A friend sent me a link to a scientific article on how people who speak different languages actually do think differently. Makes perfect sense to me and to anyone who has lived an extended period of time in another country and language.
It seems that the language you learn as a child trains you to pay more attention a particular set of things in the world so that you have the correct information to include in what you say.
We Americans, for example never learned to pay paticular attention to whether a chair is feminine or masculine -- and it shows when we occasionally slip up on the gender front, even after years and years of speaking Italian.
Russians instead do not have one word that covers all the shades that an English speaker would consider to fall under the word "blue". Instead they have two words --one for light blue (goluboy)and another for dark blue (siniy) which makes them quicker at distinguishing the two than their American counterparts.
To make her point that patterns in a language can indeed play a causal role in constructing how we think, she gives the example of a small Aboriginal community in Australia that talk about space in terms of north, south, east, west instead of left, right , forward so they might say, "Hey Joe, there is an ant on your southwest leg", or "Move the cup to the north northeast a little bit". Because space is such a fundamental domain of thought, differences in how these people think about space spill over into time, numbers, kinship relations and even emotions.
Another example was in the area of gender. In Spanish a key is feminine while in German it is masculine -- giving the object itself very different attributes in people's minds. The Spanish consider a key to be, "golden, intricate, little, lovely, shiny and tiny", whereas the Germans used adjectives such as, "hard, heavy, jagged, metal, serrated and useful" to describe the same item. Curious indeed!
Click HERE for the link if you would like to know more.
Perhaps Italians are so good at dealing with ambiguity because their language allows for endless sentences that never clearly nominate subjects and objects. "Who exactly is responsible for what" is the translator's daily struggle. The answer, as we have seen, is in the context, or as an Italian language teacher once told me, "musicality gives meaning."
Thanks Gillian for passing this along!
a domani,
E
Showing posts with label communication styles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label communication styles. Show all posts
June 18, 2009
March 11, 2009
Stream of consciousness
I participate in a number of forum discussions through the social network "linked in" and find it annoying that many forum posts ask questions or propose discussions with the underlying (often blatant) agenda of eventually selling you something -- not a great way to build relationships among colleagues.
In any case, the discussion generally runs along with short interventions by each player.
Not on the Italian Coaching Forum!
The last discussion opened with a question about the distinction between a manager and a leader -- and boy did those responses come through!
A certain Giovanni left a one paragraph response of 497 words.
Then Fabio intervened with his thoughts that spanned another single paragraph of 467 words. The last one came in from Giuseppe at 427 words -- one paragraph. (and you know my cross-cultural moments with regards to paragraphs, see HERE).
Whew. Who can wade through these philosophical meanderings!
But at least there is no underlying agenda "sell,sell,sell" -- theirs is the sheer enjoyment of free-flowing expression.
Odd that they were all men -- must be that the women were too busy with their double duties.
a domani,
E
In any case, the discussion generally runs along with short interventions by each player.
Not on the Italian Coaching Forum!
The last discussion opened with a question about the distinction between a manager and a leader -- and boy did those responses come through!
A certain Giovanni left a one paragraph response of 497 words.
Then Fabio intervened with his thoughts that spanned another single paragraph of 467 words. The last one came in from Giuseppe at 427 words -- one paragraph. (and you know my cross-cultural moments with regards to paragraphs, see HERE).
Whew. Who can wade through these philosophical meanderings!
But at least there is no underlying agenda "sell,sell,sell" -- theirs is the sheer enjoyment of free-flowing expression.
Odd that they were all men -- must be that the women were too busy with their double duties.
a domani,
E
September 11, 2008
illuminating parables
While on an island off the coast of Sicily this summer, I took advantage of the hot midday after-lunch time to read a book that had been on my shelf for awhile, "My Name is Red" by the Turkish Nobel prize winning author, Orhan Pamuk. It is a sort of murder mystery set in the late 1590s in Istanbul among a group of miniaturists of the Sultan, but it is much more than a page turner "who done it" and adds to our cross-cultural discussion. I love his writing and am intrigued by the little glimpses I get of another mindset and way of thinking, reasoning, intuiting. His book, "Snow" was amazing for these insights.
Anyway, one observation I wanted to share.
The main character (a sort of detective figure in the plot named Black) visits the Master miniaturist to learn more about the three remaining miniaturists in his studio in connection with their fourth colleague who had been found dead. He suggested that the younger man ask each miniaturist three questions to determine "how genuine the young painter is". These questions were around the subjects of style vs signature, time and blindness.
Black followed his instructions and asked each miniaturist one of the questions. They all responded by telling three separate stories or parables. Black would then interprete the parables, connecting how each one built on the other to determine the miniaturist's beliefs and philosophy on the subject, and thereby illuminating his soul.
Not exactly a linear, clear, direct way of going about an interrogation, but quite effective.
Let's say a different communication style, in which context plays an important role, almost as much as what is left unsaid.
a domani (actually Tuesday),
E
June 12, 2008
Parole, parole, parole
Massimo Mezzaroma, the MRoma volleyball club president, threw in the towel yesterday and did not renew team in the A-1 series for the 2008-09 championship.
"If you have a dream in this city (Rome), slowly slowly they make it die, taking the water away one drop at a time. In this last period no one in the city's institutions gave me a definitive answer. No one ever said "no, it is not possible to have the palazzetto". In these past months I heard only lots of words, a thousand promises, but nothing concrete. So, it is not serious on my part to continue like this, with no sport facility for our games, without the collaboration of the city's sponsors and institutions."
Following two successful seasons, the A-1 series volleyball team, MRoma is no more.
"this is a city that lives on words, not facts."
Or as the famous song by Mina in the 1960s says, "parole, parole, parole"
Or, perhaps better, "politics, politics, politics" (Roman style)
Or the question has something to do with communication style -- the obvious answer, "no", was never stated, just intended by a series of non-answers and non-actions, while the pond dried up drop by drop. The words said "yes" through a thousand promises while the "context" in which they were repeated, shouted, "no".
I have an embarassing story to recount from many years ago when I kept calling an office where I had applied for a job, only to hear the secretary kindly and enthusiastically tell me to call back because: a) he was out of the office at the monment, b) was on the phone, c) was busy etc... and I dutifully kept calling at exactly the time she had suggested. Finally the poor woman, in extremis, had to outright explain to me that HE DID NOT WANT TO TALK TO ME. How could I not have understood this (in retrospect obvious) situation. She had TOLD me (and with such emphasis) to call back, so I had.
Lessons learned. Now I listen between the lines and concentrate on the context.
a domani,
E
"If you have a dream in this city (Rome), slowly slowly they make it die, taking the water away one drop at a time. In this last period no one in the city's institutions gave me a definitive answer. No one ever said "no, it is not possible to have the palazzetto". In these past months I heard only lots of words, a thousand promises, but nothing concrete. So, it is not serious on my part to continue like this, with no sport facility for our games, without the collaboration of the city's sponsors and institutions."
Following two successful seasons, the A-1 series volleyball team, MRoma is no more.
"this is a city that lives on words, not facts."
Or as the famous song by Mina in the 1960s says, "parole, parole, parole"
Or, perhaps better, "politics, politics, politics" (Roman style)
Or the question has something to do with communication style -- the obvious answer, "no", was never stated, just intended by a series of non-answers and non-actions, while the pond dried up drop by drop. The words said "yes" through a thousand promises while the "context" in which they were repeated, shouted, "no".
