Cross-cultural Practice Research Articles

The potential of self-access language centres in fostering lifelong global citizenship: towards a community of practice approach

Purpose Drawing primarily on the Japanese context, this study aims to highlight this setting to emphasise the potential for tertiary-level self-access language centres to develop lifelong global citizenship, self-reflection and cross-cultural collaboration. Design/methodology/approach This inquiry calls on the community of practice approach to account for the shared interests motivating lifelong cross-cultural participation, the quality of social engagement between actors, and the material and cognitive tools called upon to realise global citizenship’s shared enterprise. Findings As argued here, embracing various cultures and inclusive participation can lead to a broader understanding of global citizenship, avoiding narrow-minded views of globalism through shared knowledge and critical practices. Further, self-access provides a cost-effective, technology-mediated alternative to bilateral student mobility, whereby digital community-building occasions cross-cultural practice that may be extended throughout a learner’s life, irrespective of their financial status or place of study. Originality/value This study is one of a select few drawing on the community of practice framework within the context of lifelong global citizenship. Nevertheless, such an approach remains primed for future development. With a social constructivist philosophy in view, the authors suggest complementary qualitative research approaches that highlight the socially situated nature of both disciplines.

Examining the Necessity and Significance of Implementing Cross-Cultural Management Practice in Shanghai, China

The core focus of cross-cultural management lies in examining how individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds collaborate within organizational settings. The primary aim of research in cross-cultural management is to tackle various issues concerning organizational behavior, such as leadership approaches, methods of motivation, organizational frameworks, and the intricate dynamics of culture, drawing insights from fields like sociology and anthropology. This particular study endeavors to evaluate the significance of integrating cross-cultural management methodologies within Yixin Energy Technology Co. situated in Shanghai, China. Employing a quantitative methodology, 158 responses were garnered through the random distribution of questionnaires. Statistical analysis was conducted utilizing SPSS, encompassing descriptive analyses, variance assessments, and multiregression examinations to decipher the collected data. The findings indicate that the three principal factors investigated in this study collectively account for roughly 38.1% of the variance observed in cross-cultural management within multinational corporations. Specifically, social culture influences cross-cultural management by 23.3%, governmental policies by 35.0%, management approaches by 21.8%, and overall cross-cultural management by 28.7%. These results furnish statistical validation endorsing the imperative nature of cross-cultural practices, a recognition embraced by Yixin Energy Technology Co. in Shanghai, China. It is advised that businesses formulate diverse cross-cultural training programs tailored to the distinct needs of expatriates at various levels to effectively enhance their cross-cultural competencies.

INDIAN COSTUS IN ISLAMIC, AYURVEDA, TCM AND MODERN MEDICINE, A REVIEW ON ANTIMICROBIAL ACTION

Indian Costus species has been mentioned as an herbal remedy for infections in Islamic, Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) literature as well. Using the Indian costus to treat disease is one of the cross-cultural practices, just like cupping therapy and meditation. This would mean that it is safe and beneficial. In the saying (Hadith) of the prophet of Islam, it was prescribed to treat pharyngitis and pleurisy (Ahmad et al., 2009). In TCM, Costus root (Guang Mu Xiang) powder is used to treat gastroenteritis and tenesmus (Nystrom, 2015). In Ayurveda, it is used as a spasmolytic and antiparasitic for intestinal disease (Pandey et al., 2007). Among the pharmacological benefits of costus is the antimicrobial effect. This includes the antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic action of the substances to be discussed here. We did a focus on the antimicrobial effect in the three systems, compared and concluded findings through modern medicine to verify the evidence here.

Cross Cultural Analysis of Incest Practices in Karu Local Government Area Nasarawa State, Nigeria

This paper examined incest practices among different ethnic groups in Karu LGA Nasarawa states, Nigeria. Incest can be seen as a situation in which person has a sexual relationship with family member. In Nigeria, the phenomenon of incestuous relationship has been on the increase in recent time with adverse effect on marriage and family institution. The objective of the study is to analyze cross cultural practice of incest among the Hausa, Igbo and Gbagi ethnic groups in Karu LGA Nasarawa states, Nigeria in order to identify the forms and determinants of incest relationship among family members. Social constructionism theory was utilized and adopted in this paper. The study employed a cross-sectional research design to gather data, using primary and secondary sources. 398 respondents were selected through the aid of simple random and cluster sampling techniques. Findings show that the determinants of incestuous cases include lack of family values, moral decadence, loneliness, psychological problem and spiritual purpose. Some family disintegration, of

