Successful Intercultural Communication Research Articles

The concept of Business English teaching (higher education)

This paper focuses on the differences between General English and Business English in terms of linguistic and linguodidactic approaches. References to normative documents and fundamental studies are essential for conducting in-depth research in the field of Business English. The paper presents and analyzes multiple sources that address the topic and describes the significance of the target audience in Business English. The article also discusses the key aspects necessary for modeling teaching materials and addresses the roles performed by the Business English teacher, namely: aids taking into account the needs and assessing the abilities of the target audience, the necessary conditions in a multicultural educational environment for students to exchange their cultural values, new educational and methodological resources, such as problem-based communicative tasks that promote the development of necessary competencies and skills for conducting successful intercultural communication in a business environment, etc. The paper examines and analyzes various Business English courses taught in Russian universities. It aims to correlate the course content with the requirements outlined in normative documents and educational standards.

Uticaj stereotipa na interkulturalnu komunikaciju

Broadly speaking, stereotyping is a cognitive mechanism that underlies all aspects of intercultural processes-the way individuals perceive members of other groups shapes their attitudes and behavior towards them and influence different types of intercultural interactions and worldviews Based on the assumption that positive stereotypes about people who come from other cultures are used in human communication as an expression of each person's need to simplify all impressions and representations in order to understand the world and the people around them, positive stereotypes can facilitate communication. On the other hand, negative stereotypes in intercultural communication can lead to complete misunderstandings because it is assumed that all people within a certain group have the same characteristics. Therefore, both positive and negative stereotypes in intercultural communication can result in unfounded generalisations, false evaluations and oversimplifications, thus forming the basis for unfair behavior and labelling towards those to whom they refer, in addition to discrimination and interpersonal conflicts. In the search for a model for successful intercultural communication, the principle that culturally specific information should not be applied to all members of a cultural group and that the uniqueness of each member of the group must be respected can be considered extremely important. Stereotypical classifications should not be resistant to change as they relate to relationships between people, which are highly susceptible to change. Successful intercultural communicators should be able to form an opinion based on their communication experience and independent observations, free from stereotypes that they may have consciously or unconsciously gained. Also, viewing the world from the prism of others, not only from our own egocentric and ethnocentric position, and not allowing stereotypes to act as "filters", which allow in only what is similar to our cultural behavior, are important in preventing the adverse effects of stereotypes on communication. Therefore, a recommendable model of successful and efficient intercultural communication is unburdened by bias and stereotypes towards the members of cultural groups different from our own.

Development of Students' Linguistic and Cultural Outlook on the Example of the Concept of "Intensity" in German and Russian

The article is devoted to the analysis of the development of the linguistic and cultural outlook of students of non-linguistic specialties in the process of teaching language and culture, since for the formation of a linguistic personality it is very important to possess not only communicative competence, but also to be able to use intercultural knowledge for self-improvement. In the system of teaching foreign languages, one of the main goals of training is the formation of a personality capable of conducting successful intercultural communication, establishing intercultural contacts, and a decent representation of native culture. achieving these goals is possible with the help of many factors. Not only the knowledge of the language at a high level, but also the possession of cultural experience, knowledge, skills and skills of intercultural communication determines the qualified specialist in demand. Therefore, the inclusion of phraseological units from different languages in the educational process allows expanding the horizons of students, forming their linguistic and cultural culture.

Exploring Intercultural Communication as a Means to Promote Inclusivity in Diverse Organisations: A Study in a South African University

The paper aimed at exploring intercultural communication as a means to promote inclusivity in diverse organisations. The study adopted a case study design with qualitative data. A semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions was utilised as the main data collection tool from a sample of ten purposively selected professionals from the departments responsible for transformation, employment equity, and diversity; human resources development, corporate affairs, and marketing. The study’s findings showed that the university lacked a well-thought-out action plan for taking a deliberate approach to intercultural communication as a means to promote inclusivity. In particular, the staff felt that there was no deliberate attempt to guarantee that intercultural communication was handled uniformly throughout the university and that communication strategy documents did not offer direction regarding how successful intercultural communication could take place. The university’s current practices in relation to cultural awareness and training initiatives only focus on cultural diversity and should be amplified to include raising awareness of how intercultural communication can unify people who differ culturally towards a common purpose. Furthermore, the university should consider expanding its current cultural diversity training programmes to include training on intercultural communication dimensions. Cultural awareness campaigns in the form of information fliers, cultural events, and cultural training sessions should form an integral part of intercultural communication enhancement initiatives.

