Many of us read about different cultures and study the history of other nations through books written in English. What might we be missing or gaining by vieweing these peoples and nations through the lens of English? For instance how would reading a memoir in English about being an Iranian woman be dfferent from reading the same memoir in Farsi?

** Farsi: Offical language spoken in Iran

Reading different cultures and study of other nations through books written in English could be challenging to readers if they are not aware of the author’s cultural frame of reference or social development, such as language, religion, tradition of family, community, cultural practices and the social context around them (Andersen and Taylor 9). The Author could use significant or metaphorical key factors or references in their literature, such as Germany in 1939 which represents for cold war, genocide or poverty that could be not easily understood or identified by readers who have insufficient historical or cultural understanding. As a result the reader could operate from an ethnocentric point of views, and fail to comprehend the core message. The reader could thereby miss out and fail to see new or other aspects in life such as how mankind still suffers under hidden discrimination, racism, nepotism, Nazism etc. For instance reading a memoir in English about being an Iranian woman could be different from reading the same memoir in Farsi because culture is symbolic. Symbols are things or behaviors to which people give meaning; the significance of culture lies in the meaning it holds for people (Andersen and Taylor 27). A language helps people to express their meaning to one another. Language or dialects reveal a person’s background or culture. By translating a language we also reveal our identity or culture to the readers. Viewing these peoples and nations through the lens of