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Language as (Mis)Communication

*** I liked this entire section***- Cindy How many languages do you speak? Have you studied any language before? Do you speak any other languages with family or friends? How much do you know about other languages?

Having the ability to speak in more than one language allows you to communicate and interact more holistically with people who speak that language: It helps you appreciate written works in their original form, can be very useful when travelling, and may open more doors when you are looking for employment. Another important reason why learning another language is beneficial is that it gives you the opportunity to glimpse into how other speakers construct meaning, part of which is also linked to cultural values and related behaviours.

Happy multiethnic men bumping arms on street
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Activity: What Do You Know About Languages?

There are many interesting facts about languages that often help us understand people’s cultural positioning. Read the following statements and decide whether they are TRUE or FALSE based on your knowledge or best guess.

Adapted from 50+ Fascinating Language Facts You Didn’t Know

Activity: What Do You Know About Languages? (Text version)

True or false?

  1. There are over 7000 languages worldwide.
  2. The country that has most languages is India.
  3. English and Mandarin are the most spoken languages in the world.
  4. About one language becomes extinct every two years.
  5. German is the most spoken language in Europe.
  6. Hawaiians have about 20 different words for “rain.”
  7. South Africa has the most official languages.
  8. Kinshasa, the capital of the Congo, is the world’s second largest French speaking city.
  9. Japanese uses two different writing systems.
  10. At least half of the world’s population is bilingual.

Check your Answers in footnote[1]

Explore the 50+ Fascinating Language Facts to Inspire You Infographic to review your answers and browse the rest of the information.

Which of these facts are new to you? Are you surprised by any of them? If you had the opportunity to learn another language, which one would you like to learn? Why?

Activity source: Advancing Intercultural Competence for Global Learners, CC BY-NC 4.0

Think About This

The following are questions you should consider for understanding your own views on preserving one’s language and the experiences around language. Use these questions to reflect on what happens when we move across cultures for a long period of time.

  • How important is language in cultural interactions?
  • How can language affect the way we interact and the way we perceive people?
  • Why do people who move to other countries try to preserve their language?
  • What motivations could they have to potentially avoid using their language?

These are important questions you might consider in order to understand your own views and experiences, as well as to start thinking about what happens when we move across cultures for a long period of time.

Activity: Language in intercultural exchange

Multiracial Group of People by the Table
credit: Image by Diva Plavalaguna, Pexels license

You will watch a TEDTalk Lost in Translation by Janesh Rahlan (15’32”) describing his experience as the son of immigrant parents in the United States, including what he learned about preserving language and using it to transmit elements of culture across national lines. As you watch, think about how his experience can inform your own intercultural communication skills.

Take notes of Rahlan’s talk to help you remember key ideas and then answer the questions below, paying attention to strategies he describes that you could use in your own interactions.

Activity: Language in intercultural exchange (Text version)
  1. Which option best captures the idea presented at the beginning of the talk?
    1. Rahlan consciously tried to eliminate his accent, which was thoroughly supported by his parents.
    2. Rahlan understood that his parents were trying to help him preserve his linguistic and cultural heritage.
    3. Rahlan believes that you can forget your language, but not your heritage.
    4. Rahlan argues that there is no scientific data supporting the benefits of multilingualism.
  2. Which option more accurately describes Rahlan’s experience in Turkey?
    1. The speaker was forced to move to Turkey to study Turkish using books and learning from people he met.
    2. The speaker constantly felt at a loss because the location where he lived was very rural, and people were not willing to talk to him due to his appearance.
    3. The elders at the tea shop were not willing to interact with the speaker because he was of a different religion.
    4. The speaker realized that by communicating in Turkish, he was able to deconstruct his own biases and the ones held by others with whom he interacted.
  3. What adaptation did Rahlan make to support his students?
    1. Rahlan created a bridge between language and culture when he allowed students to have debates in English on social and political topics.
    2. Rahlan realized students were not interested in debates and preferred to talk about American music and TV shows, so he made sure to base the course only on that.
    3. Students were heavily influenced by popular music and TV programs, so he eliminated these elements.
    4. Rahlan used topics suggested by the elders to engage students in conversations of a social and political nature.
  4. What did Rahlan understand as a result of his experience?
    1. Some Turkish students appeared to be shy because they had not met people from other countries.
    2. Sometimes, learning another language and culture will mean you move outside your comfort zone.
    3. Students are expected to take their learnings to their families so they can be motivated to also join similar classes.
    4. When learning another language, one automatically learns to dispel stereotypes of other people.
  5. Which option better captures the ideas discussed at the end of the talk?
    1. Rahlan suggests it is best to stop learning a language to focus on understanding a culture on a different level.
    2. Rahlan’s experience made him appreciate different religions because of the values they represent.
    3. Rahlan’s experience showed him one can be deeply religious and have intellectual curiosity at the same time.
    4. Rahlan was able to transmit insights from his own religion to elderly people in Houston and Turkey.

