How to overcome language barriers in the workplace

2020年1月22日

乔哈特利

Effective communication in the workplace is key to a company’s success and morale, and different dialects or languages shouldn’t stand in the way of this.

事实上, research shows that bridging gaps in communication has numerous benefits for organizations and employees.

《bte365官网》 study found that a diverse and inclusive workplace is a major driver of innovation and growth.

同样,数据 VicHealth provides evidence that cultural diversity can enhance business performance and productivity, 提高创造性思维, 节省时间和金钱, reduce risk and promote staff health and wellbeing.

Sharon Melamed，总监假型板, 说五种bte365官网, has worked in five countries and is an accredited translator in 日本 and German.

She’s seen first-hand how important it is to overcome language barriers in the workplace.

“In Japan people sometimes gift fruit, as it can be very expensive,” she says. “When I was working there a 日本 employee gave an Israeli colleague a persimmon. However, he didn’t know the 英语 word persimmon, so he said, “This is a ‘‘kaki”. In Hebrew, “kaki” means faeces, so it was definitely one of those awkward moments.”

So, what are the best approaches in overcoming language barriers in the workplace?

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使用平实的bte365官网

Imagine that you’re relaying a story to a friend. It’s uncomplicated, understandable and to the point. It should be the same when communicating at work.

在正确的语境中使用词语, 避免行话, slang and words which have a double meaning and repeat anything that’s causing confusion.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re speaking to native speakers or non-native speakers in the workplace, 使用简单的英语总是一个好主意,"建议Melamed. “Using long sentences with convoluted language isn’t impressive, it’s just confusing. Non-native speakers may not understand what you’re trying to say, 这样你的信息就会丢失, and people may be too embarrassed to ask you to explain it again.”

提供bte365官网课程

A language ‘survival’ course is a great way to teach non-native speakers some basic language requirements for the business.

Words, phrases, warnings and relevant or specific business jargon will help them perform well in their role. Classes can also be advantageous for all employees when dealing with overseas markets.

“It’s the stereotype in the US that the world should speak 英语 and we shouldn’t have to learn other countries’ languages,”问题. “But in today’s age, that’s quite an arrogant and misguided view.

It’s obvious that the better you know your target market, 你就越有可能成功, and understanding the target market customers’ language and culture is the best way to do that.”

学习员工的母语

学习一些基本的问候用语, 鼓励的话语, praise and gratitude in your employee’s native tongue is great for strengthening communication and building rapport.

当一个人加入一家新公司时, it’s critical to making them feel welcome and ‘part of the family’,”问题. “If you know that the employee speaks 英语 as a second language, post a welcome sign in their mother tongue at induction. Don’t underestimate the positive impact this can have and how much people appreciate it,” she adds.

“It’s not only an ice-breaker at a first meeting, but it also says that you respect them and take them seriously enough to learn a bit about the language and culture.”

秀,不要告诉

Sometimes the easiest way of learning something new is by watching someone else do it. Showing not telling removes the language barrier, whether it be demonstrating a practical or technical skill.

类似的, visuals such as PowerPoint presentations or handouts can help non-native speakers understand what’s required. 研究发现这是真的.

在一个海外 study it was found that visuals helped students to memorise new vocabulary and understand the grammar with fewer explanations in the mother tongue. 类似的, learning became more meaningful for them and they felt more motivated and confident to express themselves orally.

翻译文件

Translating key documents into an employee’s native language helps employees understand more complex tasks or instructions.

If the business is large with international offices, it may make sense to translate important documents into the top three to five languages used.

“Nothing beats humans for translation accuracy,”问题, “but, 为机器翻译, 很多人都用谷歌.”

In addition to providing simple and basic translations, Google Translate also has other powerful features such as giving a breakdown of how a native speaker would pronounce a word or phrase.