After the interview, Hanna excitedly told us, "Thank you! I gained a lot today!" Her success lay not in speaking flawless Chinese, but in showing us that when a person is willing to knock on the door of another culture with an authentic attitude, the very imperfections in her language became the most powerful medium.

While we often strive to maintain a perfect image in cross-cultural communication, Hanna used her perceived "failure" to demonstrate that breaking the ice can perhaps begin with an imperfection. This different logic of communication also prompts us to reflect: as we become increasingly skilled at relying on efficient yet indirect tools like precise translation, are we inadvertently building a wall where efficiency reigns supreme? Has our obsession with "flawlessness" caused us to lose the sincere courage to reveal our "imperfections"? In this process, has cross-cultural exchange been reduced to merely a task or a skill?

Hanna's interview experience invites us to reflect on our ingrained modes of communication. It reveals that those imperfect attempts in cross-cultural exchange hold their own unique value. Therefore, while we still need to pursue efficient communication, we should also consciously protect space for those slow, awkward, yet deeply sincere conversations, making room for "imperfection." Because when language sheds its flashiness, the true heart-to-heart meeting between cultures can finally begin.