Problems encountered in the translation of Tshivenḓa into English: a case of musanda language terminologies and expressions

Translators encounter challenges when translating terminologies and expressions of the musanda royal language from Tshivenḓa into English. For this reason, it is important to investigate the obstacles Tshivenḓa translators encounter when translating expressions into English. It is commonly believed that there is generally a lack of equivalent terms for Tshivenḓa when translating them into English. The aim of this article is to investigate how cross-cultural practices shape translation in relation to musanda terminologies and expressions. Thus, it is important to come up with translation techniques that could be adopted to overcome these obstacles. Unstructured face-to-face interviews were used as data collection tools for this study. The participants were 18 language practitioners, members of the royal families and postgraduate students from the University of South Africa, University of Limpopo and University of Venda who were selected purposively. This study used the qualitative research approach. The Skopos theory was applied in understanding translating the musanda variety into English. This theory was useful because it looks at translation with a purpose. Textual analysis was used as a data analysis method. The qualitative findings show that language practitioners, members of the royal families and postgraduate students encounter difficulties in translating musanda terminologies and expressions from Tshivenḓa into English.

Sak Yant as a Cross-Cultural Practice

Sak Yant as a Cross-Cultural Practice

Global Evidence: Navigating Cross-cultural Practices in International Law

Global Evidence: Navigating Cross-cultural Practices in International Law

Teaching students to identify and address significant critical moments in cross-cultural social work practice

ABSTRACT Critical social work practice should transcend across micro, mezzo, and macro levels, and it is a social work educator’s responsibility to foster skills that are contextualized and connected to social justice and anti-oppressive frameworks. Despite the importance of addressing and integrating systemic oppression in cross-cultural social work practice, students struggle with being able to translate their knowing into doing. Using a video case of a client named Glen who is receiving services in an outpatient addiction counseling program, we discuss how to incorporate a critical, systemic, and structural lens in social work mental health practice. Psychotherapy process research cautions against weighing an entire session equally and underlines the importance of examining critical moments within the session. Guided by a psychotherapy process research approach, we illustrate how we train students to identify significant in-session moments and encourage students to brainstorm and practice in-session social work tasks that integrate a structural lens with clinical interventions. This teaching approach also illustrates how to translate critical scholarship and approaches into micro-level teachable moments in classroom to guide students’ cross-cultural practice. The pedagogical approach using a micro-analysis of in-session social work tasks heightens students’ awareness and competence in how to intervene with culturally diverse clients.

BART, the Black American Role Taxonomy: A culturally expansive approach to role theory and method

This article will investigate how performance can identify racialized archetypes, stereotypes and roles located in therapeutic spaces. It will present ways we can utilize these stereotypes to create and expand upon Landy’s role method and role theory to empower Black Americans to claim their identity. This research has been conducted as an autoethnographic study in order to create an open dialogue about racialized roles that surfaced in a therapeutic theatre production and in clinical practice. Issues regarding race are difficult to discuss and present fierce levels of discomfort in clinical spaces. This article highlights the necessity to continue meaningful conversations about race in the field of drama therapy. Further, this work looks to contribute to the development of cross-cultural practices in drama therapy.

“Technosapiencing” and the Global Christian Mission in the Digit-shaped World

The forces of digital technologies are cohesive, penetrative and ubiquitous with the propensity to transform every human activity. Thus, the tempo of religious practices within the influence of this digital pull cannot remain unaffected. This study examines the influence of digital technologies on religious endeavours in the era of Global Information Culture (GIC), particularly on global missions and how humans cannot escape the glue. Descriptive and phenomenological techniques were adopted to x-ray the concepts. The study also identifies the roles of GIC in supporting socio-economic development, influencing cultural and cross-cultural practices, and affecting religious and inter-religious relationships. The study submits that innovations in the GIC have influenced spirituality and Christian witnessing in the 21st century and concludes that in the current webbed dispensation, humanity becomes techno-sapiens and remains so even in their religious practices. The paper, therefore, recommends that stakeholders in the religious sector and practitioners of mission need to embrace and imbibe GIC for their maximum output in their respective endeavours.

