Cultural aspect as an important component of foreign language training of navigators for work in a mixed crew

Abstract

Higher education nowadays should form various qualities in graduates, for example, such as: initiative, communicability, agility and many others. Future navigators strive for development and self-education, knowledge of the foundations of culture and intercultural communication, professional competence. Every future navigator should be able to lead and obey, work properly with people, be ready to solve difficult issues in an emergency situation. In such multinational profession, all these skills are simply unattainable without knowledge of English, and as a consequence successful communication within the crew is impossible without knowledge of cultural features. Communication is an important factor in the coherent work of the crew, especially if the crew members belong to different nationalities; in this case the correct perception of each other, the absence of linguistic and cultural barriers is the key to successful professional activity. It is important to understand that the crew should have a common and understandable language. International instruments developed and adopted under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization state that this common language is English and clearly defines the level of proficiency in spoken and written English. For the Maritime University it is necessary to provide high-quality language training of cadets for further work in a mixed crew.