Prof. HU Guangwei, Department of English and Communication

Addressing Linguacultural Competencies in Language Teaching: The Case of Business English. The Korea Association of Teachers of English (KATE) International Conference: 60th Anniversary, Seoul, Korea, 17 – 18 July 2025.

Abstract
Linguacultural competence is essential for effective international communication. This is especially true for English as a business lingua franca (BELF). As BELF communication crosses national borders and includes multiple languages and cultural groups, linguacultural competence plays a critical role in successful BELF communication. In this presentation, I share an empirical effort to identify essential linguacultural competencies based on the current literature and cross-validate the candidates with internationally operating business professionals. The resultant list of 19 specific linguacultural competencies concerns requisite knowledge, skills and strategies, and attitudes. These competencies are important not only for real-world communication but also for English language teaching pedagogy because they pave the way for bridging a frequently observed research-practice gap by identifying specific knowledge, skills, strategies, and attitudes that are immediately applicable to materials development, classroom practice, and assessment for different contexts and groups of learners. By way of conclusion, I outline how the linguacultural competencies can be addressed pedagogically to train pre- and job-experienced learners with a view to creating a more connected, empathetic, and understanding international business environment.