Guide for Multilingual Teams: Identity, Conflict, and Understanding – Lecture by Dr. Lee and Dr. Kiss
In today’s educational institutions and workplaces, people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds increasingly study and work together, which can lead to communication challenges. On June 10, Dr. Nicholas Lee and Dr. Tamás Kiss, associate professors at Sunway University, jointly gave a lecture titled “The Value of Intercultural Competence: Navigating Language, Identity and Conflict,” discussing how language, identity, and cultural differences influence effective communication.
The event was opened by Dr. Enikő Maior, Vice-Rector for Education at Obuda University.
The interactive and well-received presentation used practical examples to explore the relationship between language and culture. With the help of the Kahoot app, the audience engaged in a playful exploration of the difficulties that can arise when people from different countries interact. At the end of the lecture, the communication experts shared useful strategies with participants, such as active listening, shifting perspectives, and perception changes – all of which help reduce conflict in multicultural settings.
This lecture was the result of an agreement made during a visit to Malaysia in February. As part of the Hungarian-Malaysian Rectors’ Forum, Prof. Dr. Levente Kovács signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Prof. Sibrandes Poppema, President of Sunway University. This agreement opens the door to joint research projects and academic exchange programs between the two institutions.
At the time, the rector noted:
“I believe it is important to maintain a close and productive relationship with the East Asian region and one of its leading higher education institutions. At Sunway, they conduct high-level research focused on key global issues and offer diverse, high-quality educational programs from undergraduate to postgraduate levels. Like us, Sunway is a relatively young institution on the global scale, yet it already ranks in the top 2% worldwide (QS World University Rankings), top 1.5% of Asian universities, and among the top 150 globally.”
Sunway has over 25,000 students, with 13–18% being international. The employment rate after graduation ranges between 87–98%.
A similar upcoming lecture can be attended for free and online on August 9: 17th ESAP Symposium – Beyond Words: Integrating Language, Culture & Society.
The interactive and well-received presentation used practical examples to explore the relationship between language and culture. With the help of the Kahoot app, the audience engaged in a playful exploration of the difficulties that can arise when people from different countries interact. At the end of the lecture, the communication experts shared useful strategies with participants, such as active listening, shifting perspectives, and perception changes – all of which help reduce conflict in multicultural settings.
This lecture was the result of an agreement made during a visit to Malaysia in February. As part of the Hungarian-Malaysian Rectors’ Forum, Prof. Dr. Levente Kovács signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Prof. Sibrandes Poppema, President of Sunway University. This agreement opens the door to joint research projects and academic exchange programs between the two institutions.
At the time, the rector noted:
“I believe it is important to maintain a close and productive relationship with the East Asian region and one of its leading higher education institutions. At Sunway, they conduct high-level research focused on key global issues and offer diverse, high-quality educational programs from undergraduate to postgraduate levels. Like us, Sunway is a relatively young institution on the global scale, yet it already ranks in the top 2% worldwide (QS World University Rankings), top 1.5% of Asian universities, and among the top 150 globally.”
Sunway has over 25,000 students, with 13–18% being international. The employment rate after graduation ranges between 87–98%.
A similar upcoming lecture can be attended for free and online on August 9: 17th ESAP Symposium – Beyond Words: Integrating Language, Culture & Society.
