Intercultural Communicative Competence: Teaching Language as Culture

 “Language is the map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.” — Rita Mae Brown

 

These words remind us that language is not just a tool for speaking. It’s a living expression of how people see and make sense of the world. When we teach English as a global lingua franca, we are not just teaching vocabulary or grammar—we are inviting learners into a deeper, more human experience of intercultural exchange.

The truth is, every time a person learns a new language, they unlock a new way of living. As the Czech proverb says, “You live a new life for every language you speak. If you know only one, you live only once.” This means that as bilingual teachers, we carry the responsibility—and the opportunity—to help our students not just speak English, but to understand through it.

 

Why Intercultural Competence Matters in Language Teaching

In today’s interconnected world, where digital tools and global networks constantly bring people from different cultures into contact, intercultural understanding is not optional—it’s essential. That’s why intercultural communicative competence (ICC) must become a central part of how we teach English.

But what does this competence mean in practice?

According to Michael Byram (1997), ICC is the ability to communicate and behave appropriately and effectively in intercultural situations. It’s more than “knowing about” other cultures—it’s about learning to relate, to reflect, to question, and to understand from another’s point of view.

 

From Native Speaker to Intercultural Speaker

Traditionally, English teaching has focused on imitating native speakers. But Byram suggests we move beyond that idea. Instead, learners should aim to become intercultural speakers—individuals who can:

• Interact with people from different backgrounds,
• Accept and understand different perspectives,
• Mediate between cultural viewpoints,
• And remain aware of their own cultural biases.

In simple terms, intercultural speakers are bridge builders. They connect worlds through meaningful communication.

 

What Does an Intercultural Speaker Look Like?

To support learners in becoming intercultural speakers, teachers must foster five core human qualities:

1. Empathy – being able to genuinely feel what others might be experiencing. It’s about standing in someone else’s shoes and listening with your heart as much as with your ears.
2. Flexibility – adjusting to new situations, people, or cultural norms. Sometimes, what works in one context won’t in another—and that’s okay. The key is to notice, reflect, and adapt.
3. Respect – recognizing the value in ways of thinking and being that are different from your own. It’s not just tolerance; it’s appreciation.
4. Sensitivity – being aware of how others feel and think, and responding with kindness and care. This involves both emotional intelligence and cultural awareness.
5. Tolerance – accepting that people can—and often do—see the world differently. Instead of judging those differences, intercultural speakers learn from them.

These qualities aren’t just “nice to have”—they are essential for real communication in diverse, multilingual classrooms and communities.

 

Byram’s Model: The Five “Savoirs” of Intercultural Competence

Byram organizes ICC into five interconnected dimensions, which he calls the “savoirs.” Let’s explore each one in a simple, practical way:

1. Savoir – Knowledge. This refers to understanding both your own culture and others’, including social norms, traditions, and the unspoken rules that shape everyday interactions. For instance, knowing that in some cultures silence means agreement, while in others it can mean the opposite, helps avoid miscommunication.

2. Savoir Comprendre – Skills of Interpreting and Relating. This is the ability to interpret cultural events or communication styles from another culture and connect them to one’s own. It’s like being a cultural detective—asking why people do what they do and seeing how it compares to your own context.

3. Savoir Apprendre/Faire – Skills of Discovery and Interaction. Here, learners develop the ability to explore, question, and learn from new cultural encounters. For example, when students interact online with peers from another country, they begin to notice cultural patterns—and can ask thoughtful questions to understand them better.

4. Savoir Être – Attitudes of Curiosity and Openness. This refers to a mindset: being willing to suspend judgment, to stay open, and to remain fascinated by cultural differences. The goal isn’t to agree with everything, but to stay curious and reflective.

5. Savoir S’Engager – Critical Cultural Awareness. This final dimension is perhaps the most powerful. It involves thinking critically about your own culture and others—seeing how values shape perspectives, and recognizing power, stereotypes, and inequalities in intercultural interactions.

 

How Does ICC Develop? Three Levels of Growth

According to Meyer (1991), learners typically progress through three levels of intercultural understanding:

• Monocultural level: They observe other cultures through the lens of their own, often judging what’s different as “strange” or “wrong.”
• Intercultural level: They begin to compare, understand, and respect cultural differences.
• Transcultural level: They learn to mediate between cultures, becoming cultural translators who can connect people, ideas, and perspectives.

This progression is not automatic—it requires thoughtful guidance, real-world practice, and space for reflection. That’s where you, as future bilingual educators, come in.

 

Bringing ICC into the Classroom

So how can we teach these skills? Here are a few ideas:

• Use authentic materials from different cultures—videos, songs, articles, stories—and discuss the values behind them.
• Encourage cultural comparisons by asking students to reflect on how similar situations are handled in their own culture and in others.
• Create virtual exchanges or pen-pal projects that allow learners to interact with real people from other countries.
• Model intercultural attitudes—show curiosity, ask respectful questions, and reflect openly with your students.
• Include reflective activities where learners write or speak about how their views are evolving.

The truth is, when learners feel respected, challenged, and emotionally engaged, they become more than speakers of English—they become global citizens.

 

Teaching intercultural communicative competence isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about guiding students to ask better questions—to themselves and to the world around them. It’s about replacing fear with curiosity, stereotypes with stories, and distance with dialogue.

As future bilingual educators, your role goes far beyond language transmission. You are mentors, cultural mediators, and agents of transformation. And that, more than anything, is what makes language education so profoundly human.

 

References

Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence. Multilingual Matters.

Byram, M., Gribkova, B., & Starkey, H. (2001). Developing the intercultural dimension in language teaching: A practical introduction for teachers. Council of Europe. https://rm.coe.int/16802fc1c3

Byram, M. (2008). From foreign language education to education for intercultural citizenship: Essays and reflections. Multilingual Matters.

Meyer, M. (1991). Developing transcultural competence: Case studies of advanced foreign language learners. In D. Buttjes & M. Byram (Eds.), Mediating languages and cultures (pp. 136–158). Multilingual Matters.