Fostering Intercultural Communicative Competence in Business English Teaching

MA Ling-ling

【Abstract】The higher education institutions in China have to meet the challenges posed by internationalization and cultural diversity to foster students intercultural communicative competence.In Business English teaching，the students will benefit from these approaches through providing intercultural communication courses and lectures，improving students cultural awareness，implementing reforms of teaching methods and enhancing faculty construction.

【Key words】Intercultural communicative competence； Business English teaching，approaches

1.Intercultural Communicative Competence in Business English

The use of English for business as an international language among professionals and scholars presupposes the users knowledge of the chosen field of specialization for successful communication.This professional and/or academic knowledge is by nature international and crosses the boundary between native speakers and non-native speakers.These people learn English to use it for specific purposes，neither for general purposes nor for mere socialization.While the unfair reality of having native speakers and non-native speakers of English for international communication may be reduced in these global communities of professionals and specialists，it may create the similar distinction of specialists and laymen，thus not helping increase more general intelligibility.However，since the use of Business English as an international language makes the extensive use of writing and writing works toward the standardization of grammar，vocabulary，and orthography，English for business as an international language would contribute to increase the shared forms and norms which underlie various Englishs and norms of their use.When a language reaches the state of a global language，it may follow that its speakers communicative competence becomes too diversified to conform to that of native speakers.What norms of which society and which culture we should follow will no longer relevant.Taking in these non-Anglo-American norms of English for business as an international language use is natural adaptation of English use in the process of its internationalization.

2.The Challenges of Educational Institutions in China for the Implementation of Intercultural Competence

Institutions of higher education in China aim at graduating “Intercultural competent students” or “global citizens”，but this goal is defined broadly without giving additional meaning to these terms.Very few Chinese higher education programs address the development of Intercultural competent students as an expected outcome.This lack is due to not well-developed curricula documents and due to the difficulty of identifying the specific components of this concept.Few institutions have designated methods for documenting or measuring Intercultural competences.

A number of Business English education programs are offered in quite different linguistic across the world.The gap between the English taught in the classroom and the English used in the workplace became apparent in language instruction.Students in practice-based or interdisciplinary degrees in particular may find that they face literacy demands which span several fields，so that business students，for example，may be expected to confront texts from accountancy，economics，financial management，corporate organization，marketing，statistics，and so on.The English language has，in many respects，saturated the global market to the point at which a knowledge and understanding of it as a communication skill has become a paramount fixture if people want to accomplish successful global business practices.

The educational programs that implement English as communication are concerned with the formation and application of successful communication practices in the global sphere.In China，the English language is increasingly gaining importance signifying globalization and internationalization of the local culture and linguistic environment.The problem that arises is：Do the business graduates have the needed for Intercultural competences which should be considered as very important for the future professional competences in the certain economical system？

Business English teachers are left without enough guidance and professional development courses when it comes to developing Intercultural communicative competence.Mostly it is done by teachers individually.The idea of a Business English education framework in a Chinese environment is a partnership between business communication faculties.

3.Approaches to Fostering Intercultural Communicative Competence in Business English Teaching

3.1 Providing Intercultural Communication Courses and Lectures according to the Characteristics of Business English.

Business English is professional，practical，colloquial and pertinent.Business English includes professional knowledge in economy，trade，finance，public relations，management，marketing and other aspects of business.Its essence is the comprehensive use of the background knowledge of business，professional knowledge and language.Business English is used for special purpose of international business activities.The use of business English in international trade is indispensable for both enterprises and partners.So the teaching aim of Business English courses is not only to simply improve students English level.More importantly，it is to impart the western enterprise management philosophy to the students and teach students how to deal with foreigners，how to cooperate with them.Business English contains the concept of culture to some extent.So we should provide some courses and lectures related to business culture，business etiquette and so on.At the same time，the courses of enterprise management，marketing strategy，business negotiation should also be held.

3.2 Improving Students Cultural Awareness

In order to improve students Intercultural communicative competence，we need to raise their cultural awareness first.Non-native speakers of a language often have the experience of making careless mistakes which may arouse hostility from native speakers.This is because people from different cultures tend to think，feel，behave and strive for what their culture considers proper.Only if we are aware of these cultural differences，can we better communicate with people from other cultures.For example，teachers should ask students to compare two cultures and explain the similarities and differences between the source culture and the target culture in Business English courses.

3.3 Implementing Reforms of Teaching Methods

Intercultural communicative competence is not built in a day.It needs collaborative efforts from both teachers and students.The following approaches are recommended to improve students cultural awareness in Business English teaching.

1）Choose updated and idiomatic textbooks.The textbooks for Business English should contain western customs，habits，western culture and living styles.Teachers should present or recommend reading materials concerning the target culture.It is recommended to introduce outstanding foreign original materials，so that students can learn both idiomatic English and foreign culture.

2）Make full use of various channels.Business English newspaper reading，television broadcasting，films and other mass media，business website，audio cassettes，CDs and other media are all useful.Teachers should make full use of pictures，films，TV，computers and other audio-visual aids to make the teaching lively and entertaining.Students are encouraged to explore the target culture comprehensively.These channels provide them with business English materials，greatly enrich their business English language and cultural knowledge，broaden their horizons and enhance the sensitivity to cultural awareness.

3）Encourage students to develop the attitudes，beliefs and values associated with cultural understanding.It can be incorporated in Business English course through case studies，role-playing，simulations and culture awareness projects，which provide opportunities for students to interact in small cooperative groups in order to learn diverse beliefs from each other，to reason out issues and make decisions.Offer opportunities for students to use the language in simulated situations to collaborate to solve real life problems of people representing diverse cultures.

4）Explore the relationships between language and culture in Business English teaching and balance them effectively.

3.4 Enhancing Faculty Construction

Business English teachers are supposed to be both proficient in English and professional in international business.Therefore they can help students to understand western business culture，familiar them with the differences between native culture and the target language culture.Teachers should have more opportunities to study abroad to communicate with native speakers，so that they can provide students with the real cultural context in which English is used and encourage students to learn English well and know more about foreign culture.In addition，the use of foreign teachers is also very important in improving students and teachers intercultural communication skills and ability.

4.Conclusion

To sum up，in the era of economic globalization，intercultural communication is becoming a part of people's life，especially in the field of business.Therefore business English teaching must attach importance to the cultivation of intercultural communicative competence.The students will benefit from these approaches by developing personal qualities that reflect their commitment to cultural awareness and understanding.These include being comfortable in different environments，being able and willing to change their own ideas，having a commitment to learning about and exploring other cultures.The ability to communicate across cultures can help our graduates avoid problems stemming from misinterpretations，effectively work with people despite their differences，tailor their experience to the demands of the international marketplace.

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作者簡介：馬玲玲（1978-），女，滿族，河北保定人，淮安信息職業技術學院商學院講師，碩士，主要研究方向為商務英語教學、二語習得。