I have an embarassing story to recount from many years ago when I kept calling an office where I had applied for a job, only to hear the secretary kindly and enthusiastically tell me to call back because: a) he was out of the office at the monment, b) was on the phone, c) was busy etc... and I dutifully kept calling at exactly the time she had suggested. Finally the poor woman, in extremis, had to outright explain to me that HE DID NOT WANT TO TALK TO ME. How could I not have understood this (in retrospect obvious) situation. She had TOLD me (and with such emphasis) to call back, so I had.
Lessons learned. Now I listen between the lines and concentrate on the context.
a domani,
E
March 8, 2008
Tell it like it is
I had a cross-cultural moment yesterday. Actually a reverse one. An American woman I had recently met at an event called specifically to inform me that I had done something the other day she didn't appreciate. She was very American about the whole thing by reflecting for 48 hours before calling, speaking very calmly and without a trace of emotion while being studiously assertive and precise about what she needed to express and finally telling me that she had called me for my own good so that I would be more aware in the future. I am sure that she felt good when she got off the phone -- she had gotten something off her chest in an appropriate, unemotional, rational way.
The problem is, I felt bad! I had been hastily judged by someone who doesn't know me or anything about me on the basis of her perspective and I wasn't put in a position to be able to think it through for 48 hours and respond appropriately!
Gotta love the Italian obsession with la Bella Figura, which goes hand in hand with other cultures' need to "give face". All that American individualism can foster an excessive need to express yourself in a very direct, clear and assertive way with little consideration of the person on the other side. Other cultures allow for getting the point across through context, while gracefully allowing for giving and receiving "face".
Italians will certainly tell you like it is, in your face, even in a very animated and very emotional way, at exactly the moment that it happens. You respond, they respond....and then it is over, poof, and you can go get an espresso together. Otherwise they will do whatever it takes to enhance your role in making the world a beautiful and elegant place, worthy of their effort at upholding belief in the Bella Figura.
I'll go lick my wounds and be back...
a domani,
E
The problem is, I felt bad! I had been hastily judged by someone who doesn't know me or anything about me on the basis of her perspective and I wasn't put in a position to be able to think it through for 48 hours and respond appropriately!
Gotta love the Italian obsession with la Bella Figura, which goes hand in hand with other cultures' need to "give face". All that American individualism can foster an excessive need to express yourself in a very direct, clear and assertive way with little consideration of the person on the other side. Other cultures allow for getting the point across through context, while gracefully allowing for giving and receiving "face".
Italians will certainly tell you like it is, in your face, even in a very animated and very emotional way, at exactly the moment that it happens. You respond, they respond....and then it is over, poof, and you can go get an espresso together. Otherwise they will do whatever it takes to enhance your role in making the world a beautiful and elegant place, worthy of their effort at upholding belief in the Bella Figura.
I'll go lick my wounds and be back...
a domani,
E
February 16, 2008
How does he do that thing he does?
This afternoon I started Barack Obama's autobiography, Dreams from My Father. By page 67 and the age of 10, he had already been around the world and back, picking up many lessons and a bit of CQ to add to his IQ that speak to his success today.
On his mother's side, he had a pair of middle-class high school educated grandparents from Kansas who migrated to Hawaii via Texas and California. On his father's side, a tribe elder, respected farmer and medicine man from Kenya. His father and mother met in Hawaii, where his father had had come to study on a scholarship, married and had Barack jr. before he received another opportunity at Harvard, divorced and returned to Kenya, took up another wife and had six more children.
His mother re-married an Indonesian student in Hawaii and followed him back to his country with Barack when he was six years old, where they lived as a family until he returned to Hawaii and his grandparents for middle school.
Those CQ enhancing years years immersed in Indonesian (not expat) life left their mark as his mother wrestled with the fine line between adaptation and defining your home-country's cultural values -- she strongly wanted Barack to grow up with an American mindset and sensed the forces of Indonesian cultural values on his young mind.
As he recounts, she would list the values he was to learn:
Honesty (that hiding the refrigerator when the tax officials come is not ok even if the tax officials and everyone else expects you to do just that),
Fairness (good grades in exchange for a TV set to the teacher during Ramadan should not be a source of pride),
Straight Talk (don't lie about liking a gift if then you don't use it) and Independent Judgement (don't join the crowd and tease another kid for a funny haircut).
As she fought to transfer Kansas ways to her son, the reality of poverty, corruption and fear of security that lay all around young Barack, bred a realistic, fatalistic scepticism to counteract her efforts. She had that undying American belief that "rational, thoughtful people could shape their own destiny" that was not reflected in daily Indonesian life. She enlisted the image of his African father, the Black American heros of the day and the civil rights movement to strenthen her case that his roots and values lay elsewhere.
In this article on, "How Obama Does That Thing He Does", University of Oregon professor of rhetoric David A. Frank unravels the mystery of Obama's spellbinding oration that leaves listeners unsure of what he said, but convinced by what he means. "Obama relies, Frank writes, on a "rhetorical strategy of consilience, where understanding results through translation, mediation, and an embrace of different languages, values, and traditions."
"Obama disarms race for white people by largely avoiding the topic. When he does talk about race, he makes sure to juxtapose the traumas experienced by nonblacks with those experienced by African-Americans, but without ever equating the two. His rhetoric is designed to bridge the space between whites and blacks so they can occupy a place where common principles reside and the "transcendent value of justice," as Frank writes, can be shared.
A little CQ can go a long way!
a domani,
E
On his mother's side, he had a pair of middle-class high school educated grandparents from Kansas who migrated to Hawaii via Texas and California. On his father's side, a tribe elder, respected farmer and medicine man from Kenya. His father and mother met in Hawaii, where his father had had come to study on a scholarship, married and had Barack jr. before he received another opportunity at Harvard, divorced and returned to Kenya, took up another wife and had six more children.
His mother re-married an Indonesian student in Hawaii and followed him back to his country with Barack when he was six years old, where they lived as a family until he returned to Hawaii and his grandparents for middle school.
Those CQ enhancing years years immersed in Indonesian (not expat) life left their mark as his mother wrestled with the fine line between adaptation and defining your home-country's cultural values -- she strongly wanted Barack to grow up with an American mindset and sensed the forces of Indonesian cultural values on his young mind.
As he recounts, she would list the values he was to learn:
Honesty (that hiding the refrigerator when the tax officials come is not ok even if the tax officials and everyone else expects you to do just that),
Fairness (good grades in exchange for a TV set to the teacher during Ramadan should not be a source of pride),
Straight Talk (don't lie about liking a gift if then you don't use it) and Independent Judgement (don't join the crowd and tease another kid for a funny haircut).
As she fought to transfer Kansas ways to her son, the reality of poverty, corruption and fear of security that lay all around young Barack, bred a realistic, fatalistic scepticism to counteract her efforts. She had that undying American belief that "rational, thoughtful people could shape their own destiny" that was not reflected in daily Indonesian life. She enlisted the image of his African father, the Black American heros of the day and the civil rights movement to strenthen her case that his roots and values lay elsewhere.
