Search

Trust is the lifeblood of all interpersonal and social relationships. Gaining and maintaining trust in interpersonal relationships is a long and ongoing process that requires continuous investment. Many studies show that people naturally react more strongly to dishonesty than to any other trait. One of the biggest causes of mistrust is the different ways of looking at the world resulting from different typological orientations. Different personality types are often not communicated on the "same frequency". Believing in people that they can do the best on their own leads to greater inefficiency and dissatisfaction. Whether the message will be well understood depends on: the content, the choice of certain signals, the way of communication, the form (the functioning of the verbal and nonverbal communication system). There are many barriers to intercultural communication such as anxiety, stereotypes, prejudice, non-verbal interactions, ethnocentrism, xenophobia, racism, discrimination and acceptance of similarities instead of differences (Zhu, 2020, p. 1651-1655). Trust is a part of many factors. Reciprocity and the exchange of information by revealing the factors that led to mistrust in intercultural communication are key elements in maintaining relationships. Trust is necessary because no one is independent of others, no one is self-sufficient, we are all interdependent in terms of meeting basic needs. The overall characterization of trust as a complex, multifaceted phenomenon can be classified according to different distinguishing criteria, primarily between interpersonal and institutional, vertical and horizontal trust. Interpersonal trust refers to the belief that most people can be trusted, while institutional trust includes trust in various institutions, such as the government, judiciary, health system, education system, media, etc. Vertical means trust in public organizations (government, church, trade unions, etc.), and horizontally - trust between people, independent of their various forms of social consciousness (custom, morality, religion), belonging to macrosocial groups (nation, race, class) and of different social status (gender, age, education). The importance of reputation is reflected in the fact that it is in a sense an investment, i.e. a resource that allows us to obtain other important resources, among which is the trust of others and all the benefits that trust brings (Eisenegger, 2009, p. 11- 23). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participants in international business are forced to carry out their activities in an environment that is dynamic and unfamiliar to them. The cultural factor has significant influence over their permanent establishment on the international market. It encompasses the existing differences in spoken language, religion, traditions, value systems, ideologies and way of life. Therefore, considerable discrepancies can be expected in business environments when it comes to commonly accepted models of communication, negotiating and decision-making styles. Unfamiliarity with the cultural factor and the peculiarities of intercultural communication can lead to inappropriate costs and failure on the foreign market. The article specifies their nature, significance and practical dimensions in the context of international business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools have been facing difficult and significant challenges and tasks that will enable them to be open to accepting students from different cultural identities for a long period of time. Schools are working on their development and promotion, changing their mission and vision in order to be a place where they will gain knowledge about the values of different cultures. The most important thing for a school to achieve this is: the possession of intercultural competencies (teachers) and the skill to communicate between all stakeholders in the educational process in schools: student - teacher - parent - local environment. Intercultural competence is actually the establishment of interaction and communication with members of other cultures, adaptation of verbal and non-verbal communication styles while accepting, equally, different communication styles, adoption of intercultural attitudes, knowledge and skills, for better understanding and respect, the adoption of effective behavior towards other cultures determined through the prism of intercultural sensitivity. However, in achieving intercultural competencies and intercultural communication, teachers face barriers that slow down, complicate, and sometimes hinder the mutual understanding. One of those barriers are misunderstandings due to not knowing the other language. Linguistic diversity in multiethnic schools, whether monolingual, bilingual, etc., is a barrier to intercultural communication. The problem of not speaking the language of learning/instruction by Roma students is a big barrier in achieving intercultural communication at schools between the teacher and the student and among the students themselves. Hence, the questions are posed: How can we understand each other if we do not share the same cultural experience ;how can successful communication be fulfilled in order to achieve respectful atmosphere and not only diversity tolerance; how should we behave in order to be culturally diverse and achieve the mutual global aims at the same time? The first step towards intercultural communication should be the eagerness and readiness to meet "the others: learning some phrases in their language. The best example for breaking the stereotypes, prejudice and fair that are present among some teachers would be if the teachers say "good day" in their mother tongue language in the classroom. Bilingualism and multilingualism should be accepted by the teachers as a challenge whereas they should adopt basic knowledge of the language of their students in order to establish better relationship and motivate the students and their parents as well. But how ready are our teachers for this move despite the fact that they encounter this kind of problem in their daily work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What does body language reveal about us and others? Darwin was the first to connect facial expressions to behavior patterns that are of much earlier origin than spoken language. According to social anthropologist Edward T. Hall, in a conversation between two people, only 35% of the socially relevant information is passed through words. Nearly 65% of the cues in the direct communication process pass through paraverbal channels. When there is a discrepancy between cues, we usually trust the non-verbal ones. Signs and gestures do not lie; they reflect a person’s true intentions. All mental changes appear immediately at a non-verbal level and the signals received through sight, which are charged with much more information, are directly processed by the brain without being filtered. Body language can also serve