The role of intercultural competence in successful intercultural communication of students in foreign language learning

Relevance. Globalisation, migration, increasing international relations and exchanges create the need for effective communication between people from different cultures and language communities, and therefore the investigation of intercultural competence becomes a relevant issue for foreign language students.Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of intercultural competence in ensuring successful intercultural communication of students engaged in foreign language learning in higher education institutions.Methodology. This study employed a set of methods of scientific cognition, namely analysis, systematisation, abstraction, and generalisation.Results. As a result of the study performed, it was possible to explore aspects of successful intercultural communication in students� foreign language learning, such as mutual respect, active listening, flexibility and tolerance, language skills, intercultural literacy, common goals and interests, practice and tolerance for mistakes, and self-awareness. As a result of this paper, it was found that intercultural competence can improve students� motivation to learn a foreign language, as understanding other cultures can make learning more interesting and meaningful.Conclusions. The study explored that technology in education and online learning can contribute to the development of intercultural competence. In addition, the study found that globalisation processes and migration affect the need for intercultural competence. Educational institutions and teachers can use the findings of this study to develop more effective foreign language teaching programmes, including components that promote the development of students� intercultural competence.

Acquisition of Communicative Skills by Foreign Students in a Multicultural Learning Environment

The study's relevance was determined by the lack of attention towards specific aspects of foreign students' acquisition of communicative skills in a multicultural setting and the need to record the psychological and pedagogical circumstances of academic activities that facilitate successful intercultural communication skills acquisition. This study aimed to provide evidence for theoretical claims and describe the experiment that aimed to validate the psychological and pedagogical conditions under which foreign students can acquire communicative skills within a multicultural environment at Kazakh University. To investigate the cognitive, emotional, and personality-based behavioural components of communicative skills, a range of valid methods were selected. The study was conducted using a mixed method. The research comprised 22 students from China, 14 students from the Republic of Korea, 19 students from Afghanistan, 20 students from the Republic of Iran, and 9 students from Vietnam, all pursuing their education in Kazakhstan at two universities. The research results showed that high levels of empathy and ethnic tolerance were obtained by 26.4% of the experimental group and 28.2% of the control group students respectively. It was found that conflict situations were more likely to arise as a result of competition, which was confirmed by 36.8% of the experimental group and 34.8% of the control group. The results obtained have significantly broadened the parameters of foreign students' learning and work activity's communicative and personality aspects.

OVERCOMING STEREOTYPES IN THE KOREAN-SLAVIC INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION (based on the Korean-Ukrainian and Korean-Polish Intercultural Communication)

The article is devoted to the analysis of stereotypes in the Korean-Slavic intercultural communication which were revealed during a survey of Korean students, which was conducted at the Department of Ukrainian Studies and Department of Polishat Hankuk University of Foreign Studies inApril and November 2021. It deals with the causes of these stereotypes and characterizes the ways to overcome them based on M. Bennett’s model of intercultural sensitivity development and stereotype-oriented learning, which Korean students studied during lectures on the discipline “Understanding the Modern Slavic Cultural Code”. The procedure of the analysis went through several stages: 1) revealing stereotypes through anonymous surveys among students; 2) quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data obtained; 3) stereotype-oriented /non-stereotyped teaching and feedback from the students. The results of the first stage of the survey show that in Korean-Slavic intercultural communication, Korean students are mostly at the ethnocentric stage. This is due to the lack of information about Ukraine and Ukrainians and Poland and Poles in the Korean media, personal contacts, as well as “old” stereotypes inherited from the older generation. Instead, at the end of the academic year, Korean students progressed to the ethno-relativistic stage thanks to stereotype-oriented learning, which helped them understand many specific features of Slavic cultures (especially Ukrainian and Polish). Therefore, further study of the formation and overcoming of stereotypes in Korean-Slavic communication will contribute to the integration of three cultures and successful intercultural communication between Koreans and Ukrainians and Poles. Key words: Korean-Slavic intercultural communication, Korean students, Ukraine, Poland, stereotypes, developmental model of intercultural sensitivity (DMIS).

