Why it’s so hard to apologise sincerely in a foreign language

By Irini Mavrou, Associate professor, Universidad Nebrija; UCL
Lucía Martín Pérez, PhD Student, Universidad Nebrija

When people apologise, they do more than acknowledge a mistake. They also reveal how they understand responsibility, ethics, social and moral norms, and their relationship with others. These things all differ widely between cultural contexts.

Speaking in a foreign language may directly influence the emotions – such as guilt and shame – that we feel when we apologise. However, apologies are an especially complex type of communication, and are shaped by much more than just the words we use.

Even within a particular culture, people apologise in different ways in different…

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