The Journal of Internationalization and Localization - Volume 3, Issue 2, 2016

This paper introduces the concept of ‘cultural dimension’ as developed in intercultural communication, into the field of intercultural narrative studies. Since cultural dimensions describe and explain social human behavior, the question emerges whether they can also help to study narratorial behavior. If so, cultural dimensions may assist scholars to study the cultural localization of global values in narratives. When conceiving of narrative as the representation of characters acting in situations, one may distinguish two levels of narrative behavior: the level of character behavior, i.e. the represented, and the level of a narrator behaving narratively, i.e. the representation. This paper focuses on the level of the narrative agency. Borrowing some classical concepts from narratology (real authors, implied authors, narrator, narratee, implied audience and real audiences), it examines how narratorial behavior may display cultural, i.e. localized values at various levels. By way of conclusion, this essay suggests how the concept of ‘cultural dimension’ could assist a study of cross-cultural audience empathy.

In this contribution, it will be shown which tasks within the process of the development of information products in the source language have high relevance for later translation, localization, and interculturality. Put differently, while focusing on intercultural issues we will outline the knowledge areas to be shared by translators/localizers and technical communicators. The overarching aim is to foster the mutual understanding and learning of translators/localizers and technical communicators, hence facilitating the translation and localization workflow. It will further be shown which knowledge competencies are necessary to fulfill the typical tasks within the process of global information development and should therefore be part of academic programs in technical communication and its neighboring disciplines.

In this research, we studied localized commercial texts of globalized companies in the context of intertextuality on three levels: lexical, thematic, and cultural. Amongst many products of the three companies under study (Samsung, LG, and Sony), four smartphone models of each were selected (total: 12). Their introductory web pages both in Persian and English were the sources of the data. Furthermore, we used an online analyzer tool (online-utility.org/text/analyzer.jsp) so as to analyze the data; the results were also corroborated with other pieces of software packages and applications. In the scene of booming globalization, a better understanding of cross-cultural vocative communication proves to be helpful. One of the most active areas is to study flagship brands where rivals are trying their best at localizing their devices to the liking of potential customers. Descriptive and explanatory methods were brought into play in order to compare English and Persian commercial texts. The research revealed the critical role intertextuality plays in the process of glocalization. Developing companies should note that they, too, could utilize this great potentiality in the context of web localization. Therefore, the findings would be of benefit to Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), product developers and scholars interested in the subject.

Higher Education institutions worldwide are aware of the fact that intercultural and interdisciplinary collaborations will be an essential part of their students’ professional lives. To that effect, it is crucial to develop pedagogical strategies to provide students with the skills that will give them the mobility and flexibility to operate efficiently in different cultural contexts. ‘Reading Across Cultures’ is a module taught at Monash University that was specifically designed to enhance students’ levels of Cultural Literacy. The module is particularly innovative in that its structure follows that of a literary studies course, but it focuses on teaching students how to transfer the analytical and interpretative skills learnt in the classroom to real life scenarios. This article presents a detailed description of how ‘Reading Across Cultures’ does this. In the context of Localization and Internationalization Studies, the article discusses the need to teach our students how to ‘localize themselves’, and how this can be achieved by means of Cultural Literacy. It also provides an explanation of the overall structure of ‘Reading Across Cultures’, including a description of assignments that will be particularly useful for educators at a tertiary level who seek to plan similar courses aimed at enhancing students’ levels of Cultural Literacy or Intercultural Competence. The article focuses on two specific techniques that were used throughout the module to enhance students’ levels of Cultural Literacy: ‘destabilization’ and ‘reflection’.

The focus of this study is an analysis of the novel The Brick People published by the Chicano author Alejandro Morales in 1988 and its homonymous documentary film from 2012. Both narratives are based on the same story, namely the lives of Mexican immigrants, who worked as employees in Simons Brickyard in Los Angeles, California, a city originally founded by Mexicans. In the official historiography, this part of Mexican migration in California has been ignored. This study will reveal how the novel and the documentary deal with this gap or interstice in North-American history and how they reflect the cultural divide in Southern California. We are particularly interested in how both the novelist and the documentary makers present the topics of integration, of preservation or construction of the Mexican cultural identity and of cross-cultural dialogue to an English speaking audience. Both the documentary and the novel narrate “value[s] that reflect […] the language, local conventions and culture of [the] geographic region” (ISO/TS 11669:2012(en), 2.1.10) of Los Angeles. The depiction of this target locale presents itself as a borderland that clusters a rich mix of cultural, historical, and (non) urban landscapes (Gersdorf 2009, 309). This ancient collective memory appears serendipitously as sudden sites or potential links of human action collected in one or more of the previous structures of consciousness and inspire individuals to perform and produce in unique and extraordinary ways (Morales 2012, 111).

Second or foreign language learners study or are taught various language skill areas, one of which is speaking. In order to speak in the target language, learners must gain some proficiency in the target language’s vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation so that their verbal utterances are meaningful to listeners. However, although pronunciation may be said to be the most fundamental of these three components, it is by far the one that receives the least amount of attention in second or foreign language learning situations. Insufficient attention placed on the pronunciation component can lead to detrimental effects on learners, potentially negatively impacting them in their attempts at bridging the interculturality gap between their first language and the language being learned. The present article will make a call for increased inclusion of pronunciation instruction and training in second and foreign language teaching and learning by relating pronunciation’s importance in verbal communicative acts and by addressing the issue of pronunciation localization. In addition, the article will present a discussion explaining why those involved in such language teaching and learning tend to overlook the pronunciation component in second and foreign language teaching and learning situations.