Each nation has its own culture. This unique value is performed in several ways of communicating, especially non-verbal communication. Outsourced movie (2006) is a typical example which demonstrated the vast distinctions between two countries in two continents: India and America. The first difference between Indian and American is the way they use hands for eating. In India, left hand means “unclear” because it is used for matters related to going to the bathroom. When receiving or giving anything, especially food, the right hand should only be used. On the contrary, the use of any hand is acceptable in America, depending on the preferable hand. Moreover, they often use spoons, knives and folks more in meals. This difference leads the main character in the movie – Todd confuse when eating with left hand at the first time in India. Furthermore, in terms of working clothes, the Indian tend to wear casual clothing instead of wearing a western standard suit because of the hot weather.
While Indian men rarely wear suits, Indian women prefer long dresses with traditional slacks. The American, on the other hand, usually put on business suits in all the workplaces. In the movie, Todd still worn formal suit at the first days in India. However, after staying for a long time and adapting culture, he changed his manner into the “Indian style”. Another difference in non-verbal communication between India and America is their attitudes towards personal space and touching behaviors. The Indians generally allow an arm’s length space between themselves and others. However, they are not too conscious of their personal space on trains & buses where there are so many people. While the Americans usually get nervous if another person stand closer than about an arm’s length away. It can be easily seen in the movie that Todd felt uncomfortable at the airport when he was surrounded by many taxi drivers.
In the scene that Asha met Todd outside, Asha avoided Todd ‘s touching. The reason for that action is that the Indian consider that touching of any kind between men and women especially when not related can be interpreted as flirting. Overall, there are many cultural differences in non-verbal communication between India and America. However, only three significant behaviors in the movie are mentioned: Using hands, wearing clothes and touching. It is necessary to learn about the culture of countries you are going to visit in order to avoid culture shock.