Китайские сказки как средство формирования лингвокультурологической компетенции студентов-международников

The paper deals with the issues of linguoculturological competence formation among students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Relations within the framework of Chinese teaching, which contributes to the improvement of intercultural communication. The work explores the linguoculturological approach to linguoculturological competence formation, which is a part of the intercultural communicative competence of language university students. In this regard, Chinese fairy tales are a valuable linguocultural material that contributes to an adequate understanding of national specifics and does not overload students with complex vocabulary, but at the same time, it is filled with cultural concepts, idioms, proverbs and linguoculturemes. The study aims to substantiate the feasibility of using Chinese fairy tales in the methodology of Chinese teaching as a linguocultural material for linguoculturological competence formation among international relations students. The paper describes the main genres of Chinese fairy tales and the principles of selecting the texts of Chinese fairy tales. The scientific novelty of the work lies in developing a system of using Chinese fairy tales as a linguocultural educational material for the compulsory discipline “Foreign Language (Chinese)” of the bachelor’s degree program “International Relations” in order to form students’ linguoculturological competence. As a result of the study, the linguodidactic potential of Chinese fairy tales for linguoculturological competence formation among students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Relations has been revealed. It has been proved that it is the formed linguoculturological competence that will contribute to a student’s successful intercultural communication with a representative of another linguistic culture.

The Cultural Content Represented in the Middle School EFL Course: Target, International, and Source

This research aims to report the upshots of the textbook analysis in an attempt to figure out which kind of cultural content is represented in the EFL textbook "My Book of English," designed for first-year Algerian middle school classes. Two main research questions are selected to be addressed: 1) To what extent are the cultures represented in the first-year middle school EFL textbook? And 2) which type of culture dominates in the examined textbook? Based on these questions, we would then formulate a hypothesis that aligns with the study objectives: There is an equal representation of cultural content in the middle school EFL textbook as regards international, source, or target. In this research, document analysis is used for data collection, which involves an examination of the textbook itself as the primary source. Analyzing this textbook involves the use of content and cultural analysis, using existing frameworks to identify different elements and examining cultural content to represent different cultural perspectives, respectively. The findings reveal that the majority of the culture content is source (local), followed by a non-specific source of culture that has no reference to any particular culture, whereas target/international cultures are barely represented and an unequal representation of Big ‘C’ and small ‘c’ culture types is very noticeable. The research findings aim to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by informing curriculum design and development and providing insights for other researchers to build upon this research by expanding the scope. Additionally, the results may provide valuable insights and guidance for EFL teachers to reflect on their teaching practices. By way of consequence, it sounds plausible that textbook designers find a remedy and provide an equal cultural representation of the source and the target/international culture to enable learners to build successful intercultural communication competence and avoid communication breakdowns and culture shock.
 

Intercultural communication in long-term care: The perspective of relatives from Switzerland

IntroductionDue to globalization and the resulting diversity intercultural communication is increasingly coming to the fore. In addition, long-term care is mainly staffed with caregivers who have a migration background, which makes successful intercultural communication all the more important. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to define recommendations by interviewing relatives which can be used to promote intercultural communication in long-term care with regard to relationship building. MethodA qualitative explorative content analysis, which follows the content-structuring method with an inductive approach. The semi-structured guided individual interviews were conducted with relatives (n = 14) of residents from two retirement centers in Switzerland. ResultsFour categories were defined: “Perceive communication as a need”, “Consider the desire for recognition of relatives”, “Promote readiness of caregivers”, and “Know opportunities and challenges in intercultural communication”. ConclusionIntercultural communication means being aware of the significance of culture and one's own origins in order to recognize the peculiarities of the counterpart and to interact sensitively with them. Relatives want to be actively involved when nurses reach their limits in communication and interaction. Relatives want safe care that is based on empathy. When nurses show concern towards others in a person-centered way and are aware of where they come from, this can promote trust and contribute significantly to supporting communication and interaction between cultures.

