ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at what we can do to facilitate successful communication in intercultural encounters. It discusses Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT), which aims to understand what people do naturally when there are communicative and linguistic differences between conversation participants. The chapter then discusses strategies of collaboratively negotiating meaning and achieving understanding, followed by a section on interpreter-mediated interactions. It explores how knowledge of professional and institutional discourse can contribute to successful communication. The chapter focuses on: communication accommodative behaviours and practices when there are perceived differences in linguistic abilities among participants; negotiation as the way of engagement; roles of interpreters; and the importance of understanding and meeting the expectations of professional and institutional discourse. Communication accommodative behaviours are believed to be motivated by three goals: seeking approval, maintaining group identity and attaining communicative efficiency.
