What is intercultural competence

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What is intercultural competence?

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In Germany, people ...

• This kind of information depends on ...
• - region
• - age
• - gender
• - subculture
• - context
• - own experience

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Finding out the truth ...

• Lists of dos and taboos are not always useful
  and of limited value when working in
• multi-national teams

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• Observe!

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? .......................................... ?

• Be aware that the same qualities and
  characteristics can have both positive and
  negative interpretations
• Be aware that the same word can be understood in
  different ways

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• Cultural differences mean that people dont
  always understand words and expressions in the
  same way. For example, how many non-Brits would
  understand the irony behind the expression up
  to a point, which is used to mean
• not in the slightest?

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• 1.
• Non-native speakers of English usually think by
  the way or incidentally means this is not
  very important, but in fact it means .

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• The main purpose of our discussion is...
• 2.
• The phrase I'll bear it in mind means.?

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• I'll do nothing about it.
• 3.
• Correct me if I'm wrong
• means..

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• I'm right, please dont contradict me.
• adapted from The Economist, 9/2004

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Mahatma Gandhi
I do not want my house to be walled in on all
sides and my windows to be stuffed.I want the
cultures of all the lands to be blown about my
house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be
blown off my feet by any.
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So what are the key intercultural competencies?

• Cultural knowledge
• Emotional strength
• Openness
• Flexibility
• Perceptiveness

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So what is intercultural competence?

• Intercultural competence is to a large extent
  the ability to cope with ones own cultural
  background in interaction with others.
• (Bennecke, J. (2000). Intercultural Competence
  in Bliesener, U. Training the Trainers, Cologne,
  Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft Verlag)

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• The first person you meet when you go abroad is
  yourself.

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References

• www.worldwork.biz
• www.eustudies.org/Summer2005Review
• Teaching the EU to Europeans
• Fuchs van der Hout

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Reading suggestions

• Are You Experienced?
• by William Sutcliffe (Viking Penguin, 1999)
• The Bear Went Over the Mountain
• by William Kotzwinkle (Owl Books, 1997)