In this article on, "How Obama Does That Thing He Does", University of Oregon professor of rhetoric David A. Frank unravels the mystery of Obama's spellbinding oration that leaves listeners unsure of what he said, but convinced by what he means. "Obama relies, Frank writes, on a "rhetorical strategy of consilience, where understanding results through translation, mediation, and an embrace of different languages, values, and traditions."
"Obama disarms race for white people by largely avoiding the topic. When he does talk about race, he makes sure to juxtapose the traumas experienced by nonblacks with those experienced by African-Americans, but without ever equating the two. His rhetoric is designed to bridge the space between whites and blacks so they can occupy a place where common principles reside and the "transcendent value of justice," as Frank writes, can be shared.
A little CQ can go a long way!
a domani,
E
January 10, 2008
Reacting Italian style
I am going to be juggling two blogs for the year.
You can find the other blog on my "profile" listed as "Coaching Across Cultures". Yes, I have begun a course to become a fully certified professional coach, and I plan to integrate these skills to train, consult and coach thoughtful and curious people living, working and studying abroad.
The requirements include an online journal and I thought I would talk about my niche of coaching across cultures and comment on the classes and what I learn from this perspective.
I "sat" in on a teleclass yesterday on "reacting/responding" and since my cross-cultural observations may be of interest to my readers, I will leave you with this post for today. click here.
a domani,
E
You can find the other blog on my "profile" listed as "Coaching Across Cultures". Yes, I have begun a course to become a fully certified professional coach, and I plan to integrate these skills to train, consult and coach thoughtful and curious people living, working and studying abroad.
The requirements include an online journal and I thought I would talk about my niche of coaching across cultures and comment on the classes and what I learn from this perspective.
I "sat" in on a teleclass yesterday on "reacting/responding" and since my cross-cultural observations may be of interest to my readers, I will leave you with this post for today. click here.
a domani,
E
January 7, 2008
Your words or mine?
I had a wander on the "expats in Italy" website forum (under culture shock) and found this thread:
I work in IT, and spend my days getting to grip with abstract concepts - real brain stretching stuff.
My Italian is good enough that language is rarely a problem, but what I have noticed is that it's much easier to understand a new concept when someone American, British etc. explains it to me.
Is it merely a difference in the way we think, or are Italians bad at explaining things?
The discussion was lively and interesting.
Language is not just a string of words, there is a cultural director orchestrating their ensemble. People living in English-speaking cultures are generally direct in the way they communicate, and it shows in the language itself -- anyone who has ever translated will confirm. English-speaking cultures have low-context communication styles -- you get what you hear, no interpreting the pauses and guessing at the what was left unsaid. The Italians instead, love the show and emphasize the musical component. The overall emotional message takes the stage -- the detail of the words is left to the orchestra pit.
I attended a Professional Women's Association meeting a few months back to hear a speaker from Johnson & Johnson on global virtual teams. Among the women, there were three Italian men who sat in the third row, very poshly dressed, chatting among themselves until the German woman in front of me turned and loudly gave them a "SHHHHH". Anyway, I spoke with Mauro at the post-speaker aperativo and he gave me his card, "dirigente" it said, for the Centro di Formazione Studi. I looked at the Italian site and then clicked on the EU international site. You must do the same, because someone was doing his/her homework and translated not only the words, but the presentation format. Gotta love those bullet points and action verbs!
Italian version of "chi siamo"
English version, "about us".
Tell me what you think.
a domani,
E
I work in IT, and spend my days getting to grip with abstract concepts - real brain stretching stuff.
My Italian is good enough that language is rarely a problem, but what I have noticed is that it's much easier to understand a new concept when someone American, British etc. explains it to me.
Is it merely a difference in the way we think, or are Italians bad at explaining things?
The discussion was lively and interesting.
Language is not just a string of words, there is a cultural director orchestrating their ensemble. People living in English-speaking cultures are generally direct in the way they communicate, and it shows in the language itself -- anyone who has ever translated will confirm. English-speaking cultures have low-context communication styles -- you get what you hear, no interpreting the pauses and guessing at the what was left unsaid. The Italians instead, love the show and emphasize the musical component. The overall emotional message takes the stage -- the detail of the words is left to the orchestra pit.
I attended a Professional Women's Association meeting a few months back to hear a speaker from Johnson & Johnson on global virtual teams. Among the women, there were three Italian men who sat in the third row, very poshly dressed, chatting among themselves until the German woman in front of me turned and loudly gave them a "SHHHHH". Anyway, I spoke with Mauro at the post-speaker aperativo and he gave me his card, "dirigente" it said, for the Centro di Formazione Studi. I looked at the Italian site and then clicked on the EU international site. You must do the same, because someone was doing his/her homework and translated not only the words, but the presentation format. Gotta love those bullet points and action verbs!
Italian version of "chi siamo"
English version, "about us".
Tell me what you think.
a domani,
E
December 3, 2007
"livor mortis"
Mystery writer, Pat Cornwell, visited Rome last year while doing research for her recent novel that is being released in Italian this month as, "Il libro dei morti". While the Romans like seeing their city in print, or on film, they get a bit tired of the glossy, Americanized view that is shown over and over again, depicting only the places wealthy Americans visit: Piazza di Spagna, Trinità dei Monti, the Hotel Hassler and a cappuccino at a bar in Piazza Navona. This book is no different.
It seems that Ms. Cornwell had been very thorough in her interviews and research, asking detailed questions about who would be responsible for the case of a murdered girl found in a tub full of ice. How old would he or she be, what grade or level, what kind of characteristics and character. Despite what seemed at the time an open mind to accepting that there would be differences in mentality, local resources and law systems given that Italy is not the US, she still managed to offend by sticking to the old Italian stereotypes by setting Captain Poma up as a vain and argumentative latin lover who even flashes a red lined cape at one point -- something a carabinieri would never do outside of official occasions.
What really got this Italian book reviewer's goat was that the main character Kay Scarpetta, feels it necessary to explain to her Italian colleague, Captain Poma, that the expression "livor mortis" is Latin and not English!
Offending an Italian at his most intimate cultural roots.
a domani,
E
It seems that Ms. Cornwell had been very thorough in her interviews and research, asking detailed questions about who would be responsible for the case of a murdered girl found in a tub full of ice. How old would he or she be, what grade or level, what kind of characteristics and character. Despite what seemed at the time an open mind to accepting that there would be differences in mentality, local resources and law systems given that Italy is not the US, she still managed to offend by sticking to the old Italian stereotypes by setting Captain Poma up as a vain and argumentative latin lover who even flashes a red lined cape at one point -- something a carabinieri would never do outside of official occasions.
What really got this Italian book reviewer's goat was that the main character Kay Scarpetta, feels it necessary to explain to her Italian colleague, Captain Poma, that the expression "livor mortis" is Latin and not English!
Offending an Italian at his most intimate cultural roots.
a domani,
E
October 25, 2007
Paternalistic medicine
What happens when an Italian doctor becomes a patient? It happened to Gynecologist Carlo Flamigni in Bologna last year and now he knows both sides of the Italian health system. In an interview, he talks about the experience.