Check your Answer in footnote[2]

Activity source: Advancing Intercultural Competence for Global Learners, CC BY-NC 4.0

Whether you have travelled abroad or have never left the country where you were born, it is very likely that making the effort to learn another language can indeed make all the difference in intercultural situations. If you travel abroad to study, work, volunteer, or just to visit, arriving in a country where you do not speak the language can be extremely challenging and stressful.

Look at this from a different perspective, consider what happens to new immigrants in Canada, who can be, for example, voluntary migrants, permanent or temporary residents, visitors, or refugees. Many new immigrants already speak English or French when they move to the country, but many others perhaps did not have the opportunity to learn any of these languages. Without the ability to speak the language(s) of the country where you live, it is more difficult to understand cultural norms, systems of transportation, ways to shop, how to open a bank account, rules and regulations, and so forth. All of these can turn into a struggle and increase feelings of loneliness and homesickness.

Making an effort to learn another language provides you with more than communicative skills; it facilitates the development of relationships, positively affecting your interactions with other cultural members. You do not need to become completely bilingual to begin experiencing cultures in a different way, but taking the time to learn another language is an investment in the rest of your life. In addition, learning about other languages can also help you understand how people think and culturally orient themselves when they speak in one or another language, as illustrated in the examples below. The examples are intended to show you a link between language and the relevant cultural background or tendencies without creating stereotypes, so you can better appreciate how learning another language (or learning about other languages) can help you gain a better understanding of its speakers’ perspectives.

Table 1: Links between language and cultural background
Language Example Relation to cultural knowledge
Arabic Among Muslim people, it is common to use the expression “Insh’Allah” in formal and informal conversation, which means “God willing.” Most people from Arabic-speaking countries tend to have an external orientation, which indicates that they generally accept there are things they cannot control.
Italian There are two genders in Italian, masculine and feminine, which speakers use to refer to themselves and others. To express the idea of “I’m tired” in Italian, speakers may say “Sono stanco” (masculine) or “Sono stanca” (feminine) depending on their gender identity. Using genders creates a distinction between the way a man or a woman speak; in addition, since all nouns in Italian are either masculine or feminine, people often associate certain qualities to one or another: “il ponte” (the bridge, masculine – strong, long), “la luna” (the moon, feminine – beautiful).
Korean Personal pronouns change depending on the age of the person to whom one is speaking. It is important to know the correct form to use when addressing someone older or someone younger. The term “friend” is commonly used only with someone that is of the same age. Korean society tends to place high importance on hierarchy and ways to show respect to elders, employers, professionals, and people with authority. As a result, there are ten ways to say “you” in Korean, depending on age, type of relationship, context, and level of formality.
Spanish Each Spanish-speaking country has its own accent. Pronouns and the meaning of some words may differ from one place to another, eliciting different ways to connect and establish relationships with others. If you visit countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Panama, Colombia, Cuba, or Chile, you may connect better with people if you use the form “ustedes” (you, plural) instead of “vosotros” (you, plural, informal) commonly used in Spain.
Woman in Brown Leather Jacket
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Activity: Critical Incidents

Working with real-life scenarios can help you develop your intercultural skills. This is because they help you visualize the situation and perhaps you can even relate to them based on your own experience. Read the following situations and decide which option best explains what happened in each case:

Activity: Critical Incidents (Text version)
  1. You work as a student peer coach at a university. This morning, you meet with a fellow learner from the Philippines who is very eager to understand the latest lesson’s content better, as it was quite complex and challenging. The conversation and coaching session seemed to go well. Your peer continuously answered “Yes” whenever you asked if they understood and this felt like a good indication. However, by the end of the session, your peer seemed tired and somehow less engaged. Furthermore, when you agree to meet a week later, your peer does not show up. What do you think happened?
    1. Since your peer was very engaged with the session and kept saying they understood, they probably felt they did not need your help anymore.
    2. Your peer seemed to be engaged and was paying attention. They were there because they needed support. It is unlikely they were not interested in getting help.
    3. Your peer actually did not really understand the explanations and was uncomfortable admitting it.
    4. Your peer probably made a mistake with the dates and is probably going to show up on another day.
  2. You are at a friend’s house for an informal get-together, and there are other guests you have never met before from Australia, Guyana, Barbados, and Iran. As the conversation went on, everyone seemed happy and chatty, enjoying themselves. You thought about telling a joke, so you asked: “Why is the mushroom always invited to the party?” After waiting a few seconds for people to make a guess, you said, “Because he’s a fungi!” Everyone laughed except for the two Iranian friends in the group, who were the only non-native English speakers. As other people continued to tell jokes, the two guests from Iran often exchanged confused looks and appeared disengaged. After a while, they started to speak Farsi amongst themselves and soon after said goodbye to everyone, leaving the party early. What do you think happened?
    1. The two Iranian guests felt offended by the joke you told.
    2. They had a previous commitment and that was on their minds.
    3. They were not comfortable with this group of friends.
    4. They felt left out as people were telling jokes.
  3. At work, there is a new co-op student from France who will be working on your team. After only a couple of weeks, the two of you seem comfortable working together, and you are happy to have such a supportive, positive, and engaging person working by your side. During a team meeting with the manager, each person is given a task for a project that needs to be prioritized. When telling the co-op student what they need to do, the manager says: “You’ll be responsible for preparing the graphics for the presentation. I saw what you did last week; you knocked it out of the park! Doing this work is going to be a game of inches; it won’t be necessary to finish the spreadsheets you’re working on; best if you pass the baton to Steven. It’s important you have someone in your corner now. Once we cross the goal line, you can take that back. Just to get the ball rolling, here are the projections we used in the last report.” After the meeting, the co-op student seems quiet and confused. What do you think happened?
    1. The co-op student felt insecure about the task they had been assigned.
    2. The co-op student probably did not like interrupting what they were doing to start a different task.
    3. The co-op student was not happy working in the team and preferred to work only with you.
    4. The co-op student did not understand everything the manager said.

Check your Answers in footnote[3]

Activity source: Advancing Intercultural Competence for Global Learners, CC BY-NC 4.0

When we communicate, we are, in fact, participating in a transaction where one person starts with an idea, then the other takes that and replies based on the intended meaning. Miscommunication indeed occurs with people of our own culture, our closest friends, relatives, or workmates. When communication takes place across cultural and linguistic contexts, the chance of misinterpreting messages is higher. That is where your communication skills in English or other languages become more relevant. To learn more about what is involved in the process of communication and how miscommunication can happen, watch the video from TED-Ed, How Miscommunication Happens (And How to Avoid It) (4’32”) by Katherine Hampsten.

Delighted diverse couple having breakfast at table
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TakeAway points

  • Miscommunication can happen between members of the same or different cultures. Be aware of how you are communicating, use your listening and observation skills, pay attention to the nonverbal signals, and take time to really understand what the other person is trying to convey.
  • Learning another language will increase your ability to gain cultural insights and will allow you to create connections with speakers of that language much faster. In addition, this will also boost your communication skills and your employability.
  • If you do not speak another language, and even if you do, it is also important to learn about how other languages work because culture and language constantly influence each other. Expanding your knowledge about how other languages work will give you a glimpse into how other people create meaning through their language, which in turn will help you develop skills to improve your communication and understanding.
  • Humour is culturally constructed and does not translate well if it requires specific cultural knowledge to understand the references (e.g., political figures or events). If a joke is a play on words, it may not be clear to all speakers of other languages. It is okay to tell jokes but be mindful of how humour may or may not translate.

