Why Tourists Sometimes Struggle to "Do the Right Thing"

"Visitors to the Moroccan city of Fez find its streets lined with sidewalk cafes. Throughout the day and evening hours, small groups of men sit at outdoor tables, drinking coffee, mint tea, and Fanta. If a woman sits at an outdoor table, she'll probably sit a long time before a waiter comes to take her order. Or a waiter may never come."

"According to Hall, a low-context culture is one in which communication is explicit and unambiguous. The intended message is conveyed largely by the words spoken. In a low-context culture, a restaurant owner who doesn't want patrons to smoke in her restaurant will post a sign that says, "No Smoking." If a shopper doesn't want to taste a free sample in a grocery store, he'll simply say, "No, thanks.""

In Fez, sidewalk cafes are dominated by small groups of men who sit outdoors drinking coffee, mint tea, and Fanta. Single women who sit outside often receive delayed or no service because social norms expect women to sit inside to be served. Tourists unfamiliar with local norms may misinterpret waiters' tepid responses. Edward T. Hall introduced the low-context versus high-context dimension of communication. Low-context cultures convey messages explicitly through words and posted signs or direct refusals. High-context cultures convey much of the message implicitly, requiring inference from setting, relationships, and shared knowledge.

Read at Psychology Today