Mind the Language Barrier
24 November 2009 Tweet Patty Azzarello writes many interesting pieces about maximizing one's career and effectiveness at work. In this particular post, Thrown Overboard, she makes a good point about how we all need to view language barriers as our problem, rather than the other person's problem.
This issue crops up more and more frequently with more international meetings and collaborative projects. I have had the same experience as Patty describes here, where I learned that many non-English speakers would prefer to have emails and text, than to have live conference calls and voice mails. It is easier to do the translation at one's own pace and with text, than it is to translate in real time and verbally.
She describes the excellent idea of hosting a live instant messaging "chat room" alongside a meeting or conference call, to provide the non-English speakers with a means to follow along or obtain definitions without disrupting the flow of the meeting. Perhaps this is one of the applications for Google Wave, that supports real-time edits and posting, and might allow participants to monitor different "blips" as the follow the meeting.
Lokesh Datta
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- Use Visuals to Improve Collaboration Effectiveness
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Reader Comments (8)
I posted this entry as a new story in the discussion group for Concordia University Alumni Association on LinkedIn. Concordia U being in French Canada – Montreal, Quebec to be precise - the posting triggered an animated discussion on the use of the English language. Here are some postings:
“Excellent points.
And when we do speak, we need to speak "International English", i.e., speak so non-native speakers can understand us -- slowly, using plain language and not using difficult idioms and complicated sentence structures.
English is the language of international business. I'm an online editor and I edit documents, etc. for businesses all over the world -- Russia, China, India, UAE, Israel, Iran, Taiwan, Romania, Mexico, etc. Those of us who are native English speakers are lucky - it's a tough language to learn - and write. So we need to do our part and practice speaking in a way others can understand.” Cathy Reed, Business & Academic Editor
"So we need to do our part and practice speaking in a way others can understand."
Tell that to the Quebecois! Speak clearly so that others can understand, but in a way that preserves the nuance and expressive power[1] of the language.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expressive_power” Morgan
“International English has to be English, period. National Geographic, for instance, is written in English; it uses an extensive, well-researched vocabulary; its sentence structures are at times complicated. But people from all over the world manage to understand.
Business writing is another issue, though; the purpose is not to enlighten and entertain, but rather to convey information as quickly as possible to a busy audience. Then, I agree with your comment.
Regarding Morgan's "Quebecois" comment, I am at a loss. More info, and perhaps a deeper study of the local language, could definitely help.” Gilles Bureau, Owner at Rédaction traduction conseil GB
“In my case it would be different. I had 2 years working in a call center (Stream Global Services) and trust me, it was not easy. I'm from the Dominican Republic, speaking english since 8 years old...and the north americans didn't like my latin accent. It was not funny because I felt very offended.
I always use the standard international english. And the United States people just wanted me to transfer them to a call center inside their country...cus they doesn't stand hearing a latin speaking in english.
It is not easy for me, because by being latin, I can be offended but I'm trying in not taking it personal.” Steve Alayon, Independent Marketing and Advertising Professional
“Hmmm... I wonder why it would be taboo. Understanding "Quebecois" is simply a matter of ear training, not political correctness.
As I keep learning English as a second language as I have done for the past 40+ years, when I don't understand, I try and ask questions. Usually, someone politely explains whatever subtle nuance I missed.
And after all those years, I still experience difficulty with some forms of British English, as well as with the Australian accent. I'm sure that spending a few weeks immersed in London or Canberra would help, as long as I do it with an open mind.
Note that it's only my experience; maybe it isn't transferrable.” Gilles Bureau, Owner at Rédaction traduction conseil GB
“Here is my comment. As an immigrant ( from Germany ) I also had to learn English " the hard way ", ie in low level jobs until I had enough vocabulary to start to advance.
My suggestion is simple: speak slower when talking to a foreigner, as it takes a bit longer for a non-native to " internally " translate what you are trying to say.
If you speak in your usual speed, what you say becomes a blurr - and most likely most of what you are trying to say " gets lost in the translation " so to speak.
Which also reminds me of my pet annoyance: People who leave messages on my voicemail always speed up their speech when they come to leave their phone number at the end of the message, too fast for me to write it down or remember. If anything-at that point speak slower and more distinct and repeat your phone number, as I don't bother to return calls where I would have to listen twice or three times to your message to get your number right.” Harold Fues, managing partner at internova north america
Subsequent to this entry, I posted the following for comments in the LinkedIn Q&A:
How do you manage language barriers in collaboration? Please offer your experiences and suggestions.
Here are some insightful responses I received.
Language is but one element in the effectiveness of communication. Because it is the most obvious people claim it as the barrier ...often it is not the real barrier.
Patrick Browne, Founding Partner, Gemba Solutions sarl : Pragmatic Operational Performance Improvement
An interesting question. Language is so much more than just conveying pure information. It is not just communication, it also needs a foundation in understanding the cultural and sociological differences that come with being brought up in the environment the language is spoken in. In many cases I have found native English speakers to have an aversion against discussing problems and putting your finger on the actual issue. This area is rather being pushed to the side and the emphasis is on solutions only. Emotion is another area that tends to complicate matters as most native English speakers will allow themselves to have emotions and control these rather than letting these show.
In my experience it is vital that collaboration projects are initially communicated in writing to allow all involved to get a good understanding of what the subject matter is going to cover. Follow this by an agenda provided prior to the actual verbal discussion to allow all to gather their respective thoughts and gain a better understanding of what needs to be discussed and then stick to the agenda as best as possible. You'd be surprised how often this is not happening and participants are "surprised" by discussion items that would not strictly fall into the original outline for the conference.
