INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

CHAPTER 1: CHALLENGES OF LIVING IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY

Important/ Key words:

1. Interconnectedness (n) /ɪntəkəˈnɛktɪdnəs/ 1. the state of being connected
with each other: 1. tình trạng nối liền với nhau; tính chất nối liền với nhau;
tính chất liên kết.
e.g. Globalization is the process of increasing interconnectedness between
societies, ...

2. Boundary (n) /ˈbaʊn.dər.i/ 1. a line marks the limits of an area, a dividing

line; 2. (often boundaries) a limit of a subject or sphere of activity: 1. đường
biên giới, ranh giới; 2. giới hạn.
e.g. This interconnectivity breaks down the boundary between East and West.

3. Liquidation (n) /ˈlikwi'deiʃn/ 1. the process of liquidating a bussiness; 2.

(informal) the killing of someone, typically by violent means: 1. giải thể hay
thanh lý doanh nghiệp; 2. sự trừ khử, sự thủ tiêu.
e.g. Some Asian leaders feel that globalization creates fears of cultural
liquidation, particularly among smaller nations.

4. Initiate (v) (n) /ɪˈnɪʃ.i.eɪt/ 1. to cause something to begin; 2.

to teach someone about an area of knowledge, or to allow someone into
a group by a special ceremony: 1. bắt đầu, khởi đầu, đề xướng; 2. người đã
được vỡ lòng, khai tâm, người đã được làm lễ kết nạp, đã được thụ giáo.
e.g. When initiated on the web: meeting in specific online places,
communicating online, and meeting in real life are factors in successful and
unsuccessful online-initiated relationships.

5. Resurgence (n) /rɪˈsəːdʒ(ə)ns/ 1. an increase or revival after a period of little

activity, popularity, or occurrence: 1. sự sống lại, sự hồi sinh, sự trỗi dậy.
e.g. It is not simply that there is a resurgence in the construction of physical
walls,...

6. Sovereignty (n) /ˈsɒvrɪnti/ 1. supreme power or authority; 2. the authority of

a state to govern itself or another state; 3. a self-governing state: 1. quyền tối
thượng, vương quyền; 2. chủ quyền; 3. quốc gia độc lập.
e.g. This wall has nothing to do with sovereignty or security, but with
aversion and xenophobia.

7. Xenophobia (n) /zɛnəˈfəʊbɪə/ 1. dislike of or prejudice against people from

other countries: 1. sự bài ngoại.
e.g. This wall has nothing to do with sovereignty or security, but with
aversion and xenophobia.

8. Realm (n) /relm/ 1. an area of interest or activity; 2. a country ruled by

a king or queen: 1. lĩnh vực; 2. Vương Quốc.
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e.g. Cultural diversity brings many opportunities, particularly in the

economic realm,

9. Cosmopolian (adj, n) /ˌkɑːz.məˈpɑː.lɪ.t̬ ən/ 1. containing or

having experience of people and things from many different parts of the world;
2. someone who has experience of many different parts of the world: 1. thuộc
toàn thế giới; thuộc chủ nghĩa thế giới; 2. người theo thế giới chủ nghĩa.
e.g. Cultural diversity brings many opportunities, particularly in the
economic realm, and helps to make our society the cosmopolitan, dynamic
and exciting place it is today.

10. Ethnic (adj, n) /ˈeθ.nɪk/ 1. relating to or characteristic of

a large group of people who have the same national, racial, or cultural origins,
and who usually speak the same language; 2. a group of people living in
a country where most people are from a different group: 1. liên quan đến một
người hay một nhóm người có cùng đặc điểm văn hóa, thuộc sắc tộc; 2. thành
viên trong một dân tộc ít người/ thiểu số.
e.g. Ethnic diversity within workplaces is continually changing the
organizational composition of most parts of the world.

11. Fledgling (adj, n) /ˈfledʒ.lɪŋ/ 1. new and without experience; 2.

a young bird that has grown feathers and is learning to fly: 1. non trẻ thiếu kinh
nghiệm; 2. người thiếu kinh nghiệm.
e.g. Reaching 3.5 million today, North Africans began arriving in Europe as
early as the 1940s to help rebuild fledgling European economies severely
weakened by the war.

12. Demographic (adj, n) /ˌdem.əˈɡræf.ɪk/ 1. relating to the structure of

populations; 2. a particular sector of a population: 1. nhân khẩu học; 2. sự
thống kê nhân khẩu.
e.g. This migration accelerated in the 1950s and 1960s to meet the high
demand for low-skilled workers in factories and mines and to compensate for
slow demographic growth in Western Europe.

13. Colonial (adj, n) /kəˈloʊ.ni.əl/ 1. involving a period of political control by

a more powerful country; 2. a person from another country who lives in a
colony, especially as part of its system of government: 1. thuộc địa; 2. thực dân
e.g. France, for example, is home to the largest number of North African
immigrants, due to its long colonial involvement in Algeria, Morocco, and
Tunisia, followed by Holland, Belgium, Spain, Italy, and Germany.

