The term ‘Third Culture Kid’ (TCK) is commonly used to denote children living in a host culture other than their passport culture during their developmental years. However, its meaning in relation to other terminology referring to a similar concept is a source of interest for many stakeholders. This paper opens up opportunities for further exploring and critiquing the definition of TCK, and opening this up to case studies within the context of the United Arab Emirates and more widely. It is critical to clarify the terminology in light of unprecedented levels of international migration throughout the world. This paper reviews the meaning of culture in relation to TCKs, and explores the meaning of the TCK concept as well as a number of other terms used as alternatives to TCK. A contextualization of the literature follows in relation to the researchers’ own lived experiences in the United Arab Emirates. The term TCK can be seen as part of the general stock of theoretical concepts. This paper acknowledges that it cannot catch all nuances of migrant children in the global context.

中文翻译：

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全球游牧民族、文化变色龙、陌生人还是移民？参考阿拉伯联合酋长国的第三文化小孩术语探索

“第三文化儿童”(TCK) 一词通常用于表示在其发育时期生活在不同于护照文化的寄宿文化中的儿童。然而，它相对于其他类似概念的术语的含义是许多利益相关者感兴趣的来源。本文为进一步探索和批判 TCK 的定义开辟了机会，并将其开放给阿拉伯联合酋长国和更广泛背景下的案例研究。鉴于世界范围内前所未有的国际移徙水平，澄清术语至关重要。本文回顾了与 TCK 相关的文化的含义，并探讨了 TCK 概念的含义以及用作 TCK 替代品的许多其他术语。文献的背景与研究人员在阿拉伯联合酋长国的生活经历有关。术语 TCK 可以被视为理论概念的一般库存的一部分。本文承认它无法捕捉到全球背景下流动儿童的所有细微差别。