Lecturer Attitudes on Cross-Cultural Practices in EFL Online Teaching

Most studies on the link between cross-cultural values and language teaching conducted in online settings almost always draw on students’ perspectives, yet few focus on how the attitudes of higher education lecturers in the conduct of this program. Therefore, this study aims to investigate EFL lecturers’ attitudes toward cross-cultural practices during EFL online teaching. A qualitative approach with observation and semi-structured interviews via face-to-face and online meetings is used to collect the data in this research. Using purposive sampling, this study employs four EFL lecturers from Muhammadiyah university as selected participants based on their experiences in teaching cultural-integrated classes at both offline and online schemes. The study discovered that EFL lecturers understand cross-cultural practices in EFL online teaching to be associated with personality traits, language roles, and understanding of local culture as a way to incorporate cross-cultural knowledge into their teaching. To foster effective interaction in the class, lecturers focus on conveying opinions and maintaining communication by understanding with whom to speak, where to speak, and ways to speak. These essences and fundamental attributes influence cross-cultural practices in EFL online teaching. The study reveals that cultural differences, incorrect expressions such as a lack of appropriate word choices, and a mismatch of verbal and nonverbal language can cause cross-cultural teaching barriers. Furthermore, the need to create an authentic environment, increase intercultural knowledge, and eliminate cultural stereotypes is to be addressed as cross-cultural teaching strategies in an EFL online teaching context.

Milton in China

Milton in China

Food as a medium: The framework and cross-culture implications of short videos of overseas Chinese sharing Chinese food in foreign countries

Focusing on foreigners’ experience of Chinese food, a group of overseas Chinese released a series of short videos on social media about sharing Chinese food with their family and friends abroad. By analyzing the framework of such videos at high, medium and low levels, we find that the food narratives of overseas Chinese reflect both their main consciousness of spreading Chinese food culture and follow the basic logic of platform traffic. Therefore, elevating this cross-cultural practice to foreign communication requires them to shift from spontaneity to consciousness in cultural communication. On the other hand, we can also see the coexistence and intermingling of Chinese and foreign cultures, which reveals that we should turn to a communication view of civilizational diversity and inclusiveness, and transcend civilizational superiority with civilizational coexistence.

What Is Philology? From Crises of Reading to Comparative Reflections

Abstract The article proposes a new definition of philology as a systematic engagement with crises of reading, focused on the difficulties that prevent readers from gaining access to or drawing meaning from a given text, all the way from scrubbed signs to obscure ontologies. Responding to two recent interventions in the field—Philology by James Turner and World Philology by Sheldon Pollock, Benjamin A. Elman, and Ku-ming Kevin Chang—the article explores the practices, history, and current state of philology. It argues that a resurgence of philological self-reflection over the past twelve years is bringing the field into view as a global, transhistorical, and anti-disciplinary practice, spanning many centuries and continents, and encompassing a wealth of methodological tools and approaches. These new developments promise to revitalize a field that currently finds itself in disciplinary disarray, by infusing it with a global and self-critical awareness. But the vision presented by Turner and the editors of World Philology, of philology as an inherently cross-disciplinary, cross-cultural practice, necessitates a clearer delimitation of what philology is, which the present article sets out to provide.

School Librarians Conducting Research across Cultures and Countries

In an increasingly multicultural world it is essential that school library studies are not solely focused on Western, middle class subjects. However, school librarians who have been trained in cross-cultural practice may not feel as confident in engaging in cross-cultural research. Researchers should be thoughtful as they design their research project and consider at each step in the process whether the study is accessible to all, regardless of cultural background. Furthermore, they may wish to consider the consultation of study participants as they design their research project. They may also consider knowledge paradigms, study context, power issues, and the role of the researcher vs. the research participant. Finally, researchers must keep in mind specific considerations that are specific to research that occurs with children or within schools. Finally, researchers should be aware that new laws regarding how educators question children about family beliefs or values are up for debate in many American states.

