Why inter-Cultural Communication?-The importance of multi, cross, or Intercultural Communication in our modern society is unequivocal: One of the key changes our globalised World has brought about is the need to communicate effectively with different 
people in different languages and from different cultures. It is now recognised that linguistic and cultural knowledge are two of the most vital areas of knowledge that organisations and individuals must acquire if they are to integrate, progress and succeed in the present world economy. Cross cultural communication is a must! The topic of intercultural competence became more and more important during the past years: The unavoidable increased Globalisation and worldwide interaction of people, goods and services, has placed a hitch free, multi-cultural, communication on a high demand listing.
Why acquire intercultural competence?
Intercultural competence is the prerequisite basic ability, for any interaction! It is not only necessary to have social skills, but also to improve the sensitivity and understanding for other values, views, ways of living and thinking, as well as being self-conscious in transferring one’s own values and views in a clear, but appropriate way. Intercultural competence helps to understand others and speeds up goal achievement.
Basic needs are sensitivity and self-consciousness: the understanding of other behaviours and ways of thinking as well as the ability to express one’s own point of view in a transparent way with the aim to be understood and respected by staying flexible where this is possible, and being clear and transparent where this is necessary. Intercultural competence is the ability of successful communication with people of other cultures. This ability can exist in someone at a young age, or may be developed and improved due to willpower and competence. The bases for a successful intercultural communication are emotional competence, together with intercultural sensitivity. The goal of assessing intercultural competence is to find out if a person has this ability or the potential for it. Cultures can be different not only between continents or nations, but also within the same company or even family: every human being has their own history, their own life and therefore also (in a certain extent) their own culture resp. cultural affiliation (geographical, ethnical, moral, ethical, religious, political, historical)
Everything that occurs within our families, a school - especially in the classroom, or in our workplaces, involves communication, the act of sharing information. Sometimes communication involves the use of oral or written verbal symbols. On other occasions, communication involves various types of nonverbal symbols, including body language. Communication is the medium for instruction, assessment, interpersonal relationships, group interactions, parent and community relations and counseling. Most behavior problems in schools or at work and their resolutions, involve some type of communication. In sum, communication permeates education.
Communication is culture-bound. The way an individual communicates emanates from his or her culture. Of course, a person may know more than one culture or may be competent in a combination of cultures. Nonetheless, one basic truth prevails: communication is a product of culture. Students or workers with different cultural norms are at risk if teachers or supervisors have little knowledge, sensitivity or appreciation of the diversity in communication styles. Such teachers/bosses may perceive differences as problems and respond to students/workers' diversify with negative attitudes, low expectations and culturally inappropriate teaching and assessment procedures.
Culturally and communicative diverse students or workers, in turn, may respond with low self concepts and low academic achievement to a school climate or work environment they perceive as hostile. The result is reflected in these students' excessive placements in special education, reduced placements in talented and gifted programs and high suspension rates. The advent of globalization has changed fundamentally, the nature of our governments, businesses, organisations and populations. In summary, we are no longer constrained by state boundaries but have all become part of an interdependent international network. Understanding other cultures today is a must!
Examples Of Cultural Differences: Behaviours And Body Languages Are Never Universal!
Expressions are differentiated according their importance: for the Inuits (Eskimos) snow is part of their everyday life, so many words exist to describe it. Similarly the Zulus use many words for the colour „green”. In Arabic countries the odours (of condiments, coffee etc.) are often perceived in more differentiated ways than e. g. in northern America.
- Shaking the head in a horizontal direction in most countries means „no”, while in India it means „yes”, and in Hindi language the voice lowers in pitch at the end of a question. For the Eskimos hospitality might include offering a visitor their wives for a night whereas in most cultures this is an abomination.
- Showing the thumb held upwards means in Latin America, especially Brazil, „everything’s ok”, while it is understood in Islamic countries as a rude sexual sign.
- „Everything ok” is shown in western European countries, especially between pilots and divers, with the sign of the thumb and forefinger forming an „O”. This sign means in Japan „now we may talk about money”, in southern France the contrary („nothing, without any value”), in Spain, some Latin American countries, Eastern Europe and Russia it is an indecent sexual sign.
- In North America as well as in Arabic countries the pauses between words are usually not too long, while in Japan pauses can give a contradictory sense to the spoken words by the meaning of pauses. Enduring silence is perceived as comfortable in Japan, while in Europe and North America it may cause insecurity and embarrassment. By Western standards, Scandinavians are more tolerant of silent breaks during conversations.
- Laughing is connoted in most countries with happiness - in Japan it is often a sign of confusion, insecurity and embarrassment. In the UK Ireland and Commonwealth countries, the word „compromise” has a positive meaning (as consent, an agreement where both parties win something); in the USA it may rather have negative connotations (as both parties lose something).
- In Mediterranean European countries, Latin America and Sub Saharan Africa, it is normal, or at least widely tolerated, to arrive half an hour late for a dinner invitation, whereas in Germany and Switzerland this would be extremely rude.
- If invited to dinner, in many Asian countries and Central America it is well-mannered to leave right after the dinner: the ones who don’t leave may indicate they have not eaten enough. In the Indian Sub-Continent, European and North American countries this is considered rude, indicating that the guest only wanted to eat but wouldn’t enjoy the company with the hosts.
- In Africa, saying to someone that you have not seen for a while that he/she looks fine could equally mean he/she has put on weight and might include meaning: Physically healthier than before or he/she had a nice holiday, whereas this would be considered as an insult in Europe, North America and Australia.
Assessing Intercultural Competence?
Social skills are part of every assessment, but intercultural competence is mostly judged by an assessor concerning his or her subjective impression. Although the importance of intercultural competence is rapidly recognition, only a few firms and organizations assess intercultural competence in a specific and structured way. Intercultural competence can hardly be defined in numbers or in a percentage-profile, but many different tools allow a reliable statement:
- Computer-based validity-testing by questioning
- Computer-based simulation-tests
- Structured biographical interviews
- Simulation-games by interacting in groups and specific situations
- Differentiating between respect/empathy, prejudices, frustration-tolerance and learning-/ contact-activity
- Analyzing self-assurance and adaptation-tendency
- Structuring mental, emotional and spiritual competence and related cross-connections
Using similar tests allows to increase the validity; using different tests allows to increase the evidence.
