In response to concern among Galang refugee camp students about their ability to interact with Americans in the United States, a social language unit was developed and added to the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) curriculum. The unit addresses specific language functions, through syntactic forms, in the context of everyday social encounters that refugees are likely to find themselves. Difficulties encountered in implementing the unit include use of Indonesian teachers to teach appropriate English usage to Vietnamese students, rigidity of interpretation of the cultural information imparted, the need for instruction in lexical and grammatical forms as well as socially appropriate language, and the need to address the affective domain in intercultural encounters. Proposed solutions include offering Indonesian teachers loose cultural guidelines rather than rigid social rules, establishing a buddy system in which American volunteers are paired with newly arrived refugees or families for increased interaction, and classroom learning integrating formal language instruction and experience outside the classroom. Appended materials include the social language unit and transcripts of videos used in the unit. Videos are not included. (MSE)