In most cases in continental Europe, department heads have progressed through the ranks of the department they are heading up and are experts in that specific area. They most likely will not have jumped from say marketing to sales to IT. They will most likely have progressed through one of the areas that they will work in or head up.
A manager is not necessarily someone who purely allocates resources and keeps them in check, he/she will usually have an in depth understanding of the work stream he/she is responsible for.
So international collaboration requires preparation and planning as well as clear and simple communication.
Another area is to encourage post-meeting communication, just because you feel everything has been discussed and clarified, it does not mean all other participants are in an equal footing. Be prepared for further questions after the meeting and clearly outline who is doing and ensure that all are aware of who is responsible for what.Marcus Mock, Trilingual technical manager/consultant
I would love to know what countries or languages you are referring to when you say non-english speakers, as it is not just a question of language barrier, but also a question of cultural (mis)understanding. I have worked with Amercian and many non-english speakers for many years now, and I know how messages, ideas and concepts, not just words, need to be explained, translated/interpreted and implemented in other cultures. Mentalities and cutura/sociall contexts need to taken into account, as not everything is quite assimilated in similar ways. If you'd like a more specific answer, please let me know which countries you are referring to.
Ella Scheinwald, Owner, NYC Advisors, LLC
I agree with many of the points outlined below, but I'd like to add something in a more practical sense. International collaboration is never simple, but it can be simplified. Tips from me following 10 years of international project management:
1. Ensure any specific terminology relating to the work is identified, clarified, and understood amongst the group prior to work beginning.
2. The project progress should never rely solely on written communication. Effective project management requires that the 'team', in whatever form that takes, talks face to face on a regular basis - preferably in the same room, but if not, at the very least, video conferencing.
3. If there are members within the team who do not speak the language of the main group (it doesn't have to be English), then appropriate translation should be provided and meeting timings or agendas adjusted to suit.
4. Face to face discussions should always be followed up with written communication (minutes particularly, but also any shared presentations, reports etc.)
5. Any written communication should be simple, consistent and to the point to allow for translation.
6. Cultural differences should be taken into account, business meeting protocol can very greatly from country to country as well as continent to continent, from the greetings and exchanging of business cards, to the addressing of members of the team through the meeting.
6. Ideally, there should be an experienced project manager, responsible for ensuring all of the above takes place.
7. And finally - plan, plan & plan some more!
Hope that helps!
Emma Cordiner, Director at Denalli
Actually this is the beauty of Diversity that has been growing day after day specially in the US
More and more diversity hence language diversities has been parts of the workforce now, by utilising Diversity well and as part of teams the cultural barriers including the language one tend to melt down
The proper placement of diversity in teams and leadership solve that problem.
Sahar Andrade, Out/Inbound Marketing Consultant/ Cultural Diversity Coach/ Speaker- Motivational Speaker
My experience with non-native Englsh speakers is the communication is sometimes better. They don't expect me to understand me and they ask me to repeat myself many more times than a native english speaker would. They have more patience. I also don't expect to be understood first time, so I request more feedback than I would with a native speaker.
Malcolm Heys, Senior Engineer at Ford of Australia
Patty Azzarello in her post, Thrown Overboard (http://www.azzarellogroup.com/blog/2009/11/23/thrown-overboard/) recommends:
1. Modify your expectations of communicating
2. Don’t equate capability with ability to speak your language
3. Revert to writing (additional tip: Use writing in parallel with social media)
Here are some tips by Nancy Settle-Murphy on communication in her post, Bridging Cultural Boundaries in Global Teams, at: http://www.facilitate.com/blog/index.php/2009/09/bridging-cultural-boundaries-in-global-teams/
1. Choose your words carefully
2. Push for a face-to-face meeting if there’s a lot on the line
3. Assume “overseas English” when planning for team communications
4. Put it in writing
5. Ask team members off-line how you can do better
'Locals,' 'Cosmopolitans' and Other Keys to Creating Successful Global Teams, from Arabic Knowledge@Wharton (http://bit.ly/9tcaA1), discusses the challenges of global, dispersed teams. Obviously this is much broader than the language issue alone. Nonetheless, the article is relevant. It offers the following guidance:
* Try to meet at least once face-to-face
* Choose team members carefully
* Keep the team small if possible
* Consider cross-cultural training
* Be explicit upfront about how the team will operate
* Be conscious of time
* Consider how the team is organized
* Don't overload team members
* Give the team autonomy
From, Language Barriers, Culture Gaps, and Time Warps: Challenges Managing Globally Diverse Virtual Teams at: http://bit.ly/g3nzeq
Regular, clear, complete communication between remote teams is the most critical aspect of success in managing projects from a distance. Not planning ahead to establish all the critical high-bandwidth communication “tools” that are necessary creates a very difficult road to success.
Some great discussion here. This is clearly a hot-button for many collaborative teams!
Many of the commenters have mentioned the need for some face-to-face meetings in the course of the project -- while realizing that travel time and costs can be a real barrier.
I have wondered (figuratively rather than literally) what is the half-life of a remote relationship. My experience suggests the half-life is about 6 months (or less). That means the probability of a misunderstanding that can hamper the relationship and project progress doubles after about 6 months without some physical "bonding", increases by 4X after a year, 8X after 18 months, etc.
Thanks for sharing, I think when it comes to communication and translation I agree with your comment above about translating at your own pace. Or if its actual language translation then use a translation agency that translate manually to ensure there’s no communication issues.
Thanks again for your post.