Learning the native language of a country is crucial to immersing yourself in their culture. Non-verbal communication also plays an important role in how you relate to others and it is important to understand that there can be differences from culture to culture in the ways that people use body language to communicate.
Hand gestures: Some hand gestures may seem second-nature and have a clear meaning to us in the States. Those same gestures may have different meanings in other cultures however, and should be avoided. For example, here the “ay-OK” sign we make would mean “fine” or “good”, while in some European countries it means you are calling someone a “butt-head”. A “thumbs-up” sign for us means “go get ‘em” or “great”, while in some Middle Eastern countries it means you want to stick your thumb up someone’s butt.
Eye contact: For many people, keeping eye contact with someone is a sign of respect and attention. In the states, it is common for complete strangers passing on the street to briefly look at each other and smile, as if to give a simple acknowledgement of the other person’s presence or to wish them a good day. In more traditional cultures, and even some larger European cities such as Rome, simple eye contact with a stranger you pass on the street could be taken as a romantic invitation, whether you want it to be or not.
Other gestures: There are a variety of other gestures each culture uses to communicate. It is possible to confuse gestures between cultures which may lead to problems. For example, for many Western countries, if you were to extend out your arm forward with your palms facing outward, it would mean “stop”, usually “stop immediately”. In contrast, in some Middle Eastern countries, this same gesture means “come on in”; very different. This difference causes some problems to some U.S. troops not to long ago.
In conclusion, when you are traveling to another country, spend some time learning about their specific ways of communicating with each other which may be different from what you are used to. I like to think of these types of gestures as similar to what baseball players use on the field. Unless you follow baseball closely or spent time specifically looking up what each of the gestures the pitcher and catcher use to communicate to each other, it would be difficult for you to know what they were saying to each other. And if the players themselves didn’t know what certain gestures meant, they wouldn’t be able to function as a team.
So make sure you have a good understanding of some forms of non-verbal communication in the country where you are going to study abroad.
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