He passed from reanimation to long months of rehabilitation while knowing the mechanisms of the medical profession, the jargon and the tricks of the trade. He could see through the facade and, from a patient's point of view, he didn't like what he recognized. In particular, he found the very Italian tendency of not telling the patient the whole truth about his or her condition to be very annoying. He only found out that he had no sensibility in half of his body when he asked the nurses why they hadn't washed his left side -- but they had. He calls it the "Paternal model of assistance." He also noticed how doctors get easily bothered by patients' questions and brush them off with, "guardi che il medico sono io." (look, I am the doctor). What he wanted most was compassion and instead he found doctors that glanced at their watches while visiting his bedside.
It all sounds pretty familiar, except for the paternalism. We like "straight talking", directness, no "beating around the bush", to "tell it like it is". We do not believe that mentioning the possibility of bad things happening will attract the evil eye's attention and actually make them happen (like d..th, disa...l.ty, ca.c.r and t.m.r, those things that Italians never name directly and always speak of in a whisper). We "can take it." We are pragmatic. We make wills and take out life insurance.
Fifteen years ago, while spending nearly three weeks with my then three year old under observation in the pediatric neurosurgery unit of a large public hospital, the head neurosurgeon waltzed in one day with an entourage of foreign doctors at his heels to whom he spoke English. When he got to our bedside, he flipped out my son's various exams and proceeded to "tell it like it was" -- which, of course, I had not heard in quite such clear and direct terms. It never crossed his mind that I might understand English, but before I had absorbed what he had said and could manage a question, he had turned on his heels and left.
a domani,
E
p.s. no fear, it all worked out in the end.
p.p.s and with no hospital bill. Only about 10,000 lire (5 euros) for a copy of the "cartella clinica".
He passed from reanimation to long months of rehabilitation while knowing the mechanisms of the medical profession, the jargon and the tricks of the trade. He could see through the facade and, from a patient's point of view, he didn't like what he recognized. In particular, he found the very Italian tendency of not telling the patient the whole truth about his or her condition to be very annoying. He only found out that he had no sensibility in half of his body when he asked the nurses why they hadn't washed his left side -- but they had. He calls it the "Paternal model of assistance." He also noticed how doctors get easily bothered by patients' questions and brush them off with, "guardi che il medico sono io." (look, I am the doctor). What he wanted most was compassion and instead he found doctors that glanced at their watches while visiting his bedside.
It all sounds pretty familiar, except for the paternalism. We like "straight talking", directness, no "beating around the bush", to "tell it like it is". We do not believe that mentioning the possibility of bad things happening will attract the evil eye's attention and actually make them happen (like d..th, disa...l.ty, ca.c.r and t.m.r, those things that Italians never name directly and always speak of in a whisper). We "can take it." We are pragmatic. We make wills and take out life insurance.
Fifteen years ago, while spending nearly three weeks with my then three year old under observation in the pediatric neurosurgery unit of a large public hospital, the head neurosurgeon waltzed in one day with an entourage of foreign doctors at his heels to whom he spoke English. When he got to our bedside, he flipped out my son's various exams and proceeded to "tell it like it was" -- which, of course, I had not heard in quite such clear and direct terms. It never crossed his mind that I might understand English, but before I had absorbed what he had said and could manage a question, he had turned on his heels and left.
a domani,
E
p.s. no fear, it all worked out in the end.
p.p.s and with no hospital bill. Only about 10,000 lire (5 euros) for a copy of the "cartella clinica".
October 8, 2007
Context and meaning
I received an email from a man who edits this website on the Basilica of Saint Peters. He had wandered into my blog and took the time to send me a personal note. I was curious and clicked on his website where I found an interview with Elizabeth Lev, an art historian and expert Vatican guide.
She first arrived in Rome after finishing her undergraduate degree to study at the University of Bologna and learn "how Italians taught art." In her US education, she had been taught a "very formal vision of art" while in Italy she found that it was "all about the context and meaning of art, and most importantly the placement of a piece of art."
Context. There it is again. Americans have a direct communication style, so clear and direct that we can even understand art by reading books and looking at slides. Italians need context in order to achieve meaning. Both words and works of art must be interpreted in and by their context, which gives the nuance of meaning.
So Elizabeth came to Italy to stand in front the Caravaggio paintings in the Contarelli Chapel in St. Luigi dei Franchesi where she came to understand, "How the paintings worked around the altar." With this knowledge, she walked over the St. Peter's and looked at the Pieta, which was originally designed to be around an altar, and "a whole new world of meaning in art opened up for me." She couldn't go back to slides and books.
As she delved deeper into sacred art, she came to understand another level of context and, "how much the sacred and liturgical aspect affects a work art." At this point, she understood that she, "had to throw out 60 percent of what I had been taught in college, and do it all over again." She was looking at things through a very different lenses. The lenses of context.
A domani,
E
She first arrived in Rome after finishing her undergraduate degree to study at the University of Bologna and learn "how Italians taught art." In her US education, she had been taught a "very formal vision of art" while in Italy she found that it was "all about the context and meaning of art, and most importantly the placement of a piece of art."
Context. There it is again. Americans have a direct communication style, so clear and direct that we can even understand art by reading books and looking at slides. Italians need context in order to achieve meaning. Both words and works of art must be interpreted in and by their context, which gives the nuance of meaning.
So Elizabeth came to Italy to stand in front the Caravaggio paintings in the Contarelli Chapel in St. Luigi dei Franchesi where she came to understand, "How the paintings worked around the altar." With this knowledge, she walked over the St. Peter's and looked at the Pieta, which was originally designed to be around an altar, and "a whole new world of meaning in art opened up for me." She couldn't go back to slides and books.
As she delved deeper into sacred art, she came to understand another level of context and, "how much the sacred and liturgical aspect affects a work art." At this point, she understood that she, "had to throw out 60 percent of what I had been taught in college, and do it all over again." She was looking at things through a very different lenses. The lenses of context.
A domani,
E
September 27, 2007
Anti-politics
Everyone is talking about the big A, "L'Antipolitica". It started with Beppe Grillo's "vaffa" day and doesn't seem to go away.
Today, Ezio Mauro, the Director of la Repubblica newspaper wrote an editorial entitled, "Anti-politics, for Whom the Bell Tolls", which is a bit rhetorical as it goes on about the "decadence of the country...and the loss of cultural identity" before exploring how this has led Italians away from change and towards rebellion, as if,"Changing Italy was an impossible task, or worse, a useless one." He cites the static quality of the political class as leading Italy into, "An atelier of the West, or a home for its elderly." The Antipolitica is just "an outward sign of a diminishing public and national spirit, a lost sense of citizenship, identity, cultural reference point."
Not an uplifting editorial and really not a very thoughtful one either. I think I have already heard all this. Blablabla.
Instead, a few days ago, I read another editorial -- train rides are condusive to this kind of activity -- one by Sandro Viola, called "What Feeds Anti-politics." This was more interesting. He first acknowledged that while there has been lots of talk, no one wants to dig deeper to the roots of the problem. He instead addresses the role of the media in the Italian people's growing sense of nausea at all that smells of politics. At the top of the list are the TV news programs, so full of comprimises, starting with the practice of "the sandwich" (they actually call it "sandwich" as the practice has Anglo-saxon roots). First politicians from the governing party speak (or have their declarations read) for a pre-set number of minutes, followed by those from the opposition, finishing up with a summary by the governing party's spokesperson. The end result, Sandro Viola calls, "fried air, an avalanche of words." So we see the same faces, every evening, year in and out, that do nothing but repeat the same empty phrases. "The Italians need air," he concludes, "they can't breathe anymore. They don't want to see or hear these people anymore."
