Professional communication in bilingual educational environment: principles and strategies

Introduction. The internationalization of education is a key tendency in the modern global world. Within this tendency arises the problem of managing cultural and language differences in multiple-codes educational systems. That poses a demand for specialists that are capable of: a) functioning in diverse educational environment, b) harmonzing cognitive patterns and pragmatic interpretations of cultural identities, c) adapting verbal codes and communicative styles to the parameters of bilingual contexts. In this perspective it is important to work out methodological tools of teaching professional communication across cultures. The purpose of the article is to model principles and strategies of professional communication congruent to the parameters of the biligual environment. Methods. The methodology of the study is based on findings in the fields of teaching foreign languages, cognitive psychology and linguistics, cross-cultural communication, strategic organization of professional communication. The integrated approach is in line with the interdisciplinary domain of bilingual education. Results. The proposed model differentiates three factors - Parameters, principles and strategies - as constituents of the framework of professional communication in bilingual educational environment. The three factors are integrated into the perspective of enhancing the process of teaching professional communication through negotiating cultural, verbal and non-verbal codes. The dynamics of the framework allows for the variability of methods and practices aimed at developing professional and communicative skills by using instrumental resources of bilingual education. Conclusions. This study was aimed at modelling principles and strategies of professional communication within the framework of bilingual education. The study contributes to the methodological field of teaching professional communucation across cultures by elaborating a cluster of factors framing the process of negotiating cultural patterns and communicative styles in the perspective of achieving the target results. The proposed Parameters-principles-strategies model shapes the range of interpersonal interactions in professional bilingual contexts and sets guiding lines for adapting goals, contents and practices of teaching professional communication to the parameters of the bilingual educational environment.