I believe the intention behind these two modules is to convey that when communicating interculturally, many cultural or pragmatic variables can arise and hinder communication in the target language. Professors Thomas Garza and Dale Koike argue that there are cases in which one cannot use the cultural or pragmatic aspects associated with one's culture of origin when attempting to engage in a conversation in the target language. Meaning is not always necessarily what one literally says, but rather the product of layers of cultural norms and pragmatic/situational nuances that modify the meaning of what one says. These two aspects, cultural norms (e.g., missteps) and implicit pragmatics often make communication difficult if these facets of the target language and culture are not part of the language acquisition process. This shows that within a language classroom, there are more subtleties in the target language and culture that an instructor must illustrate in order to facilitate intercultural communication. These modules really helped me understand the importance of clarifying these cross-cultural differences of linguocultures so that students can avoid the pitfalls of these common missteps. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay In my own language class, there have already been many occasions where my students have attempted to express a statement in German as one would in German. English, but the pragmatic nature of the statements does not quite translate into German due to the cultural norms of German-speaking countries and German pragmatic conventions. For example, American students studying the German language tend to express that they “like” objects (e.g. “ich liebe Bücher!”). The verb "to love" exists in German, but it is generally considered too extreme an emotion to use with objects and should only be used within family settings. Even in situations in which most Americans would express that they love another person, Germans would instead say "ich habe dich lieb," which translates to "I love you very much." American cultural and pragmatic norms of using extreme emotions to describe situations generally do not express the same meaning in German, which is why it is important to express the implied meaning of certain expressions in German and how they differ of English. I would completely agree with Dr. Garza and Koike, using Dr. Garza's phrase "the fifth skill" to express my belief that cultural and pragmatic education on how these factors hinder smooth communication implies different pragmatic meanings than similar utterances in primary education. language. In my classroom, talking about my own past missteps, I try to help my students develop the cultural competence that would allow them to become proficient speakers of the target language without the awkward moments that accompany a feeling of ignorance at the with regard to the norms of the target language. cultures of the target language. It is an element of a language teacher's responsibility towards his students to develop them into competent speakers with developed competence in intercultural communication..