Global, international, and intercultural competencies in a Trans-Atlantic and Pacific Project (TAPP) partnership

Abstract

Virtual exchanges through the Trans-Atlantic and Pacific Project (TAPP) allow instructors to design collaborations that engage students in global, international, and intercultural (GII) competencies, which are increasingly emphasised through the ongoing process of internationalisation of higher education. This article constitutes a practice report that describes two TAPP virtual exchanges designed by an instructor in Spain and one in the United States between master’s level translation students at a research university in Spain and 1) undergraduate students enrolled in a specialised technical writing course at a research university in the U.S. and 2) students in a graduate editing course at a regional university in the U.S. A content analysis of pre- and postlearning reports authored by the translation students demonstrates that students engaged in GII competencies such as openness, adaptability, and intercultural communication, which further reinforced the internationalisation of the curriculum.

Keywords

• virtual exchange
• internationalisation
• translation
• technical communication
• situated learning