Cross-Cultural Communication and Culture in Language Teaching

Cross-Cultural Communication and Culture in Language Teaching
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Institutional Affiliation
Cross-Cultural Communication and Culture in Language Teaching
Annotated Bibliography
Kovacs, G. (2017). Culture in language teaching: A course design for teacher trainees. Acta Univ. Sapientiae, Philologica, 9(3), pp.73-86. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ausp-2017-0030. Accessed January 29, 2020
Kovacs’ article about culture in language teaching examines various recommendations that have been identified in specialized literature about culture in foreign language teaching. The author reflects on the appropriate content of courses related to teaching this kind of skill. According to Kovacs (2017), when studying a language, one also studies the culture of the language speakers. This study introduces the subject known as the “Language Teaching Methodology” for instructors in “Translation and Interpreting Studies at the Faculty of Technical and Human Sciences in the Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, TarguMures. While the identified topic has not been treated to exclude other topics in literature, Kovacs (2017) believes that teachers will have more comprehensive theoretical and practical training in understanding the meaning of incorporating culture into a language. The article is relevant to current cross-cultural communication and culture in language teaching. It will provide relevant insights into how students of a new language also incorporate the culture of language speakers and, therefore, contribute to effective cross-cultural communication.
Fabian, M.P. (2019). Interdisciplinary approach to cross-language and cross-cultural communication studies. Contemporary Studies in Foreign Philology[online], Issue 17. Available from: https://doi.org/10.24144/2617-3921.2019.17.9-16. Accessed January 29, 2022.
In Fabian’s (2019) article, researchers are introduced to an interdisciplinary approach to multicultural communication and cross-language communication studies. The author points out important topical issues related to applying an interdisciplinary approach in communication studies. This necessity is realized following a recognition that the modern world is defined by a communication approach that assumes the process of sharing means in both verbal and non-verbal behaviors. According to Fabian (2019), this realization demands careful consideration, particularly during the modern times of globalization. The paper provides various definitions of the terms that denote culture, language, cross-cultural and cross-language communication, and their connections and distinctiveness of the usage in every sphere of human activities. The article pays particular focus on the types of communication and their uniqueness, and the author argues that the human understanding of world cultures largely affects communication styles. Today, Fabian (2019) argues that humans face an ever conflicting and changing hybrid culture where people are expected to become multicultural beings. The article contributes to the present study in identifying some of the intricacies of having effective communication with people from different cultural backgrounds.
Kim, D., 2020. Learning Language, Learning Culture: Teaching Language to the Whole Student - Deoksoon Kim, 2020. SAGE Journals. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2096531120936693. Accessed 5 November 2021.
Kim’s (2020) article on learning language and culture conceptualizes language pedagogy to engage students. The author argues that there is a need to think about a language to extend various aspects of life and engage the entire person instead of teaching language from the perspective of understanding language as a collection of vocabularies and grammar. Building upon an original conceptualization of language teaching and learning that considers language learning as a critical tool for developing a student as a whole, the article combines research on learning culture through cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and language in developing a vision for human development and language learning. Findings from Kim’s (2020) study show that teachers should help students participate in their ways of life when teaching language. An important contribution of the article is in developing an account of language teaching that engages the whole person and will therefore be critical to include these concepts in the present study.
Steinfatt, T.M. and Millette, D.M. (2019). Intercultural communication. In An integrated approach to communication theory and research (pp. 307-320). Routledge.
Steinfatt and Millette’s (2019) work is a book chapter on intercultural communication that recognizes the importance of intercultural communication in the United States and globally, emphasizing diversity and immigration. The authors focus on the link between communication and culture and how interrelated various concepts are. Students studying intercultural communication will also encounter cross-cultural communication that focuses on elements of ethnicities, international communication, ethnographic methods, and qualitative and qualitative distinctions that incorporate mass-mediated interpersonal communication and mass-mediated communication. The authors illustrate how specific social interactions can be applied within the context of an immigrant family, thus examining the unique situation of cross-cultural communication. This chapter introduces the importance of intercultural communication in the modern world where globalization is commonplace. Concepts from this book chapter will be incorporated into the present research in investigating how cross-cultural communication and culture in language teaching represent important challenges in today’s ever-expanding importance of diversity and immigration in the United States and the world.
Spathis, E. (2020). 4 Ways to Incorporate Culture in World Language Instruction. [online] Edutopia. Available from: /article/4-ways-incorporate-culture-world-language-instruction [Accessed 5 November 2021].
Spathis’ (2020) article is an online publication on the Chronicle of Education, and the author identifies four ways of incorporating culture in language teaching. In particular, the author gives precedence to conducting individual research, brainstorming cultural connections through themes, compiling authentic resources, and making cultural comparisons as critical steps in language teaching. The author believes there is an intense concentration on language skills in some world language courses, although culture has often been underestimated. In some situations, culture is entirely missing, and this denotes missed opportunities to have students engage with learning. Spathis (2020) argues that with the lack of cultural contexts, students miss full and engaging experiences in learning, and this deficiency should be addressed. The article provides straightforward guidelines in language teaching that integrates the elements of culture. This article will be an invaluable resource in the present study in understanding effective pedagogical approaches when teaching language through integration with culture.
Literature Summary
Cross-cultural communication and language teaching are the overarching themes in the explored literature, which remain important elements in every culture and society, not only in the United States but also in many parts of the world today. Steinfatt and Millette (2016) recognize the role of intercultural communication in transforming intercultural openness into an invaluable feature of its cultural person. The world is experiencing an increasing trend in immigration since history, especially in the United States, with the rising numbers of illegal immigrants entering through the country’s orders. This immigration trend has yielded a nation with changing cultural heritage and communication styles. Factoring these changes, researchers have sought to resolve challenges with cross-cultural communication to integrate culture in language pedagogues. Spathis (2020) has identified four ways to resolve these challenges. The author argues that while there has been increasing interest in focusing on language skills, little attention has been paid to integrating culture in language teaching. In this respect, Spathis (2020) recommends that language teachers should first conduct their research and brainstorm the cultural associations through themes before compiling authentic resources and making cultural comparisons.
While applying the four approaches in teaching language, Fabian (2019) has also recommended that an...