SDLC 105 Journal #4 - Reflection on Cultural Competence, etc.

[Rachel Poplack]

Cultural Competence is a fascinating concept. The idea that people can be competent and aware of a specific culture, understand its cultural nuances, and become fluent in more than just a language is important. There is more to learning a language than just learning how to speak. You have to learn the other parts of a language, which are speaking in a certain way, understanding the dress and physical aspects of movement and appearances, and knowing physical and social interactions. For example, in Israel, to be "culturally competent", one has to understand that Israelis are tough and abrasive even though they do not necessarily mean to be. It could be very off-putting to be in Israel because one could just think that everyone is really mean, negative and harsh. Israelis are not any less nice than anyone else, they just are blunt and they do not mince words. This results in a certain type of culture, and this mixes with the language as well. Israelis rarely say please or thank you, and their body language rarely suggests that they mean please or thank you. Understanding this cues is a type of cultural competence. One cannot just know how to speak the language, you must understand how to speak the culture as well.