INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

HI everybody,
let's talk about intercultural competence.

According to wikipedia: “Intercultural competence is the ability of successful communication with people of other cultures”. Knowing the culture and therefore the background of the people speaking to you is extremely important in order to have a better comprehension of the interaction. Moreover, it is a social competence because it enables you to better understand why people behave, think and speak in a certain way. Cultures differentiate from each other not only between nations or continents but also within a group of people (such as a family). Intercultural competence helps you not to judge the behaviour of a community as right or wrong according to our own culture and values but to consider it as acceptable. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be happy about it, you are not obliged to share those habits and values but probably you have to accept them.

A deeper intercultural competence means a better relationship with a community of people who has their own values and lifestyles. Intercultural competence helps you to become flexible and open. The comparison among different cultures is positive and in many ways it enriches a person. Furthermore, it is important to discover and understand new point of views, because it can lead you to think about something that you had never considered before as well as to have a better understand of your own culture and values. In order to develop your intercultural awareness you have to get rid of prejudices and to be sensitive towards other cultures. Moreover, you have to understand and also make yourself to be understood, to be clear and flexible and express yourself in a transparent way. According to wikipedia:

it is a balance, situatively adapted, between three parts:

1. knowledge (about other culture, people, nations, behaviours…);

2. empathy (understanding feelings and needs of other people);

3. self confidence (knowing what I want, my strengths and weaknesses, emotional stability).

(Reference: wikipedia)

(Source of the picture: google)

THE IMPORTANCE FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGES LEARNERS TO BECOME INTERCULTURAL COMPETENT

In my opinion it is extremely important that students studying foreign languages develop the awareness of the importance of becoming intercultural competent. It is also important that foreign languages teachers help students to get more familiar with different cultures; especially if teachers are mother tongue they represent cultural referents for their students. The best way to do so is to supply learners with cultural notes which can help students to become more familiar with a culture which has proper ways of thinking, acting and perceiving things. Although the best way to become intercultural competent is probably to live abroad for a certain period of time, it is also very important that teachers at school or university insist on cultural aspects with the same energy that they insist on grammar correctness. On one hand teachers should stimulate students to develop their interests towards foreign cultures; on the other hand it is indispensable that students own some attitudes such as: openness, tolerance, meta-communicative competence, emotional flexibility, cultural empathy.

Finally, in my little experience, the course of English that I am attending at University of Padua is arousing my curiosity and interest towards English and American culture. The teacher, who comes from United States, delivers cultural notes and helps me and my colleagues to reflect upon italian culture as well. Moreover, thanks to some activities such as skype-ing and wiki-ing I am developing my intercultural competence and awareness of the importance of becoming intercultural competent.

What's your opinion about?

Bye bye

Francesca