In a multicultural environment, having intercultural competences is the most important determining factor between success and failure. This concise book introduces the topic for students and scholars. Building upon an accessible understanding of cultural differences, the author provides various models for understanding and framing culture. Theory is linked to practice by examining how to deal with intercultural conflicts via practical examples and advice. Students striving to perform well in intercultural environments, will benefit from reading this book which helps them convert models and cultural knowledge into practical skills.
This Open Access book examines the link between intercultural competence (IC) and pragmatics by asking frontline modern foreign language teachers in higher education teaching a variety of languages (e.g., Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish) how they conceptualise intercultural competence and which skills, competences and knowledge they consider important in their teaching contexts. The data were collected with an online survey that focused on the relationship between intercultural competence and pragmatics. While international organizations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) or the Council of Europe (CoE) agree that intercultural competence should play an important role in education, it is not always clear what IC may encompass in specific teaching contexts and subject areas. Examining how modern foreign language teachers in higher education conceptualise intercultural competence and the value they attach as well as the attention they give to various areas of pragmatics in their teaching is highly important, since those language professionals may be the final teachers learners encounter during their formal foreign language education. They are therefore in a unique position to shape modern foreign language learners' intercultural and pragmatic awareness, competence and skills. This book will be of interest to language professionals, modern foreign language teachers and teacher trainers, as well as students and scholars of applied linguistics, pragmatics, and language education.
Interkulturelle Kompetenzen sind Schlüsselkompetenzen in internationalen Unternehmen. Der Artikel basiert auf den empirischen Forschungsergebnissen aus einer multi-methodischen Forschungsstudie. Er fokussiert Intercultural Engineering in einem speziellen Unternehmen in Südafrika. Es wird den Fragen nachgegangen, wie Manager in diesem kulturell diversen Umfeld interkulturelle Kompetenz definieren, wie sie mit interkulturellen Herausforderungen umgehen und wie interkulturelle Kompetenz in solch einem Umfeld gefördert werden könnte.
This article assumes that the internationalization of higher education demands more elaborate pedagogical approaches to utilise the experiences of multiethnic student groups and to facilitate every student's acquisition of intercultural competencies. Drawing from three internationalisation ideologies embedded in the educational discourse, it is argued that intercultural communication – as a field of study or a discipline – can play a key role in this endeavour. Twelve fields of consideration, when international educators work with students, are also identified.
The aim of the paper is to identify and describe some specifics of intercultural competence development at the tertiary level in the framework of language and culture. Different views on intercultural competence development in higher education are presented as well as intercultural competence development in different countries and many scholars' points of views. The results show certain specifics of intercultural competence development including linguistic competence, linguistic and cultural competence, as well as the components of intercultural competence development: the knowledge of foreign languages, cultural background knowledge, and basic soft skills. It is stated that knowing foreign languages, understanding the national culture of the target language, and having universal soft skills are necessary for successful intercultural competence development. Some soft skills are developed too, such as: tolerance, a sense of responsibility for one's actions, the ability to empathy, understanding and acceptance of a foreign culture, the ability and desire to understand the difference and unity of one's culture and the country culture of a target language, a sense of adequate and friendly perception of a foreign language and its realities. It is concluded that it is important to know a theory and have a practice for intercultural competence development and intercultural communication, since a foreign language, culture can only be acquired through activities. As for the specifics of intercultural competence development at the tertiary level in national universities, an indirect character of its development and patterning during intercultural communication are characterized.
The present times and Poland's entry into the European Union, the opening of borders, has intensified the phenomenon of migration of the population and contact between different cultures. In Poland, national minorities have been living since the dawn of time, but the current situation has a different dimension. Until now, the term "Transculturality" was not known in our country. However, the influx of people from the remotest parts of the world caused a situation requiring medical personnel to perceive the patient through the prism of biological, social and psychological needs as well as from the angle of other religions. Problems that appear taking care of such patients have caused that I decided to look at this issue on the example of Judaism believers. The aim of my work is to get the opinion of health professionals about intercultural competences in direct care of these patients.
The present times and Poland's entry into the European Union, the opening of borders, has intensified the phenomenon of migration of the population and contact between different cultures. In Poland, national minorities have been living since the dawn of time, but the current situation has a different dimension. Until now, the term "Transculturality" was not known in our country. However, the influx of people from the remotest parts of the world caused a situation requiring medical personnel to perceive the patient through the prism of biological, social and psychological needs as well as from the angle of other religions. Problems that appear taking care of such patients have caused that I decided to look at this issue on the example of Judaism believers. The aim of my work is to get the opinion of health professionals about intercultural competences in direct care of these patients.
The present times and Poland's entry into the European Union, the opening of borders, has intensified the phenomenon of migration of the population and contact between different cultures. In Poland, national minorities have been living since the dawn of time, but the current situation has a different dimension. Until now, the term "Transculturality" was not known in our country. However, the influx of people from the remotest parts of the world caused a situation requiring medical personnel to perceive the patient through the prism of biological, social and psychological needs as well as from the angle of other religions. Problems that appear taking care of such patients have caused that I decided to look at this issue on the example of Judaism believers. The aim of my work is to get the opinion of health professionals about intercultural competences in direct care of these patients.
