This activity easily lends itself to even be partially performed in the target language. The Yes/No questions themselves can be performed in the target language instead of in English.

In the original IC activity, the yes/no questions are in the English language; questions can easily be transformed using the target language if placed appropriately in the curriculum, for example, after having introduced verbs in the present tense. Yes/no questions do not require the use of question words; therefore, the activity can be successful at the beginning level -first semester- of the target language.

Duration of the activity can be modified and in the Purdue Italian department it has been designed to last one 50-minute class period. Supplemental target language presentations related to content can focus on pragmatics of the target culture, such as gesticulation, body language, facial expressions, etc.

The original Deardorff exercise asks participants to shake their head when they mean "yes" and nod when they mean "no," while playing "Twenty Questions"--a great way to teach cultural conditioning.