🌏 What Is Intercultural Communication, Really?

By Dalat TESOL
A conversation about culture, language, and the hidden layers of communication


🚪 A Door Left Half Open…

Imagine this: a Western lecturer smiles and asks a Vietnamese graduate student for their opinion during a seminar. The student pauses, looks slightly down, and says softly, “Yes, teacher.” The lecturer moves on, assuming the student didn’t understand or wasn’t interested.
But later, the student tells a friend, “I agreed with the teacher and didn’t want to contradict or show off. That’s not respectful.”
Both were trying to be polite — and both walked away with very different interpretations of what just happened.

Moments like this are where intercultural communication unfolds: not in grand political speeches or tourist misadventures, but in subtle everyday exchanges — where intention and interpretation don’t quite align.


🤔 It’s More Than “Talking Across Cultures”

At first glance, intercultural communication sounds simple: people from different cultural backgrounds talking to each other. But in practice, it’s layered, emotional, and often surprising.

It’s not just about different languages or etiquette. It’s about how people construct meaning, signal respect, negotiate identity, and navigate power — sometimes in ways they’re not even aware of.

Consider this example:

In Vietnam, indirectness is often a form of politeness. A student might say, “I’ll try to do it by tomorrow,” which may be interpreted by a Western teacher as a clear commitment. But to the student, it signals intention without overpromising. The potential for miscommunication is real — not because one side is wrong, but because they’re drawing from different cultural scripts.

As Holliday et al. (2021) argue, intercultural communication isn’t just about comparing cultures. It’s about analyzing how communication is shaped by representations, histories, ideologies, and shifting identities.


📖 So What Is Culture, Anyway?

The term “culture” often conjures up national flags, food, or festivals. But in intercultural studies, culture is far more than surface features.

Culture is a system of shared meanings and practices — often unspoken — that shape how people interpret the world.

Researchers often distinguish:

  • Big C Culture – visible, formal aspects like religion, holidays, or literature (e.g., Vietnamese Tết or American Thanksgiving)
  • small c culture – everyday behavioral norms like turn-taking, eye contact, greetings, or how students treat silence in class

For instance, in Vietnamese classrooms, it’s common for students to stand up when the teacher enters, and avoid direct contradiction to show respect. In many Western classrooms, standing might seem overly formal, and debate is encouraged as a sign of critical engagement. These are small c cultural differences — but they deeply affect teaching and learning interactions.


🧭 Where Did This Field Come From?

Intercultural communication emerged in the 1950s from U.S. diplomatic and anthropological efforts — particularly helping Americans interact overseas. It focused on cross-cultural “training” to prevent misunderstandings in business, diplomacy, and international aid.

Since then, especially in applied linguistics, the field has grown to emphasize more critical, reflective, and global perspectives. It now explores:

  • how identities shift across languages
  • how power and stereotypes shape cultural interactions
  • how English, as a global language, affects communication dynamics

As Jackson (2020) points out, today’s intercultural communication doesn’t just ask, “How are cultures different?” It asks, “Who defines culture, and why?” and “How do global mobility, digital media, and English as a Lingua Franca complicate cultural boundaries?”


📚 Terms You’ll See (And Why They Matter)

These terms often overlap, but it’s worth distinguishing them:

TermWhat It EmphasizesQuick Example
Intercultural communicationReal-time meaning negotiation across culturesA Vietnamese student navigating class discussion norms at a U.S. university
Cross-cultural communicationComparison of cultural norms or practicesComparing eye contact patterns in Japan vs. France
Multicultural communicationCommunication in settings with multiple co-existing culturesA multilingual classroom in Singapore or Ho Chi Minh City
Transcultural communicationFluid, hybrid identity and language practices across culturesA Vietnamese student using English slang and memes online with global friends, mixing Vietnamese and global youth culture

Knowing these helps sharpen how you read research, plan lessons, and interpret interactions.


🪞 A Personal Turn: What’s Your Intercultural Story?

You don’t have to go abroad to have an intercultural experience. If you’ve ever taught or studied with people from another region, you’ve already engaged in it.

Here’s a common classroom experience in Vietnam:

A teacher from the U.S. gives feedback on a student’s essay: “This is a good start, but the argument needs more development.” The student, expecting more praise or direction, feels confused: “Did I fail?” The feedback was meant to be supportive — but without shared expectations, it triggered uncertainty.

Try this reflection:

✍️ Think of a moment where you felt culturally confused, surprised, or misinterpreted — even within Vietnam. What were the expectations? What “small c” norms were operating?


🧠 Why This Matters in Applied Linguistics

In TESOL, communication is our daily reality — and it’s increasingly intercultural.

Students and teachers come from diverse regions, speak multiple languages, and carry unspoken assumptions. Textbooks, teaching methods, and policies all carry cultural values. If we want to teach meaningfully and ethically, we need to develop:

  • Intercultural sensitivity – the ability to recognize when something might be cultural
  • Critical awareness – questioning how representations of culture reinforce stereotypes or marginalize learners
  • Flexibility – adapting communication without losing authenticity

Understanding intercultural communication isn’t just “nice to have.” It’s a core skill for teachers, researchers, and learners alike.


🔄 Where to Next?

In the next post, we’ll explore how language and identity are connected — and how learners negotiate who they are when they cross linguistic and cultural boundaries.

Coming soon:
🎭 Language, Identity, and Culture – How do learners become themselves in another language?

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