How to interpret body language? Thread poster: Peter Nicholson (X)
| Peter Nicholson (X) Poland Local time: 10:23 Polish to English
Can anyone point me to information which might help me interpret the distinctive body language seen in this brief video? | | |
Hi Peter - it's a bit of a strange request, given that the tiny snippet we can see on your link is out of any context. From the clip, all I can say is that what appears to be some kind of businessman is tapping the table to emphasise the point he is making, but because we can't even hear an entire sentence, it is difficult to say more than this. I wouldn't say it was particularly 'distinctive' body language, just a means of stressing a particular point he wants to make. ... See more Hi Peter - it's a bit of a strange request, given that the tiny snippet we can see on your link is out of any context. From the clip, all I can say is that what appears to be some kind of businessman is tapping the table to emphasise the point he is making, but because we can't even hear an entire sentence, it is difficult to say more than this. I wouldn't say it was particularly 'distinctive' body language, just a means of stressing a particular point he wants to make. I'm sure there are lots of online resources on interpreting body language in different cultures and settings - here are just a few relating to business and English (UK and US): http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/body-language-and-business-etiquette.html http://www.sideroad.com/Business_Etiquette/business-body-language.html http://www.ediplomat.com/np/cultural_etiquette/ce_us.htm Hopefully your broader grasp of the context will help you make sense of your particular example. Irene ▲ Collapse | | | Ana Cravidao Local time: 09:23 Member (2012) English to Portuguese + ... | Palm of the hand up | Apr 6, 2016 |
I've found articles online about body language which say that a gesture with the palm of the hand up - showing the palm - indicates submissiveness or openness to a suggestion or discussion, rather than hostility or aggressiveness. However, your clip is so tiny and we have no context at all, so who knows what was going on? | |
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Tom in London United Kingdom Local time: 09:23 Member (2008) Italian to English
Peter Nicholson wrote: Can anyone point me to information which might help me interpret the distinctive body language seen in this brief video? To me it looks like a trained hand gesture, of the kind that's popular with politicians etc. There are private companies that will train people how to do this. Here's an expert's analysis of a speech by UK Prime Minister David Cameron (fast forward to 12:26 for the "gestures" part: "the magic political fist with the thumb showing!"). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnxyQhSHFPs What's clear from your own video is that the gesture it shows is not natural or spontaneous. To me, it seems like a "designed" gesture made by someone who has been schooled in "how to make a point". Here's a much longer documentary on the topic of body language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY1K_IefjSA "93% of what we communicate is non-verbal".
[Edited at 2016-04-06 12:23 GMT] | | | Erik Freitag Germany Local time: 10:23 Member (2006) Dutch to German + ... Impossible task | Apr 6, 2016 |
Just as you can't reliably tell the meaning of an individual word, without context, in a verbal language, you can't reliably attach one single meaning to one single gesture in body language. Context is of the essence. | | | Balasubramaniam L. India Local time: 14:53 Member (2006) English to Hindi + ... SITE LOCALIZER Desmond Morris | Apr 6, 2016 |
I would recommend two books by Desmond Morris to help you read human gestures - Naked Ape and Man-Watching. They won't help you with this video, but would help you to generally understand human gestues across cultures. | | | Tom in London United Kingdom Local time: 09:23 Member (2008) Italian to English
Balasubramaniam L. wrote: I would recommend two books by Desmond Morris to help you read human gestures - Naked Ape and Man-Watching. They won't help you with this video, but would help you to generally understand human gestues across cultures. Is there one on woman-watching? | |
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Dénis Wettmann Ireland Local time: 10:23 Member (2016) German to English + ... Nothing to interpret | Apr 6, 2016 |
Peter Nicholson wrote: Can anyone point me to information which might help me interpret the distinctive body language seen in this brief video? Even if you had context, you would not be able to decode any meaningful information from body language. | | | Tom in London United Kingdom Local time: 09:23 Member (2008) Italian to English
Dénis Wettmann wrote: Peter Nicholson wrote: Can anyone point me to information which might help me interpret the distinctive body language seen in this brief video? Even if you had context, you would not be able to decode any meaningful information from body language. - unless it's sign language. Last evening I enjoyed watching a man and a woman, both using sign language, have an intense conversation sitting on opposite sides of a crowded train carriage.
[Edited at 2016-04-06 15:02 GMT] | | | Dénis Wettmann Ireland Local time: 10:23 Member (2016) German to English + ... Me and my generalizations. 😂 | Apr 6, 2016 |
Tom in London wrote: Dénis Wettmann wrote: Peter Nicholson wrote: Can anyone point me to information which might help me interpret the distinctive body language seen in this brief video? Even if you had context, you would not be able to decode any meaningful information from body language. - unless it's sign language. Last evening I enjoyed watching a man and a woman, both using sign language, have an intense conversation sitting on opposite sides of a crowded train carriage. [Edited at 2016-04-06 15:02 GMT] Sir, you are absolutely correct. 😄 | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » How to interpret body language? TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
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