Students at the German-Chinese College, ca. 1910 (Source: German Federal Archives) The dichotomy of East and West is a recent phenomenon and associated with European industrialization. Yet, it is difficult…
Gegentuul BaioudMay 10, 2018
In today’s world, “literacy” is strongly associated with competence: the ability to read and write is the pre-condition for the acquisition of all kinds of knowledge and skills. The basic…
Ingrid PillerAugust 15, 2017
Media image for "the dual identity" of bilinguals (Source: Luxemburger Wort) We keep reading media reports of studies which conclude that people who speak more than one language are capable of perceiving…
Hanan Ben NafaJune 5, 2017
Imagine you live under constant scrutiny in society: you are an Australian woman, you come from a Lebanese-Muslim background, and your hijab identifies you wherever you go. How would you…
Ayah WehbeJune 2, 2017
Do we see international students as opportunity or threat? (Screenshot from 'Degrees of Deception') With recent news on the number of international students in Australia reaching a new high and…
Agnes BodisMay 31, 2017
Intercultural communication advice is a strange genre. Filling shelves and shelves in bookshops and libraries and now with a well-established presence on the Internet and in training workshops, it portrays…
Ingrid PillerMay 12, 2017
Manus Island Detention Centre, where Faysal Ishak Ahmed collapsed (Source: ABC News) On December 23, 2016, as most Australians were winding down for the holiday week ahead, Faysal Ishak Ahmed,…
Ingrid PillerMarch 15, 2017
Everyone wants to be a winner in the dating game; but it doesn't always work that way ... A 2015 article in the New York Post argued that mobile dating…
Livia GerberDecember 8, 2016
"Good people make a good country" by Addo Tetteh As I am trying to finalize the manuscript for the second revised edition of my 2011 book Intercultural Communication: A Critical…
Ingrid PillerNovember 10, 2016
Does this delicious Libyan Herb Bread taste even yummier in English? Is it the case that bilinguals have dual identities or divided loyalties where they associate each aspect of their…
Hanan Ben NafaOctober 18, 2016
Supposedly Kriol signage at Rapid Creek, Darwin When I shared this Kriol sign on Facebook as an example of a bad Kriol translation, a first language Kriol speaker commented: Im…
Greg DicksonJune 30, 2016
Murugan Temple, Colombo (Source: Andy Nobes) Do you know which non-Christian religion has grown the fastest in Australia since the new millennium? You might be surprised to hear that it’s…
Niru PereraMarch 9, 2016
"Sauberkeit" ("cleanliness") - another of those key cultural concepts Everyone who has learned a second language will have noticed that certain words and expressions cannot be translated easily from one…
Rahel CramerFebruary 10, 2016
January 26, Australia Day: whether you are celebrating depends on your perspective (Source: news.com.au) Here in Australia we celebrated our national holiday yesterday. Australia Day marks the end of the…
Ingrid PillerJanuary 27, 2016
Do clouds over VW equal clouds over Germany? The Volkswagen (VW) emissions scandal has received significant media coverage in and outside of Germany. Besides accounts of the developments that led…
Rahel CramerOctober 28, 2015
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