Cross-Cultural Communication Practices for Chinese Films From Speaking Into the Air

By using the theory of communication philosophy, our paper excavates the “symbol-spread-dialogue” communication theory proposed by Peters in Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication as the discursive logic, and through its research on the diachronic process of cross-cultural communication of contemporary Chinese films, in-depth content expression, communication paradigm and effect feedback, and explores the differences between communication theory and film cross-cultural practice. The study found that the practice of cross-cultural communication of Chinese films based on theory, based on the characteristics of films and modern technology, enriches the symbols of expression, and forms differences with dissemination in the way of communication, and the current Chinese film culture communication urgently needs to find more effective communication methods, to promote the plight of film customer service Speeding int

Cross-linguistic and Cross-cultural Practices, IOW Project and Dictionary Presented at the 6th ESTIDIA Conference

The methodological workshop IN OTHER WORDS. Coming to grips with critical, creative, inter-/cross-cultural dialogue across space and time. A methodological workshop to explore the role of keywords in (re)producing or problematizing Otherness was scheduled on June 15th and organized in four parts/hours - two hours of theoretical background, one hour of actual work in groups on the different keywords, and one hour of feedback. Based on our collective and ongoing work on the online dictionary In Other Words, our Workshop addressed these questions referring to the three paradoxes illustrated in the Call to demonstrate how a critical, creative and collective approach can challenge redundant monologues, enhance the plurality and diversity of perspectives, and promote inclusion - rather than reproducing exclusion - by offering alternatives to manipulative rhetoric and discriminating language against individuals and groups. Our Workshop invited participants to explore methodologically how dialogue-shared experiences of inter-/cross-linguistic and inter-/cross-cultural practices can develop across time and space by adopting a multilingual perspective and a multi-level dialogue among researchers, practitioners, activists, educators, and artists.

Cross border HRM challenges of Chinese companies: An exploratory study

With the growing footmark of Chinese MNCs around the globe, the management of the host country employees has been a new challenge on the horizon. The study aims to understand the human resource management and cross-cultural practices and challenges faced by Chinese companies across the border. This cross-sectional and exploratory study used semi-structured interviews and focus groups for the data collection. The respondents were Chinese managers from Chinese companies and Chinese cultural centres working in Pakistan. This study used thematic analysis with triangulation of sources and methods. This study found culture as a key theme affecting all the emerging human resource management themes. Chinese companies working in Pakistan use informal social networks in addition to traditional applicant recruitment methods. Cultural training is common along with technical training in particularly state-owned Chinese enterprises. Although in many Chinese companies, the parent country nationals fill top positions, local employees could be seen working in the top tier management of some Chinese companies. The Chinese companies’ management practices have not been paid much attention to in this region. This study enables us to develop deep insights into Chinese companies’ human resource management practices and challenges. This research also contributes to the literature on international human resource management and cross-cultural management.

Optimizing cultural intelligence development by considering different types of change

Increasing globalization and cultural diversity have accentuated the importance of developing cross-cultural competencies like cultural intelligence (CQ). Typically, scholars and professionals have viewed and operationalized CQ development as a quantitative change in mean CQ scores over time. This work argues that research and practice will benefit from expanding the operationalization of CQ development to include CQ reconceptualization and CQ measurement recalibration because these types of change are also integral to the CQ development process. This work highlights that by not examining the presence of CQ reconceptualization and CQ measurement recalibration before examining changes in mean CQ scores over time, scholars and practitioners could fail to recognize the presence of CQ development when it happens, create a threat to the substantive interpretation offindings, and further contribute to the inconsistent and conflicting research results. Methodologies for assessing different types of change in CQ development are discussed with implications for improving cross-cultural competence research and practice. The main contribution of this work lies in providing ways for improving the rigor of CQ development studies to enhance the quality of CQ development research and practice.

Cross-cultural practice frameworks in correctional settings

Correctional systems are often quite limited in their capacity to work cross-culturally and little guidance is currently available to support effective practice. This paper considers the different ways in which correctional practice is regulated, arguing that efforts to understand cultural values and knowledge are central to the development of cross-cultural practice guidelines. However, it is further suggested that specific advice about how professionals should respond to everyday scenarios is required if correctional services are to provide culturally safe/competent services. Two examples are provided to highlight how these might strengthen current practice and contribute to the development of comprehensive practice guidelines. • Cross-cultural practice is the foundation for effective service delivery and yet little guidance is available. • There is a need to develop cultural safety guidance in response to specific situations and circumstances. • Reflective practice and consultation with cultural knowledge holders is critical in the correctional setting.