Toward a model of informal digital learning of English and intercultural competence: a large-scale structural equation modeling approach

Utilizing a structural equation modeling approach, this article aims to examine the dynamics between Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) and Intercultural Competence (ICC). Altogether, 1490 Chinese college students from different types of universities in China answered the self-developed and validated IDLE-ICC questionnaire. The results indicated that Knowledge of Self, Knowledge of Others, Attitude, Awareness, and Intercultural Communication Skills stood out to be the core dimensions of measuring ICC in the Chinese higher education context. It was also found that by participating in IDLE activities, Chinese college students could acquire knowledge of the English language and culture, take attitudes of openness and curiosity, foster the ability to understand cultural differences, and thus gradually acquire the competence to engage in future successful intercultural communication. Additionally, it has been confirmed that students’ knowledge of the Chinese language and culture served as an important factor in developing their ICC, and that intercultural awareness featured in understanding Chinese college EFL learners’ ICC. This article also provides implications for future intercultural research and pedagogical practices.

КОНЦЕПЦИЯ КУЛЬТУРНОГО ИНТЕЛЛЕКТА В ПРАКТИКЕ ОБУЧЕНИЯ РУССКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ КАК ИНОСТРАННОМУ

In the context of increasing intercultural interaction in education, the knowledge of specific features in other cultures and the ability to use the tools enabling more effective intercultural communication in the educational process is of particular importance. The concept of cultural intelligence is aimed at successful intercultural communication, but now its description in the field of language learning is fragmentary. The purpose of the article is to analyze the concept of cultural intelligence and to highlight characteristics relevant to teaching a foreign language (on the example of Russian as a foreign language). The paper describes the concept of cultural intelligence, as well as the main directions of the application of the theory in an educational context (from the teacher’s perspective, from the student’s perspective and from the teaching materials’ perspective). The study’s novelty is related to the analysis of learning materials for their potential to have a meaningful impact on the level of cultural intelligence of students. Comprehensive understanding of the above- mentioned issues allow highlighting the key areas of empirical research that exist now, as well as outlining the prospects for further research. Thereupon, of particular interest are the studies of cultural intelligence and ethnic identity of students in the context of the mutual influence of these parameters on the organization of the educational process and academic results of students

Стереотипное представление о неконфликтном человеке в русской деловой коммуникации

Adjectives that characterize personality traits form an important part of the world picture of the national language. The purpose of this study is to identify the stereotypical representation behind the adjective non-conflict in Russian business communication, and more broadly - in different types of discourse. The analysis uses a cognitive-discursive approach to the language based on the texts of resumes, character references, job advertisements, lexicographic sources, the National Corpus of the Russian Language, reflexive statements of Internet users and the results of a survey of native speakers. The study concludes that non-conflict is more viewed as a business quality of a person, and it refers to working in a team. This personality trait in most cases is used in relation to men. When it comes to women, then combinations with nouns denoting the social status of a woman are often used, making the use of an adjective in the masculine form possible. The results obtained can be used to present the adjective non-conflict to the foreign audience, compile a learner's dictionary of personality traits, contribute to more successful intercultural and business communication.

