then I am a collectivist person. I was told by the leader of the Una
Mano Amiga to plan out my schedule. I come in a little early at times to do some services for
whoever needed help. I have noticed there are few students who come in and out of the Student
Involvement Center. I am a shy person to start with which would make me a high context person.
The low context person is someone who gains information through a lot of talking. The high
context person leaves things unspoken. They should know things without being told. I work with
three different students Veronica, Nancy, and Angelita.
I remember one time that I was helping a person with her English homework. Angelita
had a difficult time typing correctly with her grammar. She has an understanding of grammar in
Spanish that sometimes has different wording than I am normally used to hearing in Spanish.
Spanish grammar translated to English grammar tends to form backward sentences. It was
sometimes frustrating, but I really had to use all my knowledge of Spanish and English to help
Angelita. I have to be very patient with myself because English is no walk in the park. I taught
Angelita to make sense of the English sentences so she wouldnt get point deductions. I am just
glad I am not an English teacher.
Veronica was a kind person to me during these services. She needed help to set up
meetings and messages to the members of Una Mano Amiga to learn about scholarships and
techniques. This kind of information is useful for anyone who wants to apply for a scholarship.

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Nancy is studying ancient fashion; I understand that fashion is not my thing. Fashion is
also considered art, which I love to do. She needed me to do an outline for one of her
assignments that required a steady hand.
They love their countries although they left to get better opportunities. I should be very
glad that I live in the United States where opportunities are available. I am proud to help others
when they need it and know that Latinos are friendly, kind, helpful, and family orientated. I am
happy to be Latino knowing that I might have made friends.

Reflections
I wasnt so eager to do services for my class this semester. First, I was scared out of my
mind because I am a very shy person, particularly with people I dont know. My mother has
helped me to find this organization of Una Mano Amiga while I was stressed, trying to find an
intercultural group. I remember that I always went to the Salt Lake Community College as a child.
When I entered the Student Involvement Center I found it a shame that I had no
knowledge of my culture as a Latino. I wasnt very fluent with Spanish. I could understand what
they were saying, but couldnt pronounce sentences in Spanish properly. I felt like I was an
incompetent person when it came to explaining things to another person.
I helped whoever I could, not just specific people I was assigned to. I have worked with
several different students. Veronica was one of the students I worked with before. I found her
more comfortable to work with, even when I had a conversation, despite the fact that I am shy.
She was also shy, but she knew me through my mother.

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Angelita is person who has a difficult time understanding English grammar. She was
confused with the backward translation from Spanish to English. English grammar has too many
rules which is probably why it is hard to show it to her. As her tutor, I did the best of my ability to
help her form sentences correctly.
Nancy is learning about ancient fashions of Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. I listened to
the fashions of the past. When it came to the art I was able to help her more effectively.
I began to know more Spanish and a little more fluently. I have been more open to talking
to people than I was before. Una Mano Amiga is a good organization for Latinos that offers
services for anyone who wants to be a member or a leader. They provide tutoring services in
math, English, and any other academic subject.
I began to realize that a collectivist is something that the United States needs more of,
although it is an individualist country. The Una Mano Amiga organization treated me like their
friend or a part of the family. They showed great care of others. I came to know Hofstedes
theory of Cultural Dimension of Uncertainty Avoidance Index. Veronica wasnt very sure of
herself at times when typing messages for the Una Mano Amiga members and leaders. Sometimes
she needed advice from me. I wasnt always so sure of myself either, but this brought into play the
theory of Kim, having to do with considering the feelings of others. I was careful when reading the
message to see if it was okay.

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References
Phillips, T. K. (2014). Intercultural Communication Course Readings.
Martin, J. N. & Nakayam, T. K. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts (6th ed.).
Boston: McGraw Hill.