as an effective tool of influence. The ability to master it and use it is particularly important in the business world. The article discusses the practical effects of non-verbal communication and seeks to explain why non-verbal codes should not be underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The difficulties in the joined actions of Bulgarian and Turkish partners on projects within the Trans-border Cooperation Program are the result of the influence of framework factors, rather than being due to cultural differences. Asymmetries, mainly economic in nature, influence the aptitudes and actions of both sides. In the prolonged situation of limited financial resources for the Bulgarian side, the projects turn to be of a key importance for it. Thus the Bulgarian partners try to perform their tasks strictly according to the requirements of EU. At the same time, for the Turkish partners the projects seem to be less attractive and thus failing to create motivation for adhering to the formal rules as well as for the timely fulfillment of the engagements which they have undertaken. In order to cope with the problems in their current and future projects, the Bulgarian actors, using experience and knowledge from previous projects, apply action oriented strategies including creation of generalized images of the Turkish partners together with narratives about meetings and conflicts with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present article is an overview of existing instruments for measuring intercultural competence. The wide variety of instruments is due to focus on different aspects of intercultural competence in the design of each of them and the lack of a unified notion as to the components of intercultural competence. The majority of instruments for measuring intercultural competence are oriented towards teamwork in international corporations, which defines their characteristic features. Since they are not directly applicable in FLT, an instrument based on Byram's model of intercultural competence is more suitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultural-historical and language situation of the Bulgarian communities abroad is changing in accordance with the changes in contemporary world, both here in Bulgaria and in the countries with Bulgarian communities. The paper focuses on the changes in the language situation in the Bulgarian communities abroad after 1989. Specific data is presented about the creation of civil and state structures: associations, local self-governing structures, Sunday schools; music, dance and theatre clubs; newspapers and magazines, television and radio broadcasts, etc. On the basis of a theoretical analysis of the characteristics of intercultural communication the article highlights the specifics of the process of development of intercultural communicative competence of the young Bulgarians living abroad. Conclusions about the contemporary education in Bulgarian language in foreign language environment are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The report examines a set of eighteen observations of groups visiting Southern Italy, escorted in the course of three days by tour guides. The main role of the tour guide during the itinerary is one of cultural interpreter, helping the group to enjoy fully the additional advantages of the local society. Conveniently, the tourist guides/tour leaders are divided in two classes according to their intercultural competences and the tour operator sends fewer and more experienced tour guides to work simultaneously, this permitting a direct observation on the different outcomes due to tourist guiding. The findings from the a somewhat liberal verbal questioning by the organizers at the end of the tour, as well as thоse from the direct observation of the group behaviour and satisfaction are compared with the insights from other local professionals: museum and national park guides, boat crews, local and foreign coach drivers, restaurant and hotel professionals, baristi and others. The different kind of verbal information that the more experienced tour guides gave regarded local food and drinks, etiquette, tipping, coffee drinking, time and space orientation, hierarchy and rules (or their absence) and the extent of the private sphere. Their groups expressed more satisfaction at the end of the tour and the interculturally prepared tour guides were preferred by all other professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intercultural communication is the central, integrating component in the system of international business; the "glue” which binds all of the elements together. Although the field of international business communications is practice oriented, awareness of the philosophical and methodological foundations and of the analytical tools develops analysis and assessment skills in intercultural situations and reveals new practical options to the participants in the system of international business. The article proceeds from the situation and context-based views of culture and intercultural communication. The thesis states that the transactional culture approach reflects the contemporary behavioural perspective in international business. Namely, behavioural changes in the participants in international business occur under the influence of the internationalization and globalization of economic processes. On the basis of a literature review, analytical reasoning and empirical observations, the article sheds light on the concept of transactional culture and discusses its implications for intercultural communication in international business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulgaria is a country with great cultural, ethnic and religious diversity. Traditional ethnic minorities in Bulgaria are composed of Turks, Roma, Armenians, Vlachs, Greeks, Tatars, Jews, etc., and recently joined by incoming various migrant groups. Many traditional ethnic and linguistic minorities, religious communities and various cultural identities in the country require a high level of tolerance and intercultural dialogue. The purpose of this study was to analyze the teaching of geriatric specialists from Medical College of Trakia University, Stara Zagora, and whether it will contribute to the quality culturally sensitive care for the elderly people, according to the great ethnic, cultural and religious diversity in Bulgaria. Materials and methods: documentary analysis; comparative analysis; surveillance Conclusions: 1. The training of geriatric specialists at Medical College of Trakia University, Stara Zagora, is entirely consistent with the great ethnic, cultural and religious diversity in Bulgaria. 2. The acquired student competences for intercultural communication with older people of different ethnic, cultural and religious values contribute to the future development of quality culturally sensitive care for the elderly people in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]