Defining “International Communication” and Why We Should Care About “Intercultural Communication”

In a July 2013 blog entry by author taberyd, the question “What is ‘international communication’ anyway?” is asked. The author offers two definitions from different sources. One definition from McGraw Hill Online Learning Center suggests that this type of communication occurs between people of different races. The other definition from Wiki Answers suggests that this type of communication occurs between people from different countries. I tend to agree with the latter definition.

Regardless of the definition of “international communication,” I think what we’ve really got to focus on here is “intercultural communication.” Now, I know these are two completely different fields of study, but I feel that intercultural communication is an important field to study while in an international communication course.

In Chapter 10 of Culture, Communication, and Cyberspace, authors Sipai Klein and Sharon Trujillo Lalla offer up the idea that “cultures do not exist between dichotomous poles but rather are rich with possibilities that may be described as ecologies” (230). This means that cultures are not nations—cultures are the individuals that live in proverbial ecosystems. We can’t simply see black and white, but we must look at the gradient of figurative colors present across various cultures within nations different from our own.

One must understand that different nations will contain individuals who have vastly different cultures even from one another. In the United States, for example, a person living in St Peter, Minnesota (population 11k), will be culturally different from a person living in, say, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (population 660k). Even individuals living in different neighborhoods in highly populated cities will have different cultures.

Take this information into consideration when thinking of different cities and neighborhoods in different countries on different continents. As scholars, we can’t assume that “international communication” will cover all cultures. We need to understand that the cultures within nations are not static—they are daily changing. Improving our communications with different cultures (perhaps by participating in GNLEs) is the only way to remain up-to-date with our global neighbors’ thoughts, feelings, and ideas.