How to Deal with Peoples Language Barriers

Since there are hundreds of languages, it is not rare to come across people with difficulties in speaking your native language during travel, trade, or while carrying out other daily duties. However, in spite of language barriers, it is not impossible to communicate effectively.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How to Deal with People’s Language Barriers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Effectual communication is a talent that can be learned. The steps for getting your points across can easily be understood by individuals who have self-confidence and understanding of the basics (Janzen 21). When you meet a person with difficulties in speaking your language, first, try communicating using other languages. Many people are multi lingual. You may come across a person in the US, for instance, who cannot speak Korean, but if both of you can speak English, you can talk with much ease. Concurrently, read the body l anguage closely and try to understand the intentions of the person. Use gestures to express universally acceptable concepts. You can smile to show that you have good intentions. This is an effective method of breaking the ice, which according to Lee, helps to make communication easy. After making communication easy, it is advisable to use the language of the listener to say, â€Å"I don’t speak much of that language.† Do not fear to use signs. In case of further difficulties, draw pictures on a note pad if possible (Lee). At the same time, exercise patient and pronounce words properly to find out if the other party understands the basic vocabularies. Avoid using exaggerated pronunciations, as it may result to more confusion. Nevertheless, be attentive to learn if you need to articulate certain words as your listener does (Lee). It is highly commendable to choose this method if the suitable accent is dissimilar from the non- native accent. Additionally, it is commendabl e to avoid turning up the volume thinking that it would enhance communication. Further, avoid hiding your mouth since the other party will be interested in studying your mouth as you utter each word. It is also improper to use baby talk or improper language.Advertising Looking for essay on languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It can puzzle the non-native speaker and send the wrong notion regarding your level of proficiency. Moreover, avoid using running words together. This is because listeners often face the challenge of determining the last part and the beginning of words. It is, therefore, necessary to give a pause between words to help them understand the words without struggling (Caputo et al. 13). The listener may indicate that he/she is still struggling to communicate with you, and in this case, opt for simple words instead of complex ones. The simpler the word is, the enhanced the probability that the listener wi ll appreciate it. For example, opt for the word big instead of enormous or make instead of manufacture. Note that sometimes, the ‘complex’ words are easier to understand than the ‘simpler’ ones (Caputo et al. 13). For example, Romance language speakers find certain ‘complex’ English words easy to understand since they are rooted in Latin. When communicating with Somalia people, one should use the complex Swahili words since they are rooted in Arabic. After identifying your listeners’ native language, you will encounter little difficulty deciding whether to use the simple or complex words. Your choice of verb phrases is also important. Use verb phrases whose meanings are easy to understand and do not pronounce as the listener’s language. Lee says that it is advisable to use simple phrases instead of the confusing verb phrases. â€Å"Look out† sounds almost the same as â€Å"look for.† Using any of the verbs is not hel pful to the listener. Therefore, instead of opting for â€Å"look for† it is better to opt for ‘search for’. Moreover, instead of saying ‘look out’, it is best to say ‘be careful’. Further, is better to avoid using filler and colloquialisms. Words such as ‘um†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, ‘yeah’, and’ totally’ do not help in making communication easy. You should avoid these words.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How to Deal with People’s Language Barriers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Non-native speakers, particularly those with poorer levels of proficiency, commonly suppose that fillers are vocabularies that they do not have in their native languages. Colloquialism is equally difficult to understand. Some of them are not easy to look up for in most dictionaries since they are not universal y accepted items of language. Patience is specia l virtue that may make communicating with non-native speakers. This is because you may be asked a number of times to repeat something. When asked, repeat it as you said it the initial moment because it is possible that your listener did not hear you. However, if your listener still demonstrates difficulty in understanding, modify a few important words in the sentence, as they could have encountered problems in understanding some of the words. When repeating a sentence, repeat the entire sentence and not simply certain few words. Handling this is time consuming, but it is essential in eliminating confusion (Janzen 20). You should put in mind that your dialect may be different from what the listener learnt in school, and therefore while paraphrasing, try using other similar words that you might have known. In addition, use long forms of words. It is difficult for non- native speakers to determine the difference between short and long forms of words. Be explicit. You should say ‘ yes’ or ‘no’ but not â€Å"Uh-huh† or â€Å"Uh-uh.† The words are confusing since they are not in grammar books. Outstandingly, for communication to be effective, both parties should understand each other. Therefore, listening is very important. Listen and refrain from making up your mind while the other party is still talking. Keep patience until the other person is done. This will help you to give useful information based on the information he/she have provided. At the same time, you should be conscious that certain customs have diverse norms concerning matters such as touching, personal space, and eye contact. The awareness will help you to tell whether an individual is trying to offend or not. Someone standing far away or not maintaining eye contact due to obedience to his/her cultural norms is not offending.Advertising Looking for essay on languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, a person who behaves in the same manner but has sufficient justification may be trying to offend. You should device better strategies to improve your communication. Remember to be relaxed and have satisfactory control of your communication (Caputo et al. 13). Conclusively, dealing with people who do not speak your language is challenging, but one can learn the apposite communication basics and overcome the barriers. Patience and showing emotional attachment are important elements for making communication with such persons effective. An effective communicator should put into practice all the basic steps. However, apart from putting the steps into practice, he/she should exercise creativity and innovativeness. Works Cited Caputo, John S., Jo Palosaari, Kenneth Pickering, and John Nicholas. Effective communication. Twickenham, Eng.: Dramatic Lines, 2003. Print. Janzen, Joy. â€Å"Teaching English language learners in the content areas.† Review of Educational R esearch 78.4 (2008): 1010-1038. Lee, Peter. â€Å"How to Communicate with Non-Native Speakers of English | CultureLink International.† CultureLink International. N.p., 1 Jan. 2009. Web. This essay on How to Deal with People’s Language Barriers was written and submitted by user Kayson Reed to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.