The newspapers are not much better as they put out an average of seven or eight pages dedicated to internal "news", of which only one or two pages are of any pertinence or interest to the public. The rest is a repeat of the TV news programs -- detailed analysis of every empty phase pronounced the night before, long declarations, interviews that go on and on. In other words, a dialogue between journalists and politicians with no distinction between what is relevant and what is not. The Italian people are exasperated by this deluge of nothing and have developed an allergy to all that tastes of politics.
The Italian people, he concludes, are no longer divided between "us" and "them" (as in left and right political leanings) as had been the case for over a hundred years. Now, previous enemies march together in disgust of what they see on both sides, while chanting Bebbe Grillo's slogans, abandoned not only by the political system, but also by the media.
Anyone want to rally Italians to a nation-wide TV strike? Maybe for a week or even a month. Where is Beppe when we need him? I know you don't get to hang out in the piazza with your friends or throw a walking street party as you do with a normal style strike and demonstration, but you would get to read a few good book. I read Suite Francese by Irène Némirovsky for the September meeting of my book club and I am halfway through Terrorist by John Updike for the October meeting -- both qualify as a good read. Why not just turn off the traitor and tool of political jibberish and cuddle up with a book.
a domani,
E
Today, Ezio Mauro, the Director of la Repubblica newspaper wrote an editorial entitled, "Anti-politics, for Whom the Bell Tolls", which is a bit rhetorical as it goes on about the "decadence of the country...and the loss of cultural identity" before exploring how this has led Italians away from change and towards rebellion, as if,"Changing Italy was an impossible task, or worse, a useless one." He cites the static quality of the political class as leading Italy into, "An atelier of the West, or a home for its elderly." The Antipolitica is just "an outward sign of a diminishing public and national spirit, a lost sense of citizenship, identity, cultural reference point."
Not an uplifting editorial and really not a very thoughtful one either. I think I have already heard all this. Blablabla.
Instead, a few days ago, I read another editorial -- train rides are condusive to this kind of activity -- one by Sandro Viola, called "What Feeds Anti-politics." This was more interesting. He first acknowledged that while there has been lots of talk, no one wants to dig deeper to the roots of the problem. He instead addresses the role of the media in the Italian people's growing sense of nausea at all that smells of politics. At the top of the list are the TV news programs, so full of comprimises, starting with the practice of "the sandwich" (they actually call it "sandwich" as the practice has Anglo-saxon roots). First politicians from the governing party speak (or have their declarations read) for a pre-set number of minutes, followed by those from the opposition, finishing up with a summary by the governing party's spokesperson. The end result, Sandro Viola calls, "fried air, an avalanche of words." So we see the same faces, every evening, year in and out, that do nothing but repeat the same empty phrases. "The Italians need air," he concludes, "they can't breathe anymore. They don't want to see or hear these people anymore."
The newspapers are not much better as they put out an average of seven or eight pages dedicated to internal "news", of which only one or two pages are of any pertinence or interest to the public. The rest is a repeat of the TV news programs -- detailed analysis of every empty phase pronounced the night before, long declarations, interviews that go on and on. In other words, a dialogue between journalists and politicians with no distinction between what is relevant and what is not. The Italian people are exasperated by this deluge of nothing and have developed an allergy to all that tastes of politics.
The Italian people, he concludes, are no longer divided between "us" and "them" (as in left and right political leanings) as had been the case for over a hundred years. Now, previous enemies march together in disgust of what they see on both sides, while chanting Bebbe Grillo's slogans, abandoned not only by the political system, but also by the media.
Anyone want to rally Italians to a nation-wide TV strike? Maybe for a week or even a month. Where is Beppe when we need him? I know you don't get to hang out in the piazza with your friends or throw a walking street party as you do with a normal style strike and demonstration, but you would get to read a few good book. I read Suite Francese by Irène Némirovsky for the September meeting of my book club and I am halfway through Terrorist by John Updike for the October meeting -- both qualify as a good read. Why not just turn off the traitor and tool of political jibberish and cuddle up with a book.
a domani,
E
August 27, 2007
driving lessons
With his driving permit in hand my son has been driving me to and from volleyball practice near the via Flaminia. Until today, there were so few cars on the road that it was a reasonable ride.
But now they are back, Roman drivers, driving on the same Roman streets that have turned overnight into chaos. I try to encourage my son to stay within one of the three lanes while cars weave back and forth, "what lanes?", he asks and in fact, they are not marked on the road. Then I tell him not to even consider overtaking the bus in front of us on the via del Gianicolo that winds its way up the Gianicolo hill curve after curve. As I speak, a red Panda overtakes us just before a curve and sneaks in behind the bus into what was his safety distance. "Like that", I add.
As I have noted before here, it is about a different sense of personal space, in-groups to which you, as a mere stranger, never belong and a ever changing personalized interpretation of rules.
Today it all rubs me the wrong way. I've been away. Or maybe it is the heat.
1. A bus slowly wanders into the intersection past a red light while its driver chats on his cell phone. Will it stop and do I dare pass? I flash. He looks at me, surprised, "what do you want from me?"
2. Guy behind me in a big fat car on a quiet side street in Monte Verde Vecchio hugging the back of my car and flashing his lights. I roll down the window and indicate "slow down" and another "che fai" signal. 50km is more than enough in this neighborhood. He gave me the finger as I turned off at the next intersection and raced off.
3. One line, five people stand and wait. New window suddenly opens. Woman rushes in the front door and runs to the window. "Excuse me", I intervene, "We have all been waiting." She looks astonished. What could I possibly be talking about. "But a new window has opened," she states as she turns to do her operation. No one says anything, like "hey lady, get to the back of the line," instead they look down, embarrassed for me.
4. Two young girls (maybe 17) walking their dog. They stop. He has to poop. That done, they wander off enveloped in chatter. Since the tree where he stopped is just by my door, I pull over, roll down the window and ask, "and you just walk off, like that?" One girl stops, "excuse me?" I continue, "Your dog finishes and then you just walk off?" She looks confused, has no idea what I am talking about. So, I got specific, "the dog pooped and you just left it there and walked off." A glitter of awareness began to shine, "oh, that, but it was on the dirt." So, while the rule is, "pick up your dog's poo," her personal interpretation is that this rule does not apply if the poop lands in the small circle of dirt cut into the sidewalk to make room for the tree's roots. Good to know should I ever have a dog.
Yep. I'm back. In the extreme heat, with no extreme air conditioning and no public pool in sight. The hotel nearby wanted 40 euros a person yesterday to partake of their waters. Significantly more than our day at Universal Studios!
a domani,
E
But now they are back, Roman drivers, driving on the same Roman streets that have turned overnight into chaos. I try to encourage my son to stay within one of the three lanes while cars weave back and forth, "what lanes?", he asks and in fact, they are not marked on the road. Then I tell him not to even consider overtaking the bus in front of us on the via del Gianicolo that winds its way up the Gianicolo hill curve after curve. As I speak, a red Panda overtakes us just before a curve and sneaks in behind the bus into what was his safety distance. "Like that", I add.
As I have noted before here, it is about a different sense of personal space, in-groups to which you, as a mere stranger, never belong and a ever changing personalized interpretation of rules.
