Intercultural dialogue: the challenge of communicating across language boundaries

The focus of this paper deals with what it means to communicate across cultural boundaries in a second language, and what the implications are, both for those who need to use a second language (L2) and those mother-tongue (L1) speakers who have dealings with second language speakers. It also examines some of the consequences for communication when both parties are using an L2 or, as it is often called in this context, ‘a lingua franca’ or ‘language of wider communication’: in other words, a language used as a common language by speakers whose mother tongue it is not. The chapter considers what is known of the specific characteristics of communication in such contexts. It concludes with reflections on the roles and responsibilities of the various participants in cross-cultural communication, and on the role language teachers and other educators have to play in ensuring that cross-cultural communication is as effective as possible.