Definitions

Intercultural competence

– The ability to effectively and appropriately communicate, interact, and work with individuals from different cultural backgrounds.
– Involves understanding, appreciating, and respecting cultural differences while being able to navigate them in various social and professional contexts.
– Closely related to intercultural relations and intercultural communication

Intercultural Relations:

The relationships and interactions between people from different cultural backgrounds.

Intercultural Communication:

This involves the exchange of information, ideas, and feelings between people from different cultural backgrounds.

Intercultural

 Describes communities in which there is a deep understanding and respect for all cultures. Intercultural communication focuses on the mutual exchange of ideas and cultural norms and the development of deep relationships. In an intercultural society, no one is left unchanged because everyone learns from one another and grows together.

Cross-cultural 

Deals with the comparison of different cultures. In cross-cultural communication, differences are understood and acknowledged, and can bring about individual change, but not collective transformations. In cross-cultural societies, one culture is often considered “the norm” and all other cultures are compared or contrasted to the dominant culture.

In this course, however, the two terms will be used synonymously, implying mutual exchange of ideas and cultural norms and respect for all cultures. The terms “intercultural” and “cross-cultural” will be used interchangeably.