Today it all rubs me the wrong way. I've been away. Or maybe it is the heat.
1. A bus slowly wanders into the intersection past a red light while its driver chats on his cell phone. Will it stop and do I dare pass? I flash. He looks at me, surprised, "what do you want from me?"
2. Guy behind me in a big fat car on a quiet side street in Monte Verde Vecchio hugging the back of my car and flashing his lights. I roll down the window and indicate "slow down" and another "che fai" signal. 50km is more than enough in this neighborhood. He gave me the finger as I turned off at the next intersection and raced off.
3. One line, five people stand and wait. New window suddenly opens. Woman rushes in the front door and runs to the window. "Excuse me", I intervene, "We have all been waiting." She looks astonished. What could I possibly be talking about. "But a new window has opened," she states as she turns to do her operation. No one says anything, like "hey lady, get to the back of the line," instead they look down, embarrassed for me.
4. Two young girls (maybe 17) walking their dog. They stop. He has to poop. That done, they wander off enveloped in chatter. Since the tree where he stopped is just by my door, I pull over, roll down the window and ask, "and you just walk off, like that?" One girl stops, "excuse me?" I continue, "Your dog finishes and then you just walk off?" She looks confused, has no idea what I am talking about. So, I got specific, "the dog pooped and you just left it there and walked off." A glitter of awareness began to shine, "oh, that, but it was on the dirt." So, while the rule is, "pick up your dog's poo," her personal interpretation is that this rule does not apply if the poop lands in the small circle of dirt cut into the sidewalk to make room for the tree's roots. Good to know should I ever have a dog.
Yep. I'm back. In the extreme heat, with no extreme air conditioning and no public pool in sight. The hotel nearby wanted 40 euros a person yesterday to partake of their waters. Significantly more than our day at Universal Studios!
a domani,
E
July 12, 2007
Words with no pause
I found it! A prize piece of verbose and obtuse prose. Right in the bathtub!
Exhausted and covered in dust (from cleaning out boxes of old stuff and lugging most of it to the trash down four flights), I fell into the tub with a brochure called "Il Senso dei Luoghi" that presents the 2007 regional summer festivals prepared by the Regione Lazio Assessorato Cultura Spettacolo e Sport . The opening page stopped me cold -- one paragraph filled the entire page. I couldn't continue after the first sentence, so I did a word count instead, just under 500 words in one never-ending paragraph. Wow. I am sure it is full of jewels of wisdom, but I just can't read it. It's an American thing, we need paragraphs -- we have short attention spans and organizational/spatial needs.
My son doesn't. When he moved to the Italian school system four years ago, he showed me one of his first "temi" or essays. Before even reading the text, I said, "First, I would break it up into paragraphs." He replied that this was the way he was supposed to write in Italian and that the teacher wouldn't say anything about paragraphs (like his international school teachers would have done). In fact, it came back with a good grade and no mention of the missing breaks that I had been taught should occasionally interrupt the page.
Drives me crazy.
I zoomed on the center of the page and read, "L'obiettivo (the objective or goal, that's a good start) è andare ben oltre la mera valorizzazione: stiamo inaugurando nuove modalità di fruizione, affinché i cittadini possano riappropriarsi di luoghi caratterizzanti per l'identità storica e culturale della regione." I got lost, what was the goal? "To go beyond mere enhancement (of what?): we are unveiling/inaugurating new ways to use/enjoy (what?) so that citizens can regain for themselves places that characterize the historical and culture of the region." Hmmmm. Whatever. In any case, the program itself looks great!
a domani,
E
Exhausted and covered in dust (from cleaning out boxes of old stuff and lugging most of it to the trash down four flights), I fell into the tub with a brochure called "Il Senso dei Luoghi" that presents the 2007 regional summer festivals prepared by the Regione Lazio Assessorato Cultura Spettacolo e Sport . The opening page stopped me cold -- one paragraph filled the entire page. I couldn't continue after the first sentence, so I did a word count instead, just under 500 words in one never-ending paragraph. Wow. I am sure it is full of jewels of wisdom, but I just can't read it. It's an American thing, we need paragraphs -- we have short attention spans and organizational/spatial needs.
My son doesn't. When he moved to the Italian school system four years ago, he showed me one of his first "temi" or essays. Before even reading the text, I said, "First, I would break it up into paragraphs." He replied that this was the way he was supposed to write in Italian and that the teacher wouldn't say anything about paragraphs (like his international school teachers would have done). In fact, it came back with a good grade and no mention of the missing breaks that I had been taught should occasionally interrupt the page.
Drives me crazy.
I zoomed on the center of the page and read, "L'obiettivo (the objective or goal, that's a good start) è andare ben oltre la mera valorizzazione: stiamo inaugurando nuove modalità di fruizione, affinché i cittadini possano riappropriarsi di luoghi caratterizzanti per l'identità storica e culturale della regione." I got lost, what was the goal? "To go beyond mere enhancement (of what?): we are unveiling/inaugurating new ways to use/enjoy (what?) so that citizens can regain for themselves places that characterize the historical and culture of the region." Hmmmm. Whatever. In any case, the program itself looks great!
a domani,
E
July 10, 2007
Happy meandering
A couple of questions from this not-particularly-technically-minded-blogger.
With over 100 posts to my name, I am wondering,
Is there a way to make a blog backup?
and,
How would I go about copywriting the whole thing?
I would also love to hear your personal number one tactic for attracting readers.
Thanks to all!
This morning I googled "blog italy cultural differences" and found a few interesting posts to share:
one from a Finnish girl on Italian physical distancing.
another from a site on leader-values with a description of differences in European cultures according to Geert Hofstede's cross-cultural studies from the late 1960s.
and one last from a software geek about cultural differences in projects in which he quotes the following from a book called Agile Software Development by Alisatir Cockburn to illustrate a point:
"My early experience was with a consulting company in England, where the manager had set the project up single-handedly, developing the scope, objectives, strategy, plan, etc., and then get a team together and present the project to the team.
I tried to do this as a project manager in Italy. At the team briefing the message I got was: "That is your plan; you work to it. If you want us to work together, we plan together." Powerful message.
Then I went to Australia, where the prevailing corporate culture is that the managers make all the mistakesand everybody else just does as they are told.
I set up my first project the Italian way. I called the team together in a room with clean whiteboards, described the scope and objectives, and said, "Now let's work out together how we are going to do this." The response was: "You are the manager. You work it out, and we'll just do whatever you say."
This example made me think back to my experience at a heated school meeting. Everyone had a chance to say their own, although no conclusions were reached -- decisions were made in another context, behind closed doors.
Happy meandering.
A domani,
E
With over 100 posts to my name, I am wondering,
Is there a way to make a blog backup?
and,
How would I go about copywriting the whole thing?
I would also love to hear your personal number one tactic for attracting readers.
Thanks to all!
This morning I googled "blog italy cultural differences" and found a few interesting posts to share:
one from a Finnish girl on Italian physical distancing.
another from a site on leader-values with a description of differences in European cultures according to Geert Hofstede's cross-cultural studies from the late 1960s.
and one last from a software geek about cultural differences in projects in which he quotes the following from a book called Agile Software Development by Alisatir Cockburn to illustrate a point:
"My early experience was with a consulting company in England, where the manager had set the project up single-handedly, developing the scope, objectives, strategy, plan, etc., and then get a team together and present the project to the team.
