cohesion - European Centre for Modern Languages

Despite the acknowledgement of the importance of interculturality, some researchers
believe that neither the CEFR nor the European Language Portfolio place enough
emphasis on competences related to the intercultural dimension (Zarate 2003). This is
why the group of projects located in the B strand of the second medium-term
programme play a particularly important role for adding expertise in the development
of intercultural competence.
What is intercultural (communicative) competence (ICC)?
ICC has been defined by various researchers and practitioners. It is generally viewed as
an extension of communicative competence (various models of communicative
competence and intercultural competence, such as Hymes 1972, Canale and Swain
1980, Van Ek 1986, Beneke 2000: 108-109, Byram 1997, Fantini 2000), are discussed
in Lazar et al. (2007: 8-9).
A definition of intercultural communicative competence can also be found in the
CEFR, which identifies as its major elements the components awareness, skills and
know-how. Intercultural awareness includes the “knowledge, awareness and
understanding of the relation (similarities and distinctive differences) between the
‘world of origin’ and the ‘world of the target community’” (CEFR 2001: 103).
Intercultural skills and know-how, according to the CEFR (2001: 104-105), include:
the ability to bring the culture of origin and foreign culture into relation with each
other;
the ability to identify and use a variety of strategies for contact with those from
other cultures;
the capacity to fulfill the role of cultural intermediary between one’s own culture
and the foreign culture and to deal effectively with intercultural misunderstanding
and conflict situations;
the ability to overcome stereotyped relationships.
The aspects of intercultural competence addressed by the various projects of the second
medium-term programme even go beyond the definition of ICC provided in the CEFR.
ICC is not just envisaged as relating to native and target culture(s) but also includes a
wider range of cultures than those of the particular (foreign) languages learnt. What is
more, it encompasses the ability of being able to build a space in-between cultures (i.e.
interculture) which is different from native and target cultures.
The project on ICC in teacher education defines intercultural communicative
competence as “the ability to communicate effectively in cross-cultural situations and
to relate appropriately in a variety of cultural contexts” (Lazar 2000: 9). The LEA
project focuses on dimensions of plurilingual and pluricultural awareness such as
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