Intercultural Competence
Intercultural competence (IC) is ranked fourth of the top ten work skills needed for the future according to Future Work Skills 2020, a study conducted by the Institute for the Future for the University of Phoenix Research Institute in 2011.
The resources provided on this page serve to assist language programs as they:
- respond to Glenn Levine’s (2014: 72) call to “fundamentally alter how we, the professionals, think about the ontology of foreign language teaching” and how it fits in the university’s educational goals, and
- change messaging about the value of language study by highlighting that the study of any world language, even without attaining high proficiency levels, is essential for achieving the university’s goals and obtaining transferable skills that are part of intercultural competence.
The literature to date has not settled on one particular definition of Intercultural Competence. However, Darla Deardorff, executive director of the Association of International Education Administrators based in Durham, North Carolina, developed a model that has persisted as a dominant model in the field.
Deardorf’s (2006: 254) Model Summarized
A narrative version of (originally presented in the form of a more detailed pyramid) might read as:
Intercultural competence is a lifelong process that includes the development of the following areas to learn how to behave and communicate effectively and appropriately to achieve one’s goals to some degree:
- Attitudes (respect and valuing of other cultures, openness, curiosity)
- Knowledge (of self, culture, sociolinguistic issues)
- Skills (listen, observe, interpret, analyze, evaluate, and relate)
- Qualities (adaptability, flexibility, empathy and cultural decentering)
“In an increasingly multicultural business environment, the modern business professional works with individuals from a wide range of diverse backgrounds and cultures. Valuing the differences of others is what ultimately brings us all together and can be the secret to a successful, thriving workplace and a fair work culture.
At Huntington, we embrace and value the differences in others not only because it is the right thing to do but also because it is imperative for business success. Ensuring our colleagues have high intercultural competence leads to stronger relationships, higher performance and greater employee satisfaction"
Jhumpa Lahiri: A Spokesperson for IC
00:00:01
From a secret location in room 100 of 540 Jack Gibbs Boulevard, this is Craft.
00:00:07 Janice Aski
I'm Janice Aski, professor of Italian at The Ohio State University.
00:00:12
In early 2020, I had the distinct pleasure of going to Princeton with Katie Crouch, who's senior portfolio manager for McGraw-Hill, and Chris Herman of Matic Media, to interview Jhumpa Lahiri.
00:00:24
Lahiri is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who, as an adult, decided to learn Italian so she could write novels in Italian.
00:00:32
In our interview, Lahiri talked about why we should learn a new language, even if we don't become fluent.
00:00:37
She talks about what it's like to learn a new language, and she talks about how it can impact our life.
00:00:42
You can find this interview at the McGraw-Hill website under the World Languages tab.
00:00:47
Sometimes people have a hard time contextualizing studying a language.
00:00:52
So when I asked her why we should learn a new language, Lahiri drew an interesting analogy to playing soccer.
00:00:59 Jhumpa Lahiri
It's the learning of anything that is enriching.
00:01:02
Whether it's learn how to play soccer, maybe you don't end up being a soccer player, but you learn how to play the game.
00:01:08
You learn how to play with others.
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That's what learning a language is.
00:01:12
It’s a game, you learn how to play a new game, and you learn how to play it with others.
00:01:17
And then you have that, it becomes a part of who you are.
00:01:21
That experience of learning becomes a part of who you are.
00:01:25 Janice Aski
I love how she talks about how learning a language becomes part of who you are.
00:01:29
We're all working out who we are, but college students are really at the start of this journey.
00:01:34
As our conversation continued, Lahiri pointed out how learning a new language really changes our understanding of ourselves.
00:01:40 Jhumpa Lahiri
Well, I believe you can only really know yourself by going outside of yourself.
00:01:44
And that's why narratives of self-knowledge have always involved a journey.
00:01:48
So whether it's Dante's Inferno or Moby Dick, it's the knowledge of the self, right?
00:01:54
So many religious traditions have this idea of, you know, the journey as being the form of self-awareness, of self-knowledge.
00:02:03
The literal journey, the physical journey, the geographical, the climbing of the mountain, the crossing of the sea, the crossing of the desert.
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I think that is the fundamental act.
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In order for us to know ourselves, we have to know the other.
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It's of a piece.
00:02:16 Janice Aski
I am so struck by what she says about, in order for us to know ourselves, we have to know the Other.
00:02:21
And in this case, I'm using a capital O on other, meaning someone who comes from a different background, someone who has different ways of perceiving and understanding the world.
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This is the basis of intercultural competence, which is defined as the capability to shift cultural perspectives and adapt behaviors across cultural differences.
00:02:41
Intercultural competence is ranked 4th in the top 10 skills needed for working in the future, and what better place to develop intercultural competence than in the language classroom, which Lahiri points out gives unique challenges to the learner.
00:02:54 Jhumpa Lahiri
If you're really going to learn a new language, you have to disarm yourself, and you have to become a child again in some sense.
00:03:01
You have to relearn how to speak, how to express yourself, how to read, how to communicate,
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how to make friends, how to think, all of these things you're relearning in a new language.
00:03:12
Yes, it's awkward, it's embarrassing, you don't feel as confident, you don't feel as proud, you don't feel as secure.
00:03:19
But again, it's that idea of being in uncharted waters and taking a risk because something is calling you.
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to know what is beyond you.
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It's a matter of deciding to make the dive, right?
00:03:34
And yes, of course it's scary because the unknown is scary.
00:03:37
The unknown is a scary thing for all of us, but it is also fundamental to engage with what is outside of us and what is beyond us.
00:03:47
Our humanity depends on that.
00:03:51 Janice Aski
I think it's worth focusing on how when we're learning a language, we are not as confident or proud or secure.
00:03:58
My research has shown that this is where our students are learning empathy, as they really understand what the struggle to communicate in another language is like.
00:04:06
They experience what it's like to take that risk, to know what's beyond them, especially when they meet Italians at our courses.
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They get to know someone who is different from them.
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We make it clear in language courses that these experiences are not just about interacting with people from another country, but also about interacting with diversity in their own environment.
00:04:26
Lahiri is so right to say that it is fundamental to engage with what is beyond us because our humanity depends on it.
00:04:34
For more information from my guests, www.crafttheshow.com. This is Doug Dangler. ‘Til next time, be creative.
- Communicating across cultures requires commitment and concentration.
- Expand your cultural repertoire by learning to understand different communication styles.
- Understand communication patterns. Although culture affects differences in communication patterns, there are many exceptions within each group depending on class, age, education, experience, and personality.
- Recognizing sources of conflict. When communications cause conflict, be aware that problems might have more to do with style or process than with content or motives.
- Remember that communication is a process and that the process varies among cultures.
- Use language that fosters trust and alliance.
- Respect differences in the ways that people speak.
- Be flexible and open-minded, as well as eager to learn news ways of doing things.
- Be patient and observant.
- Show your interest in learning and broadening your horizons.
- Be open to demonstrate curiosity and asking questions.
- Be aware that you represent your country to everyone you meet.