Intercultural Competence of Specialists in the Field of International Relations as a Constituent Part of the Professional Activity

The purpose of the work is to clarify the role of intercultural competence in the field of international activity, through which the activity of IR specialists becomes more effective with respect to interacting with people representing different cultures while performing their professional duties. The research methodology consisted in the application of such research methods as study, analysis and generalization with the purpose of revealing the concept of intercultural competence as the ability to choose and carry out the speech act (behavior) depending on the purposes and content of professional speech with the help of linguistic means, as well as mastery of communication strategy and tactics. The scientific novelty lies in the description of the problem of mastering intercultural elements of professional competence by IR specialists. The problems of communication, social intercourse, and formation of various professional skills among specialists in different fields have been extensively covered in the scientific literature, but the problem of intercultural communication and formation of the elements of linguistic culture in the context of professional international activity remains insufficiently studied. Conclusions. The professional activity of specialists in the field of international relations does not only involve the utilization of professional skills but also awareness of the peculiarities of the host country's linguistic picture of the world, linguistic and extra-linguistic factors that determine communication in professional discourse.