I tried to do this as a project manager in Italy. At the team briefing the message I got was: "That is your plan; you work to it. If you want us to work together, we plan together." Powerful message.
Then I went to Australia, where the prevailing corporate culture is that the managers make all the mistakesand everybody else just does as they are told.
I set up my first project the Italian way. I called the team together in a room with clean whiteboards, described the scope and objectives, and said, "Now let's work out together how we are going to do this." The response was: "You are the manager. You work it out, and we'll just do whatever you say."
This example made me think back to my experience at a heated school meeting. Everyone had a chance to say their own, although no conclusions were reached -- decisions were made in another context, behind closed doors.
Happy meandering.
A domani,
E
July 4, 2007
Rogito ergo sum
I met with Alex yesterday for my Italian lesson. Not having done any homework.....I brought along my "Cross-Cultural Tools" workshop presentation to translate into Italian.
We started with the word, "tools", hmmmm, could be strumenti or abilità or capacità . We decided on strumenti because I try to get across the idea that cross-cultural concepts can actually be used, like hammers and saws, to build understanding and cross-cultural competence.
We decided to use cononscenza reciproca for "understanding" and threw in sviluppare le vostre capacità di dialogare con altre culture. Nice.
And so on. I am going to write it up for our next session.
Last time we talked about how Italians consider their language. He called it, "il culto del bello", that phrases have to sound nicely. He said that I have to concentrate on the "musicality" of the language when writing, not just the sense of the phrase, but its sensual impact. "Musicalità dà efficacia".
Then we got into a discussion on rules. "English", he said, is free yet not anarchic at all, while Italian is full of rules yet anarchic in practice." Seems to me that language both reflects and nourishes Italian social and political life! I read somewhere that Italy has more laws on the books than any other industrialized nation, not to much effect.
"In addition," he continued, "it is important to add "salt" to a text, use precise terms and when possible throw in a few Latinisms (to show your social and educational status). We would call this "putting on airs".
I found an example in yesterday's La Repubblica newspaper in a letter from the public on "l'abolizione dell'Ici e un libro di Tolstoj" or the abolition of property taxes and a book by Tolstoy. It was a nice letter saying that we should all learn a lesson from Ivan Ilic and worry more over our souls than the "ici" tax. In the middle of the text, I found, "siamo il popolo dell'immaginazione al podere, del rogito ergo sum e spendiamo i fine settimana al centro commerciale." There it is, a Latinism -- love it!
a domani,
E
We started with the word, "tools", hmmmm, could be strumenti or abilità or capacità . We decided on strumenti because I try to get across the idea that cross-cultural concepts can actually be used, like hammers and saws, to build understanding and cross-cultural competence.
We decided to use cononscenza reciproca for "understanding" and threw in sviluppare le vostre capacità di dialogare con altre culture. Nice.
And so on. I am going to write it up for our next session.
Last time we talked about how Italians consider their language. He called it, "il culto del bello", that phrases have to sound nicely. He said that I have to concentrate on the "musicality" of the language when writing, not just the sense of the phrase, but its sensual impact. "Musicalità dà efficacia".
Then we got into a discussion on rules. "English", he said, is free yet not anarchic at all, while Italian is full of rules yet anarchic in practice." Seems to me that language both reflects and nourishes Italian social and political life! I read somewhere that Italy has more laws on the books than any other industrialized nation, not to much effect.
"In addition," he continued, "it is important to add "salt" to a text, use precise terms and when possible throw in a few Latinisms (to show your social and educational status). We would call this "putting on airs".
I found an example in yesterday's La Repubblica newspaper in a letter from the public on "l'abolizione dell'Ici e un libro di Tolstoj" or the abolition of property taxes and a book by Tolstoy. It was a nice letter saying that we should all learn a lesson from Ivan Ilic and worry more over our souls than the "ici" tax. In the middle of the text, I found, "siamo il popolo dell'immaginazione al podere, del rogito ergo sum e spendiamo i fine settimana al centro commerciale." There it is, a Latinism -- love it!
a domani,
E
June 11, 2007
My space
Lunch conversation with my now 18 year old son -- "My space" and cultural differences (thanks to an article in today's La Repubblica "Business and Finance" section).
It seems that all his international school friends used to have "my space" pages but have now moved to "facebook" on which they spend lots of time putting up photos, music, video clips, blog entries and such after school.
His Italian liceo friends do not. They put up photos to share through a version on instant messanger, but otherwise they see each other at school and then wait until the next day, using sms messages in a pinch.
Hmmm. I'll have to think about this one.
have to run...
a domani,
E
It seems that all his international school friends used to have "my space" pages but have now moved to "facebook" on which they spend lots of time putting up photos, music, video clips, blog entries and such after school.
His Italian liceo friends do not. They put up photos to share through a version on instant messanger, but otherwise they see each other at school and then wait until the next day, using sms messages in a pinch.
Hmmm. I'll have to think about this one.
have to run...
a domani,
E
May 21, 2007
parole, parole, parole
This morning I had my first private Italian lesson. After twenty-five years of speaking, reading and listening, I want to work on my writing skills, presentation/formal language and get rid of the kinks that have wormed their way into my speech while fine tuning the rest. Un corso di perfezionamento. What do you do with a student like me?
Well, we started with a dictation, that I completed with only a few errors on the accents. Then while she tried to size me up, we reviewed the use of the congiuntivo and experimented with ways to improve various sentences of the dictation text. Homework: a composition.
We talked about the different "concept of style" in Italian with respect to English. How it is not as important what you say, but how you say it -- a question of style. She told me that it is just a cultural difference that you have to accept if you want to write well in Italian, you have to work on being ornate, not succinct. Circumscribed, not direct. Pay attention to the sounds of the phrases, the rhythm and flow. It must sound good (like the Capo Gabinetto at the school meeting).
Quite an assignment. I'll have to put aside all that I have ever learned about writing and enter into an Italian state of mind. Pompous prose here I come. Wish me luck!
a domani,
E
Well, we started with a dictation, that I completed with only a few errors on the accents. Then while she tried to size me up, we reviewed the use of the congiuntivo and experimented with ways to improve various sentences of the dictation text. Homework: a composition.
We talked about the different "concept of style" in Italian with respect to English. How it is not as important what you say, but how you say it -- a question of style. She told me that it is just a cultural difference that you have to accept if you want to write well in Italian, you have to work on being ornate, not succinct. Circumscribed, not direct. Pay attention to the sounds of the phrases, the rhythm and flow. It must sound good (like the Capo Gabinetto at the school meeting).
Quite an assignment. I'll have to put aside all that I have ever learned about writing and enter into an Italian state of mind. Pompous prose here I come. Wish me luck!
a domani,
E
May 10, 2007
How things work
Yesterday afternoon parents were invited to a school-wide meeting assemblea straordinaria in the aula magna. Subject: The recent visit by Ministro Rutelli to announce renovation work soon to take place in this important historic building to meet school safety regulations and provide access for the disabled.
Sounds fairly straight forward. But it was not. Never is.
I got a seat up front (simply by arriving on time) and listened carefully and attentively for over two hours as various political representatives (a capo gabinetto del ministero, an assessore della provincia), parents, teachers and the principal spoke. In the end I understood that there are three sides to this triangular question.
