Cross-cultural communication

Intercultural communication referred to in the humanities and social sciences social interaction of actors from different cultures. These actors can be individuals, social groups, organizations, communities, societies or states. The special importance of intercultural communication is that some aspects of intercultural communication are more important than the communication within a culture. So may be caused by the expression, representation and actions such as volume, tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures, degree of politeness and degrees of friendliness about misunderstandings. Within the intercultural communication especially prejudices can lead to problems. Prejudice is always a negative connotation as opposed to stereotypes and therefore often lead to misunderstandings.

Intercultural communication has increasing globalization as part of this increasing importance. In addition, it comes by phenomena such as the global division of labor and mobility, increasing travel and mass tourism and the development of new communication technologies ( e -mail, etc. ) to more and more contacts between people of different cultures. To understand the cultural other overcoming ethnocentrism is necessary.

Especially in the context of intercultural communication is the conventional way of looking at communication as a simple act of transfer or exchange their limits. The foundations for a much more explanatory power generating interdisciplinary perspective were, inter alia by Humberto Maturana and Ernst von Glasersfeld.

Study

Courses Intercultural Communication offered in Germany at fifteen universities and colleges: Karl International University in Karlsruhe, University of Erfurt, Chemnitz University of Technology, European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder ), University of Hildesheim, Friedrich -Schiller- University Jena, Hochschule Magdeburg- Stendal ( FH), Ludwig- Maximilians- University of Munich, University of Passau, University of Regensburg, University of Applied Sciences Cologne, Fulda University, Martin- Luther -University Halle -Wittenberg, University of the Saarland and West Saxon University of Zwickau. The Humboldt University of Berlin forms in the course Intercultural Communication specialist translators and interpreters, taking into account the cultural aspects from.

Intercultural communication can also part-time and as a postgraduate course at the Institute for Communications Research IKF (Luzern / Switzerland ) and studied at the University of Munich. Furthermore, the area of ​​intercultural communication in the composite study included social skills on the ZFH Koblenz and learn.