The Surprise Report. A tool for the development of interpreters' cultural awareness and intercultural competence

According to the European Federation for Intercultural Learning (n.d.), the acquisition of intercultural competences is a process which brings best results through conscious, planned and facilitated experiential learning. The exposure and interaction with people of different cultures does not imply, nor guarantee, intercultural learning. Indeed, according to Amir’s theory of "Contact Hypothesis in Ethnic Relations” (1998), casual contact, even if frequent, is less likely to change attitudes than intimate contact is. For example, close acquaintance and more intimate relations are more likely to reduce prejudice than work relationships.
In order to become culturally aware and competent it is needed to develop habits such as introspection, self-awareness, curiosity, openness, and observation. Through exposure to other cultures, self-observation, and reflection, it is possible to have a greater ability to learn and change oneself over time. However, intercultural learning is a life-long learning process, therefore intercultural competence can never be fully achieved. Some strategies to develop one’s own cultural awareness and intercultural competence are explained here below and include eco-maps, cultural self-assessment checklists, self-observation, culture shock and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle.
Eco-maps were developed by Hartman in 1975 as a means of depicting family's connections to the external world. Eco-maps are visual maps usually employed in individual and family counselling within the social work and nursing profession. They provide a useful tool for assessment of family, social and community relationships and highlight the quality of these connections. They therefore are good method to develop self-awareness (See Appendix A: Drawing an Eco-map).
According to Cross et al. (1989) intercultural competence requires the capacity to: 1) value diversity, 2) conduct self-assessment, 3) manage the dynamics of difference, 4) acquire cultural knowledge, and 5) adapt to diversity. Intercultural competence self- assessment checklists are designed to help explore one’s own individual intercultural competence. Its purpose is to help them consider their own skills, knowledge, and awareness in their interactions with others, and recognise what they can do to become more effective working and living in diverse environments (See Appendix B: Intercultural competence self-assessment checklists example).
In psychology self-observation is an umbrella term for several methods associated with first-order accounts of mental activity and first-person reporting. Other names for introspective methods include self-report, retrospection, inner perception, and self- reflection. Some ways to practice self-observation are meditation, journaling, or mindfulness.
According to Storti (2001), the first step of cultural awareness is realising that individuals expect others to be like them. This is the first and most difficult step of culture shock because these expectations, thoughts, feelings, and attitudes are subconscious. However, it is possible to recognise them from a feeling of frustration, surprise, or anger when a critical incident occurs (a misunderstanding or a conflict due to cultural differences). One method of learning from critical incidents is to schedule a daily moment to recall cultural incidents and reflect on them, alone or with others. With practice, greater awareness may become available during a cultural incident. Storti (2001) emphasises the importance of reinforcement and repetition in becoming effective in specific intercultural situations. The process of cultural awareness is ongoing. “What the conscious intellect tells us … is no match for what a lifetime of cultural conditioning has taught us. For the notion of cultural differences to take deep and lasting root in our psyche, it must be constantly reinforced over a sustained period until it is internalised. Until that time, it’s entirely possible—indeed, it’s inevitable— that we can cheerfully subscribe to the view that foreigners are different and still be stunned the first time we see a Hindu drink cow urine” (Storti 2001,p.69). Storti adds that because culture is related so strongly to values, cross-cultural challenges to belief systems can be perceived as threats, and the response is often deeply emotional. Thus, cultural awareness requires understanding, reflection, and supports in order to deal with the strong opinions and emotions that intercultural conflicts can provoke.
In Kolb’s opinion “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (1984, p. 38). Experiential learning is described as learning activities which directly engage the learner in the phenomenon being studied and provide opportunities for reflection on those experiences (Cantor 1995). Kolb (1984) provides a useful model that delineates four elements of experiential learning. This learning model involves an integrated cycle of activities that include concrete experience, abstract conceptualization, reflective observation, and active experimentation. The learning process, according to the Kolb model is best understood as a spiral or cycle. The learner will experience each of the activities again and again in a process that is responsive to both what is being learned and the setting within which the learning takes place.

⁃ CONCRETE EXPERIENCE: the learner encounters a concrete experience. This might be a new situation or a past one reinterpreted according to new concepts.
⁃ REFLECTIVE OBSERVATION OF THE NEW EXPERIENCE: the learner reflects on the new experience in the light of their existing knowledge. Of particular importance are any inconsistencies between experience and understanding.
⁃ ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALIZATION: reflection gives rise to a new idea, or a modification of an existing abstract concept (the person has learned from their experience).
⁃ ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATION: the newly created or modified concepts give rise to experimentation. The learner applies their idea(s) to the world around them to see what happens which results in new experiences.