The school side: the school needs (and wants) to meet necessary safety regulations (fire regulations were the only ones specified) and provide access for the disabled (a ramp to get up the front steps and an internal elevator seem to be the two issues at hand). The school also desperately needs a few new spaces as several rooms that are now serving as classrooms are grossly inadequate.
So far, all is clear and no one disagrees (politicians, parents, teachers, students, principal).
The principle side: the building, originally owned and run by Jesuits priests as an educational institution, was donated to the Italian state in 1873 (soon after Rome had joined the rest of Italy) on the condition that it continue to be used for this purpose, giving birth to the first state-run liceo in Italy – Liceo Ginnasio “Ennio Quirino Visconti”.
Things are still clear but although the politicians do not disagree, they do not agree quite as enthusiastically and we will later see why.
The political side: the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali has its headquarters just next to the school and shares the same complex. It wants (needs?) another entrance and has incorporated the re-opening of a door on the front of the building, that has been closed for centuries, into the school renovation project. This new door will then require a hallway to allow for access to the offices and this additional space will come from the north wing of the school.
Wait, could you repeat the purpose of this renovation work again (fulfill safety regulations for the school and access for the disabled and the need for new classrooms) and clarify what the Ministry’s door has to do with it? No problem, new classroom space (in lieu of that being taken away) will be provided for by dividing a few current rooms in two vertically by installing metal lofts.
Now I get it -- why so many parents showed up, the cat calls, shouting and wild applause. Can you imagine those desks, chairs and lively adolescents all moving about on a metal floor above the heads of another class. Ma che succede?
I listen more carefully and attentively.
First to the Assessore della Provincia di Roma. Lots of very nice words, but not very much information.
Then a student spoke, concluding with, “Prima la storia dell’istituto, poi tutto il resto” (First the Institution’s history, then the rest). Ahhh History (with capital “H”) bubbling up there again.
A father followed finishing with his “fear of politicians – first they put their foot in the door only to then take it all”. Wild applause – the crowd was warming up.
Another father then came to the microphone to state, “I will not accept the arrogance of the strong, we must educate our children to respect the rules”.
Yet another father returned us to the question of space and safety followed by an impassioned mother, the first to highlight Side Two of the question – the destination of the building by the Jesuits for educational purposes (not ministries and public officials).
Finally came the moment for the architect and project designer to speak. He was whistled at as he wafted on about Ministro Rutelli’s sensitivity to cultural issues. Someone cried out, “keep to the technical side”. So he proceeded to outline the two essential needs, that of the school to be put “a norma” and that of a second entrance for the Ministry, but he never did get around to the technical side. Someone finally yelled out, “tempo!” and he sat down.
Things were certainly heating up.
Then a woman came to the mike, a mother, and what a mother. Tall and imposing, thick, long overflowing reddish hair, grey low-cut stylish tunic, lots of strings of white and gold colored things around her neck, tight jeans tucked into leather boots with heels. As in other occasions, looks can be deceiving to the foreign eye. She was a professional, a civil engineer that has sat on various government committees for public works safety – a powerful woman who could afford to be “particolare” and freely express her individuality, no conservative suits for her. She asked very pointed questions of the architect, demanding clear answers and as she made an eloquent and passionate speech it was clear that she had done her homework.
A few other fathers followed, one calling for a “stato di agitazione” and my favorite father, a lawyer, who ended up mediating a three way discussion at the mike with the capo gabinetto and the architect to whom he asked pointed legal and technical questions (to which they did not actually respond). As the architect raised his voice, the lawyer/father stepped back, “don’t be so aggressive, I am a timid person” followed by a round of applause and some comic relief.
The Capo Gabinetto spoke so well that I got lost, “what did he say in the end?” Boh. But he is open to dialogue and confrontation.
Final result: A representative group of parents (made up of lawyers, engineers, architects, art historians etc.) was formed and will sit down at the table with the various ministry representatives to talk about reciprocal needs before the project proceeds further.
Can someone explain why this didn’t take place at the beginning of the process instead of now when there is a “progetto esecutivo” in hand and a renovation company already chosen and ready to start on June 15?
A true Italian mystery. But in the end, I have faith that the process will work – certainly in a different way and by a different route, let's call it consensus building through active confrontation.
In any case, it was a great show.
A domani,
E
p.s. sorry no pictures, I brought my camera, but was too intimidated to actually set off the flash, irritate the speaker and have everyone look at me as a consequence....one of those blogger skills I need to work on.
April 19, 2007
Uncertain rules
The Americans came, looked about, and then stooped down to sniff. At base of the lovely and enchanting flowers, they smelled something dark and dank, obscure, indefinite – unsure of what it was, they moved on in search of greener fields. In other words, AT&T put forth an offer to acquire a controlling share of Telecom Italia, only to suddenly pull out, citing incertezza sulle regole (uncertain rules) as the reason -- or at least this is what the papers say.
In Italy the rules are never clear and straightforward and foreign investors don’t have the time and/or patience to figure them out. There are two ways to look at this complex area in terms of cross-cultural tools. One is by examining communication styles – our low context one in contrast to Italian high context style. The other is where the cultural value of rules lies along a spectrum that runs from their universal application to an orientation towards varying rules according to particular situations.
Context: (click here for a presentation of context in communication). In Italy rules often operate differently in different contexts and these subtle distinctions are really only accessible to Italians. In the end, only an Italian can understand how a rule can or should be interpreted in any given situation, depending on its context – extremely frustrating for foreigners!
Rules: (click here for a presentation of rules and their particular or universal application.) As one newspaper noted, it was not only the “uncertain rules” themselves that drove the Americans away, but the uncertain terrain on which new rules might be formed, undefined environmental “obstacles” coming from the government currently in power that could invent new rules to separate TLC services from their management. Transparency was also an issue as AT&T delved deeper into Telecom’s papers, or tried to. The problem being that these new rules only came about after the American offer, not before, as a way to lay a level playing ground for all – very uncertain terrain indeed that unsteadies the foreign investor and topples the best of plans.
A domani,
E
In Italy the rules are never clear and straightforward and foreign investors don’t have the time and/or patience to figure them out. There are two ways to look at this complex area in terms of cross-cultural tools. One is by examining communication styles – our low context one in contrast to Italian high context style. The other is where the cultural value of rules lies along a spectrum that runs from their universal application to an orientation towards varying rules according to particular situations.
Context: (click here for a presentation of context in communication). In Italy rules often operate differently in different contexts and these subtle distinctions are really only accessible to Italians. In the end, only an Italian can understand how a rule can or should be interpreted in any given situation, depending on its context – extremely frustrating for foreigners!
Rules: (click here for a presentation of rules and their particular or universal application.) As one newspaper noted, it was not only the “uncertain rules” themselves that drove the Americans away, but the uncertain terrain on which new rules might be formed, undefined environmental “obstacles” coming from the government currently in power that could invent new rules to separate TLC services from their management. Transparency was also an issue as AT&T delved deeper into Telecom’s papers, or tried to. The problem being that these new rules only came about after the American offer, not before, as a way to lay a level playing ground for all – very uncertain terrain indeed that unsteadies the foreign investor and topples the best of plans.
A domani,
E
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