Socio-cultural competence in teaching foreign languages

This article is devoted to the problem of integrating socio-cultural components into teaching and upbringing through foreign languages. The aim of teaching a foreign language means not only acquiring communication skill but also forming cultural and linguistic personality. This fact causes the emergence of new concepts in foreign language teaching e.g. concepts of intercultural communication and socio-cultural learning. The main aim of any communication is to be understood by interlocutor. The effectiveness of this process is directly dependent on the reached level of mutual understanding between communicants. To achieve this aim partners should have the willingness and capacity to form dialogue of cultures which presupposes the existence of a socio-cultural competence. Sociocultural competence includes knowledge about values, beliefs, behavior patterns, customs, traditions, language and cultural achievements peculiar to society. This competence occurs in the framework of socio-cultural education and training, i.e. in the process of personalizing the culture and national traditions of the studied language country.