Some time ago I looked up Wikipedia to find an entry for “interculturalist” to no avail. My Microsoft Word tells me that it is a misspelled word. It shows the currently limited recognition of the intercultural field by the general public. But the professional intercultural field is at least fifty years old, and it has been growing and developing at a faster rate especially during this past decade. The reason is obvious – globalization.
Gary M. Wederspahn, a renowned consultant in the intercultural business field and the author of Intercultural Services (Gulf Publishing 2000) – the best and most comprehensive of its kind on the intercultural services field – defines an interculturalist as:
a professional who specializes in the field of interactions, transactions, and communication between different cultures.
By this definition, I would be an interculturalist since I work professionally in this field.
With globalization affecting everyone everywhere, more and more businesses and organizations are realizing the need to become more intercultural in their strategies and operations. In my humble opinion, it is inevitable that the intercultural field will continue to grow in the coming years, which means both new challenges and opportunities ahead for those of us serious about entering the global competitive market to do intercultural work.
But not everyone who crosses borders for work assignments or travel is an interculturalist or a cross-cultural professional. It would take more than working in a foreign land or even in a second language. In a sense, becoming an interculturalist is going through a paradigm shift, a change of attitude and personal position on many assumptions you previously held. If you are reading this article, perhaps you have an interest in the intercultural field. Consider this a warm welcome and invitation to join those of us whose lives have become richer and enlightened by going intercultural. Cheers!
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