Resumen de ‘I do not need to fit in': multilingual speakers’ identity and cross-cultural adaptation in Hong Kong

Zhe Victor Zhang

• The relationship between language, identity and cross-cultural adaptation has garnered growing scholarly attention in the context of the rising global mobility and immigration in recent decades. While multilingualism is becoming increasingly commonplace in the lives of immigrants in the era of globalisation, little is known about how multilingual speakers build their identities and adapt to host environment in an Asian context. This study explores the role of multilingual identity in cross-cultural adaptation by investigating how three multilingual speakers with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds constructed their identities and adapted to the host environment in Hong Kong. Data collected from semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, and notes and journals show that none of the three participants sought to be fully integrated into the host society, but they managed to adapt to the host environment and embrace their unique multilingual identities. A cross-case comparison reveals that all three participants exercised agency by tapping into their multilingual repertoires and cross-cultural communication competences in their interaction with the local community. The study offers insight into the importance of strategic adaptation to the host environment and the role of multilingual identities in empowering individuals in cross-cultural communication.