BODY LANGUAGE: EXTRA SHOT

Body Language: Extra Shot
What Hand Signals Should I Avoid When Traveling Abroad?  

[Communication Barrier due to Cultural Differences]

Hand gestures are a way of communicating with others and conveying your feelings. These gestures are most helpful when one is speaking to someone with no language in common. The meanings of hand gestures in different cultures may translate into different things. Before you communicate with people in different cultures, you need to understand the meaning of gestures. Those considered as a good gestures in one country may be termed as an offensive gesture in some countries. 

Here is a very common example of former President George H.W. Bush who had to face a major criticism during a visit to Australia. He tried to signal a peace sign by waving the two finger or V-sign at the crowd. One may think of this as a simple gesture, but he committed a major error. Instead of his palm facing outwards, it faced inwards. The meaning of this hand gesture in Australia meant he was asking the crowd to go screw themselves! A grave error committed by the then most powerful man in the world. Therefore, it is very important to understand the meanings of gestures.

Thumbs up:

In parts of Latin America, West Africa, Iran, and Sardinia, a thumbs-up doesn’t mean “Hey! Good job!” It’s more similar to being rude and indecent. A friendly thumbs-up has landed lots of unwitting travelers on the wrong end of angry glares. 

The OK sign:

In many countries, the okay sign is anything but okay. In the Middle East, it’s a threat. In Turkey and Germany, it basically means, “You’re a jerk!” In Brazil, it’s just like giving someone the finger.

The peace sign: 

If your palm faces outward, the V-sign can symbolize peace. But in the UK, if you make the mistake of turning your palm inward, it means quite the opposite – a ruder version of “Go Away!”

An open hand: 

Extending your arm and exposing your palm may seem like a cordial way to wave hello, but in Greece, it’s a not-so-cordial sign of disrespect. Centuries ago, the Byzantine Empire shamed criminals by painting their faces with black cinder, ash, dirt, and dung. Today, an extended open hand basically means you want to spread that mixture on your opponent’s face.

Sign of the horns:

Horns are great if you want to tell someone to rock on, but find an alternative if you’re in Italy, Greece, or Spain. Over there, devil horns mean, “Your loved one is a cheater!” That’s because during the middle ages, men with cheating wives were shamed by donning horns.

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