Try these strategies

Here are 10 strategies to help you communicate better with speakers of other languages:

  • To communicate more effectively across cultures, pay attention to the speaker and be patient, English may be their second, third, or fourth language.
  • If communication is not clear, you can try to write things down or use drawings.
  • If you or the other person are not able to convey a message, you can also try to use a web translator (e.g., Google translate). Remember, these applications are not entirely reliable, as they translate words but not the intention within a given context.
  • Speak clearly and use simple words; this does not mean to speak loudly or in broken English.
  • Avoid using slang (e.g., to ghost, to flex, lowkey, dope, GOAT, lit, sick), jargon (words used by a particular profession that are difficult to understand: legal, sports, medical jargon), idiomatic expressions (e.g., “It’s raining cats and dogs,” “Break a leg”), or colloquialisms (e.g., ballpark figure, rain check, gong show).
  • Avoid using yes/no questions to check their understanding. Invite the person to explain what they understood in their own words instead. Use yes/no questions when communication is more challenging to help you simplify the message.
  • Do not get frustrated; focus on how to make it work. Remember, communication goes both ways.
  • To become a better communicator, make the conscious effort to talk to people across cultural lines; you would be building bridges and making connections with the added benefit that you would be developing a variety of skills.
  • Learn another language and glimpse into another culture through it.
  • In addition to the language itself, be mindful of what is discussed and how it is addressed. Prepare yourself to have uncomfortable discussions, for example, about anti-racism and dominant group privilege. You can do this by learning more about these topics and understanding and supporting people who have been unfairly treated or discriminated against. Learn to communicate across difficult topics.

Attribution & References

Except where otherwise noted, this page is adapted from “Language as (Mis)Communication” In Advancing Intercultural Competence for Global Learners by Christine McWebb, Sandra López-Rocha, & Dr. Elisabeth Arévalo-Guerrero, CC BY-NC 4.0

    1. True.
    2. False, Papua New Guinea has an estimated 840 languages.
    3. False, Mandarin and Spanish are the most spoken languages by number of speakers.
    4. False, It is estimated that a language is lost every two weeks due to the lack of speakers to carry it on.
    5. True.
    6. False, There are over 200 words that describe rain in ways we have not considered.
    7. True.
    8. True.
    9. False, It uses three different writing systems: Kanji, Katakana, and Hiragana
    10. True.
    ↵
  2. 1. b, 2. d, 3. a, 4. b, 5. c ↵
      1. c) This is the best explanation. When asking your peer if they understood, they replied “yes” every time, but that may not necessarily reflect their understanding. They may feel uncomfortable telling you they did not understand, because you would have to repeat or find a different way to explain things while they would have to admit they did not understand. Asking “Did you understand?” is not the best way to check for understanding. It may be best to ask your peer to repeat what they understood in their own words.
      2. d) This is the best explanation. Considering that they were the only people whose first language was not English, they likely had a difficult time understanding some of the jokes. Humour is culturally constructed, and you need to have a good cultural insight to understand it. Many jokes can indeed translate well and be funny in different languages, but you need to be aware of the added level of difficulty for non-native speakers if jokes are based on a play on words, as in the case of the joke you told.
      3. d) This is the best explanation. The manager praised the work the co-op student did before and offered support while they completed the task that had just been assigned. The problem was that the manager communicated using sports jargon that did not help to convey the message clearly. There are many expressions that are not immediately understood unless you have already been exposed to them. It is not possible to create meaning by translating them literally because they are idiomatic expressions (e.g., “it’s a piece of cake” or “to let the cat out of the bag”). Being mindful of such expressions can avoid creating confusion when communicating an idea.
    ↵

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Language as (Mis)Communication Copyright © by Linda Thomason and Cindy Korpatnicki is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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