14. Consistently (adv) /kənˈsɪs.tənt.li/ 1. in a way that doesn’t change; 2. in a

fair and impartial way: 1. kiên định, trước sau như một; 2. nhất quán
e.g. studies consistently indicate problems often experienced by multi-ethnic
workers
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15. Revolution (n) /ˌrev.əˈluː.ʃən/ 1. a movement in a circle or curve around

a central point; 2. a change in the way a country is governed, usually to a
different political system and often using violence or war: 1. sự xoay vòng; 2.
cuộc cách mạng.
e.g. For example, the French celebrate their Independence Day to honour
the storming of the Bastille, the beginning of the revolution, and the birth of
the modern French nation.

16. Diaspora (n) /daɪˈæs.pɚ.ə/ 1. the scattering of people from their original
country to other places; 2. Diaspora is the forced movement of Jews from
Israel; 3. The Diaspora is also the Jews who live outside of Israel: 1. hiện tượng
một nền văn hóa đồng nhất bị phân tán; 2. là phong trào bắt buộc của người
Do Thái từ Israel; 3. người Do Thái sống bên ngoài Israel.
e.g. Asians and Latin Americans living outside their home regions form the
largest global diaspora group.

17. Prosperity (n) /prɑːˈsper.ə.t̬ i/ 1. the state of being successful and having a
lot of money: 1. sự thịnh vượng, sự phát đạt, sự phồn vinh.
e.g. Regardless of the reasons for migration, migrants worldwide dream of
the freedom to be their own boss, to have autonomy in their choice of work,
and to achieve prosperity in the host country.

18. Overt (adj) /oʊˈvɝːt/ 1. done or shown publicly or in an obvious way and
not secret: 1. công khai, không úp mở.
e.g. Behind the overt, visible symbols of cultural diversity is a complex and
often implicit concept of multiculturalism.

19. Multiculturalism (n) /ˌmʌl.tiˈkʌl.tʃɚ.əl.ɪ.zəm/ 1. the presence of, or

support for the presence of, several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a
society: 1. đa văn hóa.
e.g. At a descriptive level, multiculturalism can be used to characterize a
society with diverse cultures.

20. Restriction (n) /rɪˈstrɪk.ʃən/ 1. an official limit on something; 2. the

limitation or control of someone or something, or the state of being restricted:
1. sự giới hạn, sự hạn chế; 2. buộc phải hạn chế.
e.g. Australia, during the nineteenth century, had no restrictions on anyone
entering what was then a set of colonies, provided that they were not convicts
serving out their time.

21. Aboriginal (n, adj) /ˌæb.əˈrɪdʒ.ən.əl/ 1. a member of a race of people who

were the first people to live in a country, before any colonists arrived; 2.
consisting of or relating to a race of people who lived in a country before
any colonists arrived: 1. dân bản xứ, dân bản địa; 2. (Aboriginal) người sinh
sống ở châu Úc trước khi có người châu Âu đến định cư
 INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

e.g. Australian moral principles and history, as well as national and

Aboriginal symbols.

22. Evident (adj) /ˈev·ɪ·dənt/ 1. clearly seen or understood; obvious: 1. rõ ràng

e.g. This restriction of citizenship opportunities is also evident elsewhere.

23. Naturalization (n) /ˌnætʃ.ɚ.rə.ləˈzeɪ.ʃən/ 1. the process of becoming or

making someone a citizen of a country that they were not born in: 1. sự nhập
tịch.
e.g. In Germany, immigrants are considered ‘Ausländer’ (foreigners) and
their naturalization is only possible if they agree to renounce their original
citizenship and demonstrate loyalty to their ‘adoptive’ country (these laws
were slightly relaxed when the Social Democrats gained power in the 1990s).

24. Controversy (n) /ˈkɑːn.trə.vɝː.si/ 1. a lot of

disagreement or argument about something, usually because it affects or
is important to many people: 1. cuộc tranh cãi, tranh luận
e.g. Even so, there is a raging controversy regarding the amendment of the
citizenship laws and the implications for German national identity (Blank,
Schmidt and Westle, 2001).

25. Amendment (n) /əˈmend.mənt/ 1. a change or changes made to the words

of a text: 1. sự sửa đổi, sự bổ sung.
e.g. the amendment of the citizenship laws and the implications for German
national identity (Blank, Schmidt and Westle, 2001).

26. Secular (adj) /ˈsek·jə·lər/ 1. not having any connection with religion: 1. thế
tục
e.g. French citizens have to show loyalty to a powerful, centralized, secular
nation-state, and to adhere to universal political values.

27. Regression (n) /rɪˈɡreʃ.ən/ 1. a return to a previous and less avanced or

worse state, condition, or way of behaving: 1. sự thoái lui.
e.g. Linguistic as well as cultural diversity within France has always been
seen as a sign of regression and a hindrance to achieving national unity.

