A Bit of History

SoCoCo Intercultural was established in January 1995 following the initial meeting of Ruth Mastron and Gilles Asselin at the 1994 ASTD (American Society for Training and Development) national conference in Anaheim, CA. Ruth and Gilles discovered they had many things in common, such as their international experience, their knowledge of French and American cultures and their passion for intercultural work. They indeed share many complementarities, including dual perspectives: American/French, female/male, social science/business background, French regional culture/Paris experience, US West/East coast location.

Since 1995, SoCoCo Intercultural has grown to include other professionals in its team of consultants and trainers and has enhanced the scope of its services.

There is indeed a story behind the name "SoCoCo." In 1986, Gilles Asselin was completing a year-long financial assignment in Brazzaville, Congo. His goal at the time was to establish his own accounting firm. This never happened but the name of the organization would have been, Societe Congolaise de Controle Comptable (Congolese Accounting Control Company), or "SoCoCo." Gilles and Ruth decided that their company should adopt the name.

Our Purpose and Mission

As our by-line states, our mission is to "Bridge Oceans of Differences" and make relations among people of different cultural origins more beneficial, pleasant and rewarding. In order to achieve these goals, we offer presentations, public seminars, as well as training and consulting services that promote respect, trust, understanding and cooperation among national cultures and subcultures.

We stress the fact that, in order to understand another cultural being, it is first essential to know oneself. While this is true within any culture or society, it becomes even more important when we embark upon an intercultural journey.

While our services are primarily targeted to business entities and people, we also assist not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions. We are in fact open to any situation, personal, business, social or diplomatic, that involves intercultural relations, and we will be happy to refer you to one of our colleagues, should your request or interests fall beyond the scope of our competence.

The Field of Intercultural Communication

The field of Intercultural Communication is composed of two separate branches: domestic diversity and international intercultural relations. However, some of our American colleagues feel that the two branches are--or ought to be--coming together, and that the distinction between intercultural relations within a country and among countries is becoming blurred.

The "Domestic Diversity" branch deals with topics such as relations among ethnic groups in the United States, gender relations, religion, sexual orientation, and so on. It is important to realize that the U.S. is a unique society and that most of these issues would be addressed very differently or may not arise at all in other cultures.

The "International Intercultural Relations" branch addresses issues and differences that emerge when people from one culture or society interact with people from a foreign culture or society. The influence of different child-rearing practices and societal norms in each country makes it sometimes more challenging to achieve a smooth and rewarding encounter or cooperation across national cultures.

Nowadays, the word "global" often replaces the term "international" although the meaning of the former is sometimes difficult to pin down. Yet the cultural issues at stake remain the same, regardless of the words we're using.

SoCoCo Intercultural operates within the "International Intercultural Relations" branch of the field and offers both general and specialized services.