臺灣外語學院已成立多年，亦有口碑。但隨著國內外經濟、社會及教育政策的改變，乃至學生就業市場的變化，正面臨新的挑戰。限於主客觀因素，要在外語學院內做全面性的改弦易轍，殊屬不易；但適時加入新的元素，如跨文化的教學與研究，則較易有成。因為跨文化尚無“母學門”〈Bolten, 2007〉，它可與任何學科聯結成研究主體，而外語學院的教學環境與內容，正是跨文化的「溫床」。
外語學院的跨文化研究除提供教學新元素外，亦可將研究結果提供給企業、外交界，對即將外派的人員施以跨文化訓練，以期在駐在國順利達成任務。Black & Mendenhall〈1989〉，Stahl〈1998〉，Conradt/Beh〈2002〉及Bolten〈2007〉對跨文化訓練多所研究。本文試從這些研究結果中提出外語院系發展之新視野。
Departments of foreign languages in Taiwan have been in existence for more than four decades. Facing social, political and economic changes, globally and locally, the faculties of these departments are confronted with new challenges internally in terms of teaching content and goal-settings and externally in terms of educational policies promoted and enforced by the government.
A revolutionary curriculum change is not feasible and not advisable. Adding new teaching and researching dimensions, concretely speaking in this case, adding intercultural research to the programs of foreign language studies is practical, as it can be closely connected to the main body of courses in these departments.
In addition to engagement in intercultural research, the members of the faculty of foreign language departments can offer intercultural training to the students, to managers and diplomats who will have extensive contacts with people of other cultures. Some of these ”clients” are going to be dispatched to overseas tours of duty or are going as exchange students, others might emigrate. Black/Mendenhall (1989), Stahl (1998), Konradt/Behr (2002), Bolten (2007) have been engaged in intercultural trainings. In this paper the author tries to point out the development of this new dimension in the curricula of foreign language department based on the theories of the above mentioned scholars.