A design perspective on intercultural communication in second/foreign language education

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this conceptual article, we problematize current models of intercultural competence, by tracing the development of models of communicative competence and their historical rootedness in notions of communication as a linguistic phenomenon that occurs primarily in face-to-face encounters. We argue for a view of interculturality that sees intercultural encounters as meaning design processes that can also occur in encounters with texts expressed through multimodal semiotic resources. Finally, we propose a set of principles for second/foreign language education that focus on students’ process of becoming effective intercultural interpreters and meaning designers rather than solely on being effective intercultural speakers.