Interpersonal relations

I trust that you, like me, are thrilled to be living in what must be considered the most exciting, dynamic and challenging era of this century. But like you, I am not that naïve to realise that it is an easy one free of problems. Never before in the lifetime of man has the need for a better understanding of communication and culture and their effect on interpersonal relations been so essential. Intercultural relations hinges on effective intercultural communication and for this to happen it is essential to understand the terms culture and communication. Culture can be defined as learned behaviours of a group living in a geographical area - i.e., behaviours related to knowledge, values and beliefs, attitudes, religions, concepts of self and the universe, hierarchies of status, spatial relations, time concepts, ethnicity, language, etc. Culture is variable, everchanging, gradually but continuously, and to further complicate understanding, there are individual differences within any given culture. Communication is, of course, the act of communicating - the act of understanding and being understood. Intercultural communication, therefore, is the act of communication when the message sender is from one culture and the message receiver is from another culture. Successful intercultural communication is the establishment and sharing of common meanings in the sender- receiver (Meanings are in people, not in messages). This process is obviously complicated and influenced by cultural factors, such as those mentioned above, not to mention language differences and patterns of thinking

Misinterpretation of speaker intent in a multilingual workforce

This article deals with communication problems in intercultural communication in the workplace.Findings from this study have practical implications for developers of both intercultural and languagecourses. The research established that a beckoning gesture commonly used by white people isregarded as offensive by most blacks. At the same time many whites are unaware of non-verbalpoliteness markers signalled by means of kinetics. What whites interpret as "blunt" requests (oftenregarded as demands) can be ascribed to different norms of communication in African languages.These findings have implications for successful intercultural communication in an industrial society.Awareness of differences in verbal and non-verbal behaviour (termed mutual ignorance by Reagan)needs to be included in training for all members of the multicultural workforce.

E-Learning Teaching: Supportive Online Course ‘English Fastpass’

The aim of this paper is to prove the hypothesis that in order to cope with the adversities and hardships and meet the demands of the wartime and pandemic challenges, a complex of tools and techniques has to be applied including new teaching strategies with the use of multimedia, mobile applications and employing learning possibilities of social networking sites, Google classroom tools and other instruments with online course “English Fastpass”. 
 Methodology. In this research theoretical, empirical and statistical methods are used. Theoretical methods (analysis and synthesis) serve to analyze opportunities, advantages and disadvantages of social media as a new tool of teaching. Empirical ones (observation, testing, pedagogical experiment) provide conducting the experiment itself. Statistical methods (one sample t-test) helped make statistical analysis of the pedagogical experimental data.
 Results. The complex of tools and techniques to teach English is implemented effectively by online course “English Fastpass” aimed at preparing students for passing English Exam. The offered extra-class activities are definitely very successful: daily vocabulary and grammar tasks followed by weekly online analysis; challenges (one-week of three-week activities focused on improving general English proficiency and cultural awareness); exam boosters focused on practicing a particular exam task type; monthly webinars; quizzes and games. The resulting experimental data showed the significant progress in students' performance in both linguistic and intercultural competences, and specifically in use of English tasks. The final assessment in all English language practical skills, including the competence in intercultural communication, confirmed considerable advance of the all-language competences. 
 Conclusion. The effectiveness of applying different unconventional extra-class activities is proven. They are followed by weekly online analysis. The most helpful of them for learning process are exam boosters, monthly webinars, quizzes and games. Using the visualisation techniques, influencing students' emotions and feelings, the abovementioned online course “English Fastpass” facilitates efficient acquisition and better memorizing along with the ability to use the knowledge in the appropriate tasks, which in the long run will help successful intercultural communication. Judging by the comments made by the students they would find such methods of teaching extremely encouraging and stimulating.

