Intercultural Communication

When you learn a language, you will find yourself focusing on four main communicative skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. But a language goes beyond expressing those basic needs and offers us a whole new way of looking at things coded in the culture that is transmitted through that language. Understanding a different culture means looking at familiar contexts and observing how people behave differently in their environment including their own social, intellectual, philosophical and moral values. If we are not familiar with those parameters we may find ourselves in funny, maybe even awkward situations.

Observe

In a journal, take notes on behaviors, phrases, and words you overhear and observe while at the store, in a restaurant, at a cultural fair, or in a family setting
Take photos or videos of products and practices in the target culture that are unfamiliar to you
Record conversations to listen to later for reference
Notice how language use is different online vs. spoken face-to-face
Notice how language use is different based on who you are talking to--family members, teachers, children, bosses, friends. Jot down the differences you notice

Courtesy of Stephanie Knight, Assistant Director of CASLS (Center for Applied Second Language Studies) with some additions from your program coordinator.

Reference: 2002, Cohen, Oxford, and Chi Language Strategy Use Survey

Analyze

Think about the cultural practices that are bound in language--often found in idioms or common expressions
Compare and contrast the terms of address you use in the target language and in your native language
Compare and contrast how you apologize, make requests, start and end conversations in the target language and in your native language
Engage in research (in L1 or L2) to better understand cultural complexities
Use a Venn Diagram or other mental mapping tool to compare and contrast cultural practices and artefacts in the target language/culture and your own
Reflect on your understanding and identify what you still need to know/understand

Courtesy of Stephanie Knight, Assistant Director of CASLS (Center for Applied Second Language Studies) with some additions from your program coordinator.

Reference: 2002, Cohen, Oxford, and Chi Language Strategy Use Survey

Practice

List new words that you want to include in your piece
Practice writing the alphabet, characters and new words
Plan out in advanced how to write in a particular genre
Try writing different types of texts
Create an outline or storyboard before you begin

Courtesy of Stephanie Knight, Assistant Director of CASLS (Center for Applied Second Language Studies)

Reference: 2002, Cohen, Oxford, and Chi Language Strategy Use Survey

Extend

Prepare teaching examples that showcase how to argue/apologize/debate and/or engage in target behaviors (routines around dining)
Start a blog that discusses the phenomena you notice about the target culture/language
Write a paper about the different ways to make a request in the target language and what contexts different methods are appropriate in
Participate in an online community (gaming, social media) in which members of the target culture share ideasUse ideas from reflection to create new activities for yourself to explore the target culture

Courtesy of Stephanie Knight, Assistant Director of CASLS (Center for Applied Second Language Studies)

Reference: 2002, Cohen, Oxford, and Chi Language Strategy Use Survey

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