Intercultural Communicative Competence - A Further Challenge

Abstract

Abstract. This article focuses on types of challenge to intercultural communicators arising during communication between those with a good level of intercultural competence and those with a lower level and which relate to communicative style. Those with weaker intercultural competence tend to have limited awareness of variation in communicative style and its link to language and culture. As a result, they often continue using aspects of the communicative style of their first language when using a foreign language. They may even criticise ethnocentrically aspects of the communicative style associated with that foreign language. This can create specific challenges for a more interculturally competent communicator who may well understand the behaviour in question but find it hard to deal with. The key aim of this article is to analyse these challenges prior to hypothesising what underlying skills and practical strategies might help communicators to deal with them. Relevant skills are sought in existing literature and the further processes used in generating hypotheses are described. Skills are identified which include the capacities to deal with negative comments on your own communicative style, to persuade your fellow communicator of its validity, to negotiate compromises and to steer the communication towards a mutually satisfactory dynamic. Besides outlining the forms further research needs to take, the article concludes by stressing the importance of better understanding these challenges and of incorporating the development of skills for dealing with them into a variety of teaching programmes containing an intercultural component.

Students’ Intercultural Competence Forming System By Means Of Foreign Language

“…Thus, the survey results prove that the first-year students are ready to master the intercultural competence skills, since they realize that they live in the global world, and intercultural competence is necessary for successful communication between people in various life and activity spheres (Cranmer, 2017;Hinner, 2017). On the other hand, the scientific and pedagogical literature analysis coupled with the survey results indicate that the students' intercultural competence level can be defined as average.…”

Building Intercultural Communication Competence in Translator Training: A Metacognitive Approach

“…While this categorization does not include an "intercultural sub-competence", the PACTE group included this topic in the extralinguistic sub-competence encompassing knowledge about the source and target cultures and the specialized field. However, some scholars point out the fact that the intercultural communication aspect of translation competence should be underlined and further clarified (Cranmer, 2015;Katan, 2009;Tomozeiu, Koskinen & D'Arcangelo, 2016;Tomozeiu & Kumpulainen, 2016;Yarosh, 2015).…”

“…The interpersonal dimension involves cultural sensitivity, awareness, and social positioning. It provides tools for predicting conflict in intercultural communication and making conscious decisions during the translation process (Cranmer, 2015).…”

Pluricentrity, Multilingualism and Heterogeneity of the Learners’ Groups

“…In provided by the teachers are critical to students' satisfaction with their results, as well as several flexible strategies for autonomous learning for a variety of languages (Popesku et al 2020, Richards & Rodgers, 2014, Protassova, 2021. A live communication is especially useful when allowing for intercultural communication frameworks (Cranmer 2017) and other interactive activities (Davitti & Braun 2020), e.g., translating and interpreting (Pochhacker & Liu, 2014). Any methodology should take into account at least learner needs, program analysis, syllabus design, teaching materials, criterions, and tasks positioned (Long, 2015).…”