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This article blames English specifically for what is ultimately a cultural difference. This goes for a native speaker in any language. I speak passable Spanish
by ajford 5y ago
This article blames English specifically for what is ultimately a cultural difference. This goes for a native speaker in any language.
I speak passable Spanish, and have encountered the same "cultural dissonance" when dealing with a native speaker in a room full of non-native speakers. When you grow up embedded in a language and culture, you don't realize when you slip into colloquialisms and culture references that don't translate well.
That whole business deal the article opens with is a joke. It's not the native speaker's fault, nor the word's fault. It was the recipient who picked randomly when faced with an unclear choice. If you're unclear, as for clarification. I worked with an international collaboration of scientists during college and that was one of things you learned quickly. No one has the same frame of reference you do, so make sure you're all on the same page. Hell, simply rephrasing your understanding in a reply before you take action can clear this up in a single message. "So you wanted us to X? Got it!". Then the other party has the opportunity to step in and say, "No, do Y".
- kotrunga 5y agothis ^
- js2 5y agoYes, of course, but it's an article for English language speakers published by the BBC, so it's written in terms of English being the native language. Perhaps there's an analogous article written in some Spanish publication for Spanish speakers. In any case, English is the most popular second-language in 55 countries, so it's not a bad guess to write this article in terms of English.
- ajford 5y agoSo the HN title has been changed, but the original article specifically calls out Native English speakers as "the world's worst communicators". The author could have couched the entire article from the point of view that a native speaker is difficult for non-native speakers to understand. I was simply pointing out that the article points an accusing finger at a particular group, when the issue at hand isn't a particular language, but the situation in question. This is definitely something that communicators and collaborators need to be aware of, but the article, at least to me, demonizes a particular group even though the issue isn't inherent to that group.
- js2 5y agoYes, the headline is awful: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27234386 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27234386
- Shorel 5y agoBoth things can perfectly be true. I see no contradiction here. It is just a matter of native nuances being difficult to understand for non-natives of any language... And also the fact that English is the language most used for international meetings anywhere in the world.