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• Building Intercultural Competence through Language Education

  148-157

  Ildikó Némethová

  Views:

  167

  This paper seeks to highlight the importance of intercultural competence in language learning and teaching. All intercultural encounters incorporate communication between individuals who, rather than belonging to only one culture, belong to a diverse array of different cultures at the same time. They share some of these cultures with the people they are talking to, and some of them they do not. And some of these cultural variations and affinities will influence the way they communicate, and some of them will be totally insignificant.

• The improvement of speaking skills at pilot courses at the College of Szolnok in the light of the findings of our labour market survey

  68-75

  Beáta Busi

  Edit Kiscsatári

  Views:

  97

  The research conducted by the College of Szolnok in 2013 on the language requirements of the labour market revealed that what employers mostly find lacking in careerstarters is the confident and proficient use of foreign languages. On the basis of the research findings the subjects taught at the College have been developed in a practiceoriented direction. In our lecture we elaborate on the possibilities of improving the communicative competence at our pilot courses. We give a survey of the phases of the improvement of speaking skills, the most important condition of the communication process. We present the task types characterising the various phases of the development process, the strategies of teaching vocabulary using some German examples taken from some textbook series (Alltag, Beruf & Co.) used at the pilot courses.

• Discussion forum (course) – a practical approach to communicative competence development

  142-147

  Tatiana Hrivíková

  Views:

  92

  The paper describes and discusses the observations and findings of three years of teaching a unique English language course – “Discussion Forum” within the study programme Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication at the Faculty of Applied Languages, at the University of Economics in Bratislava. It presents the original format as it was introduced in 2010 when the study programme was accredited and its development and alterations based on the collected experience and evidence of both students and teacher. Three debate formats, speech duel, round table and team debate, are described and their shortcomings and merits are evaluated. Finally, the findings and conclusions arrived at since the first implementation, are discussed.

• The pragmatic mistakes of Hungarian students learning English – about an empirical research

  13-24

  Krisztina Csatlós

  Views:

  262

  In my paper I try to give a precise definition of the term ’pragmatic competence’ and I describe how this term has evolved. I define the term ’pragmatic failure’ and I elaborate on its judgement, its causes, and its types. I describe the Hungarian – English contrastive researches. I list the most frequent pragmatic mistakes made by Hungarian students while speaking English. I present the findings of my research that I carried out among the students of the College of Szolnok in  October 2014. Finally I discuss whether pragmatic competence can be taught, and if yes, for what purpose.

• Tourism Competencies Development – Contradictious Perceptions of Stakeholders

  126-141

  Anita Mondok

  Views:

  126

  Tourism and hospitality sector has an important role in the national economy as it has high  labour intensity, generates foreign currency income and improves the local economy by multiplier effect. Tourism labour market employs a wide range of employees from non-qualified to highqualified people. Tourism tertiary educators in Hungary continue their operation by national-level legislation, and accreditation and students who complete tourism courses (should) be capable of professional occupation. The post-Bologna system offered more opportunities in tourism and hospitality education; two distinguished courses were available on the educational market to educate hospitality or tourism experts. After 2006, by launching Bologna system, institutions are allowed to commence just one, Tourism and Catering bachelor programme. A questionnairebased survey was conducted among graduating bachelor students with tourism and catering major, tutors teaching tourism and catering students and actors of tourism market, who going to be the employers of tourism graduates. The main aim of the research was to explore the personal or organizational expectations of stakeholders for professional competence development as a result of tourism and catering bachelor-level education. The bust majority of students stated that their primary aim is to gain professional competencies in tourism and hospitality to be able to fulfil managerial positions or to continue their studies on master-level. Although generic competences as communication skills in foreign languages, social sensitivity, problem solving or creativity have salient influence on job performance, students did not believe that they would be
  essential. However, these factors were thought to be the most crucial by tutors and tourism service providers despite the fact that generic skill development is not in focus in tourism and catering bachelor-level education in Hungary. Not just the educational institutions but tourism companies providing work placement for students were considered to be an appropriate basis for competencies development that raised the question of monitoring and assessment. The findings can be profitable for all stakeholder group or policy decision makers in bachelor-level curriculum development.