Language Proficiency and Communication Impact on Chinese Expatriates’ Cross-Cultural Adaptation in Myanmar

Abstract

Language proficiency and communication are critical aspects of expatriates’ cross-cultural adaptation. Lack of host language proficiency can bring several adverse outcomes for foreign workers, such as misunderstanding and decision-making errors due to communication errors with local people. Generally, local staff are willing to use their mother language when they communicate with others, and the skills of local language proficiency become a significant barrier to positive communication. The current study examined the impact of language proficiency and communication on Chinese expatriates’ cross-cultural adaptation at MNCs in Myanmar. Cross-sectional study and quantitative research methods are applied. The findings show that language proficiency and communication directly affect Chinese expatriates’ cross-cultural adaptation.