К вопросу о лексических закономерностях перевода пожарно-технических терминов

Introduction. Translating fire-technical terms is a difficult task for a translator, since if the meaning of a word is conveyed incorrectly or inaccurately, the goal of translation - successful intercultural communication - cannot be achieved. The difficulty in achieving translation equivalence lies in linguistic lacuna of corresponding phenomena in Russia and abroad, as well as in the lack of knowledge in professional sphere due to the narrow focus of the field. In view of the need for interaction between Russia and foreign countries on fire safety issues, the problem of finding the right equivalences seems to be one of the most important.
 Aim. The purpose of this article is a comparative analysis of fire-technical terms taken from authentic sources.
 Methodology and research methods. The study was conducted by random sampling of terms from specialized texts. The authors relied on a comparative method to identify differences between the selected terms in two languages.
 Results. The article analyzes the translation principles and transformations that are most often used when translating fire-technical texts. The conclusion of the expediency of applying this or that technique is made, and it is shown that the price that should be paid for a translation mistake is too high. 
 Scientific novelty. This work is intended to draw attention to lexical gaps formed in translation studies due to lack of knowledge in the sphere of fire-technical terms interlingual correspondence.
 Practical significance. The study contributes to the development of efficient communication between professionals from different countries in the field of fire safety. The article may be of interest not only to translators, but also to technical experts, as it allows comparing instrumentarium used in different countries.

Особености на бизнес комуникацията и културните специфики в поведението на поколението Z

Abstract: Nowadays recruitment is very competitive. Different companies publish their job ads online on a daily basis, using various channels and strategies. Using a marketing approach to recruitment allows segmentation and strategic targeting. Business communication has become an important tool for a successful recruitment campaign. Targeting the message to Generation Z requires knowledge of their “average Joe”. Using business communication tools as well as knowledge about cultural differences and dimensions and successful intercultural communication can guarantee relevant and suitable activities to involve capable representatives of Generation Z during the recruiting process. Creating the right message in the job advertisement can attract the best candidates. This article presents results from empirical research on what Generation Z finds attractive in a workplace. 282 people are interviewed using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. The results show Generation Z values social service, creativity, the manager’s technical knowledge, authority and compensation. Using those factors as key words in the job advertisement can result in both attracting the right candidates and reducing recruitment costs. The research is done in a Bulgarian cultural environment. Key words: business communications, advertisement message, recruiting, generation Z, values, work environment.

Investigating Indonesian EFL pre-service teachers’ conceptions of culture and intercultural competence

Globalization inevitably increases communication among people from different languages and cultural backgrounds. This phenomenon dramatically demands changes in the traditional aims of language teaching which rely on the norms and values of native-speaking countries. A large body of literature encourages language teaching to be concerned more with intercultural competence (hereinafter IC), which is allegedly effective to help students achieve successful intercultural communication. Nonetheless, in the Indonesian context, there is still an iota of evidence regarding pre-service teachers’ understandings of the terms culture and IC. Thus, this study attempts to gain insights into Indonesian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) pre-service teachers’ understandings of culture and IC. It is considered as a single case study employing questionnaires and interviews. In total, 26 EFL pre-service teachers participated in this study by answering a questionnaire, with mainly close-ended and some open-ended questions. From these participants, seven pre-service teachers were interviewed. The results suggested the discrepancy in the participants’ understandings of culture and IC. This condition may hinder the meaningful goals of cultural teaching and the effective pedagogical practices in their future EFL classrooms. Drawing on the results, the present study provides some recommendations for the pre-service teachers and teacher education in an attempt to develop cultural teaching in English Language Teaching (ELT).

Linguistic phenomena at play in the Saudi EFL classroom

The present study assesses the correlation between metalinguistic awareness and language dominance for bilingual Saudi EFL learners as such factors are responsible for successful intercultural communication. The study participants comprise convenience samples, a total of 166 EFL learners, selected by native-speaking EFL teachers from eight sections in the language and translation departments at Qassim University. The study also examines the vocabulary size of these participants who are all from the second and third levels of education by applying a cross-sectional survey approach. The aim is to understand the role of metalinguistic awareness and language dominance in the interactions of the sample who are comparably native in Arabic and English with native English speakers. Results of the study show that Saudi bilingual learners have high positive perceptions in lexical metalinguistic awareness and moderate levels with regard to language dominance. The study also shows that there is a correlation between metalinguistic awareness and language dominance (r=0.78) as the receptive and expressive vocabulary quantity are the significant predictors. Moreover, results show that vocabulary size is not affected by morphological metalinguistic awareness.