Alexander Sunday Odidi

Overcoming Language Barriers in the Workplace Thanks to innovations and general advancements in technology, human relations and indeed the world, has only gotten smaller. But language is still a bit of a barrier, especially in workplaces that sports multinationals who are after the same goals and objectives. While the drive to succeed as a team is often evident in how colleagues exert themselves, it can all come undone when communication becomes a sticking point. This is why many organizations devote their time and resources to overcoming the barriers posed by languages and cultural undertones. Furthermore, multinationals are fast becoming the themes of organizations willing to constantly break-even and have more control over their respective industries. To do that and more, they've observed the following ways to overcome language barriers in the workplace. Using Basic Language In The Workplace When conversing in the workplace, it's best to keep things simple or basic as far as language goes. For example, not everyone is a confident speaker of the English language, at least not in the formal parlance. Also, with presentations, emails and other platforms for communication, you'll want those whose languages aren't primarily English to get on with it using words that are direct and straightforward. Words that make people sound 'nerdy' or that are a mouthful to pronounce, should not form the vocabulary in the workplace. With big words, more explanations are needed and you're left with chances for miscommunication. This could have a negative effect on productivity. Workers Trading Each Other's Culture While this may not be a requirement to get things right on some professional levels, many organizations have used a culture trade-off to help their employees better understand each other and also to grow personally. Language is an important part of culture and there's no better way of acknowledging you respect another person's culture than learning a few phrases, words and perspective about them. Your employees will learn more about their colleague's way of life and of course, pick up some words that can help them communicate. For example, saying 'thank you,' 'hi,' and 'please' to another national in their language. Remember, it doesn't have to be a sophisticated speech. Maintaining An Atmosphere Of Respect Language barriers are not easy to handle and could be downright impossible but respect must always be felt or at least observed. In a workplace with different languages, the feeling that it's a time bomb of conflict waiting to go off isn't far from the truth especially when misunderstandings set in. You should encourage employees to respect their colleagues and never mock or joke about their inadequacies speaking a language foreign to them. A workplace with fractured relationships occasioned by bad jokes leaves affected employees low on confidence which can affect output and impede improvements on skills. Further, it paints the workplace and employers as unsupportive. Having A Good Medium Of Translation Translation is key. Since you want everyone to be on the same page, you need to get a great service where the primary language of your company is translated without hitches and errors so that others can understand the message. Again, this is necessary if you have offices in different countries or continents. If you can't get a platform or service, consider using an in-house translator or interpreter at your base or your employee's base that can help to translate vital information and documents to the primary language in their location. This way, nothing is left to chance. Language Training Language training is important and deals with most of the problems posed by a multi-language workplace. A highly technical workplace would thrive if employees are trained on the basic aspects of their host countries languages. It doesn't have to be complex or academical for them to grasp but just enough to help them communicate with each other and promote the mission of the organization. Also, with a common language, it's easier to get things done. For example, your employees could take a crash course in Spanish if you have offices in Spain or similar countries. In conclusion, a workplace with different languages is a blessing in disguise because it opens up the world and market to many opportunities. Overcome the language barrier and watch the workplace thrive.