Articles
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Is there really a need for assessing intercultural competence? Some ethical issues
Abstract: Assessing intercultural competence (IC) is one of the hot-button issues within intercultural language education research today. Even if there are “more questions than answers” (Sercu, 2010) about this matter, it is generally accepted that assessing IC is somehow possible and necessary. This conceptual paper shifts from possibility to ethics, and discusses some reasons why assessing IC may not be considered opportune from an ethical... [...] Read more
The Impact of Symbolic Culture on the Understanding of Visual Figuration in a Cross-Cultural Environment
Abstract: This paper focuses on the understanding of visual rhetorical figures as they appear in today’s globalized advertising. A sound theoretical model (i.e., Phillips and McQuarrie 2004) is first reviewed to select a good representative sampling (i.e., 9 advertisements) of the behaviour domain measured. Then, a population of 60 English language students are questioned regarding these 9 advertisements. This study uses a combined methodology,... [...] Read more
A Monolithic “Dead End” or a “Hybrid Exit”? Cultural Hybrids Facing National Image Construction & Their Role in the History of Intercultural Communication
Abstract: Intercultural communication in the context of national construction is often associated exclusively with our era of globalization. But, in fact, it has been present for over 150 years, in reference to multi-ethnic regions, in particular. Therefore, the paper goes back to the origins of cultural hybridity as a historical and intercultural phenomenon, facing the emergence of national image construction, in order to gain a deeper understanding... [...] Read more
you have to face the fact that you're a foreigner: Immigrants’ Lived Experience of Communication and Negotiation Position Toward their Employer in Iceland
Abstract: There is a growing need for highly skilled employees in the Icelandic labor market which will increasingly need to be filled by highly skilled immigrants. Despite offering knowledge and skills that are in demand, there are indications that these immigrants are facing barriers when it comes to compensation, opportunities and promotions. The study seeks to explore how highly skilled immigrants in Iceland experience their negotiation... [...] Read more
Reel Life Methodology Developing intercultural competence through film fragments and dialogue in South Africa
Abstract: South Africa is a multicultural country; however, the politics of the past have resulted in teachers from diverse cultures being ignorant of the mores of others with whom they interact. Teachers thus risk transferring preconceived knowledge and attitudes into the classroom. The aim of this study was to explore to what extent the methodology of Reel Life can promote the development of intercultural competence among South African teachers.... [...] Read more
Terror at Home On the Rhetoric of Domestic Violence Legislation in the United Kingdom and Spain
Abstract: The present study analyses two Parliamentary Acts on the subject of domestic violence: the Spanish Organic Law 1/2004 on Comprehensive Protection Measures against Gender Violence and the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 from the United Kingdom. The analysis of the texts (organised into two corpora, SPA and UKA respectively) was carried out in three different stages, the first one consisting in the automatic processing of the two... [...] Read more
“The Chinese Will Not Change; We Have To Change” Adjustment of the Finns to the Chinese in a Chinese Investment Facilitation Context
Abstract: This paper explores the intercultural communication, cultural adjustment strategies and power relations between Finnish and Chinese representatives in the context of Chinese investment facilitation in Finland. The study is mostly based on interviews of individuals who work either for one of Finland’s state agencies tasked with attracting investment or local government. When analyzing aspects of power, the paper’s theoretical basis is the... [...] Read more