Terminology: cross- or inter-?
In French the only possible adjective for this field is “interculturel”, whereas in English
we have both “intercultural” and “cross-cultural”. Many English speakers favor “crosscultural”,
some almost avoiding “intercultural” as if it were a case of vocabulary
interference with French. Others use the terms interchangeably.
I have entitled my class “Intercultural Communication”, because like many people
involved in this field, I distinguish between these two terms. In our usage, “cross-cultural”
applies to something which covers more than one culture. For example “a cross-cultural
study of education in Western Europe” would be a comparison of chosen aspects of
education in various countries or regions, but would consider each country or region
separately and would not suggest any interaction between the various educational systems.
On the other hand, the term “intercultural” implies interaction. From an intercultural
perspective, it would be possible to study the experiences of students or teachers who move
from one educational system to another, or to examine the interactions of students from
different countries enrolled in a specific class or program. “Culture shock” and “cultural
adaptation” are thus intercultural notions.

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Note added at 5 hrs (2012-09-29 15:01:03 GMT)
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CROSS-CULTURAL vs. INTERCULTURAL
... To my disappointment, not only did the author use “cross-
cultural” to mean “intercultural” but she also argued that most people, even academics, use the terms “interchangeably”; ...
In the graduate program in Intercultural Relations, from day one we learn the definitions of intercultural vs. cross-cultural in the context of communication across cultures. Because social media has become “the” online platform for collaboration, learning, and exchange of knowledge, the blog author needs to learn both the correct definitions of the terms and the principles of the new media. Trying to oblige one’s ideas through new media is a thing of the past so, as a colleague of mine put it, “she is a traditionalist.”
...Mari, I couldn’t agree with you more! And, interestingly, the point you make about the distinction between “inter-” and “cross-” is applicable to a number of areas of study, not only cultural studies. For example, as a professor of Communication Studies, I routinely teach a seminar that deals with both inter- and cross-generational communication, especailly as it applies to family settings. I always make it a point to spell out the difference between the two concepts at the start of each semester. My students learn to appreciate the importance of the distinction as time goes on, especially when it’s time for them to propose reasonable hypotheses about intergenerational family communication. Their hypotheses are so much better informed when they are able to grasp some of the key differences in the ways that people from different generations tend to communicate ...
http://ixmaticommunications.com/2011/02/03/cross-cultural-vs...