28. Monarchy (n) /ˈmɑn·ər·ki/ a system of government that has a king or

queen, or a country that has this system of government: 1. quân chủ, chế độ
quân chủ.
e.g. In Thailand, lengthy prison terms of up to 15 years can be imposed for
insulting the monarchy; this includes destroying bank notes bearing the
king’s image.

29. Harsh (adj) /hɑːrʃ/ 1. unpleasant, unkind, cruel, or more severe than
is necessary: 1. gay gắt, khắt nghiệt, tàn nhẫn.
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e.g. Behaviours which are considered perfectly appropriate and acceptable in

one culture may appear harsh or offensive in another.

30. Unconscious (adj, n) /ʌnˈkɑːn.ʃəs/ 1. An unconscious thought or feeling is

one that you do not know you have; 2. in the state of not being awake and not
aware of things around you, especially as the result of a head injury; 3. the part
of your mind that contains feekings and thoughts that you don’t know about,
and that influences the way you behave: 1.không có ý thức, không tự giác, vô
tình; 2. bất tỉnh, ngất đi; 3. tiềm thức.
e.g. We acquire many of our cultural beliefs, values, and communication
norms at an unconscious level.

31. Discrimination (n) /dɪˌskrɪm.əˈneɪ.ʃən/ 1. treating a person or particular

group of people differently, especially in a worse way from the way in which
you treat other people, because of their skin colour, sex, sexuality, etc.; 2. the
ability to judge the quality of something based on its difference from other,
similar things: 1. phân biệt đối xử, kỳ thị; 2. sự phân biệt, khả năng nhận thức,
khả năng phân biệt.
e.g. Ethnocentrism may lead to prejudice, stereotypes, or discrimination.

32. Relativism (n) /ˈrel.ə.tɪ.vɪ.zəm/ 1. the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and
morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not
absolute: 1. thuyết tương đối.
e.g. In contrast to ethnocentrism is cultural relativism, which is the degree to
which an individual judges another culture by its context (Rogers and
Steinfatt, 1999).

33. Enrich (v) /ɪnˈrɪtʃ/ 1. to improve the quality of something by adding

something else; 2. to make something or someone richer: 1. làm giàu, làm
phong phú, cải thiện; 2. nâng cao chất lượng, làm cho ai/ cái gì giàu có hoặc
phong phú hơn.
e.g. Cultural differences do not prevent us from communicating with each
other; rather, they enrich us through communication.

34. Perceive (v) /pəˈsiːv/ 1. to come to an opinion about something, or have a

belief about something, to think of something in a particular way; 2. to notice
something or someone by using sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell: 1. hiểu
được, năm được, nhận thức, lĩnh hội; 2. thấy, nhận thấy, nhận biết, quan sát.
e.g. The more that culturally diverse people get to know each other, the more
they can appreciate the differences and perceive the deep commonalities
among them.

35. Baggage (n) /ˈbæɡ·ɪdʒ/ 1. the bags that you take with you when you travel;
luggage; 2. the beliefs and feelings that influence how you think and behave: 1.
hành lý; 2. quan niệm trước đây; gánh nặng tư tưởng.
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e.g. People of different ethnic backgrounds bring their cultural baggage to

the workplace.

36. Innovation (n) /ˌɪn.əˈveɪ.ʃən/ 1. (the use of) a new idea or method: 1. sự
đổi mới, sự cách tân.
e.g. Ethnic diversity in the workplace creates challenges for management in
today’s businesses, but attention to diversity issues has the potential to bolster
employee morale, create an inclusive climate in organizations, and spark
creative innovation.

37. Confine (v) /kənˈfaɪn/ 1. to limit an activity, person, or problem in some

way; 2. to keep someone closed in a place, often by force: 1. bị giới hạn, hạn
chế; 2. giam giữ, giam cầm.
e.g. Cross-cultural adaptation has to be understood as a manifestation of
broader social trends that are not confined to the experience of immigrants,

38. Dominance (n) /ˈdɑː.mə.nəns/ 1. the quality of being more important,

strong, or successful than anything else of the same type: 1. ưu thế, địa vị thống
trị.
e.g. For host nationals, multiculturalism can be interpreted as a threat to
their cultural dominance.

39. Cohestion (n) /koʊˈhiː.ʒən/ 1. the situation when the members of a group
or society are united: 1. sự gắn kết.
e.g. Thus, policies of multiculturalism that highlight the importance of
recognizing cultural diversity within a common framework, as well as equal
opportunities, can lead to inter-ethnic distinctions and threaten social
cohesion.

40. Extent (n) /ɪkˈstent/ 1. the area, length, or size of something; 2. the degree
or limit of something; how great or severe something is: 1. khu vực, phạm vi,
quy mô; 2. mức độ, giới hạn
e.g. The extent to which host nationals allow members of immigrant groups
to maintain their own culture and partake in relationships with the dominant
cultural group plays an important role in the construction of a truly
multicultural society.