Creating a culture in your workplace of speaking simply and explaining all issues as straightforwardly as possible is key. Using jargon or esoteric vocabulary only creates the opportunity for miscommunication and makes people feel bad that they can’t understand what you’re saying. While many people use large words to make themselves sound intelligent or good at their jobs, they’re not doing anyone any favors. Whether you’re working with someone whose native language is different or trying to explain a technical problem to non-technical co-workers, everyone should get in the habit of using plain language whenever possible. Here are a few things you can do to overcome language barriers in the workplace. With so many ways language can impede our ability to collaborate, it’s crucial to have strategies for connecting everyone. When niche language is frequently used in company communications, recruits may struggle to understand the company’s goals or what’s personally expected of them. While this rarely poses a problem for existing employees, newcomers need time to become familiar with company-specific jargon or acronyms. Many organizations invest a great deal of time and money into developing a corporate language. man-eating chicken), is the perfect example of how written language can confuse and mislead people. Barnum’s famed attraction, a Giant Man Eating Chicken (vs. However, in writing, the words, abbreviations, punctuation, and phrasing we choose can often be interpreted in more than one way. It’s much easier to clear up misunderstandings when you can point to things or mime actions to reflect your thinking. Our gestures, surroundings, and visual cues add context to the conversation in person. The advice, “write how you speak,” doesn’t always play out well in real life. These impediments have no bearing on someone’s ability to understand and do their job, but they can make communication more cumbersome. Many people work with physical impediments to language, such as stuttering, dysphonia, and hearing loss. Language disabilitiesĪnother example you should be aware of is language disabilities. If marketing doesn’t understand what Dev is doing, and Dev has no idea what the executive team is doing, we’re all in deep trouble. When speaking to other departments, developers must communicate information in terms everyone can understand to ensure we’re all aligned on our company’s goals. When speaking to people outside your industry or your department, a lot can get lost in translation.Īt Nulab, our development team makes up a huge portion of our company. For example, your industry or skill set may involve a lot of jargon or technical language. Specialized knowledge leads to more subtle types of language barriers. That leaves a lot of room for linguistic mix-ups! Technical languages India, for example, uses over 22 major languages, written in 13 different scripts, with over 720 dialects. People can technically speak the same language and still face misunderstandings and gaps in communication due to dialectical differences. Dialects are another example of a language barrier. We’ve already given you the most obvious example of a language barrier: people speaking languages native to different regions. Types of language barriers Spoken languages and dialects When people don’t share a common language, they must develop techniques to clarify their ideas and ensure others are on the same page. Whatever the source of the problem, it’s crucial to identify language barriers and manage them. A barrier could refer to national and cultural languages but may also include specialized knowledge or speech impairments. You won’t be able to execute ideas well as a team because there isn’t a clear agreement on what to do or how to do it.Ī language barrier is any linguistic limitation that creates confusion or prevents comprehension. Every conversation, email, report, and memo will be unproductive if the words don’t make sense to others. No matter which communication channels we use, our biggest obstacle is the ability (or inability) to understand what others are saying. In light of globalization, we’re bound to see more companies face these same challenges. More than half of us speak Japanese, some only speak English, and a growing majority are learning to speak both. With Nulab offices in Japan and the US, we’re often working on new and better ways to understand one another, bridge communication gaps, and improve company-wide collaboration. Language barriers are a common challenge here at Nulab, as they are with many international companies. This post is dedicated to language barriers. In this series, we discuss The Seven Barriers of Communication.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |