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

PzAxe/Shutterstock 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…