Lost in Translation - [website] Published: 10th of Jun 2011 by: (c) Staff Training Reporter
I wonder how many of us do business in our first language?
According to an article I recently read only around eight percent of South Africans are English first language speakers, meaning that there are a heck of a lot of us actually doing business in our second or even third language.
Unfortunately for these people, doing business in a language other than their first means they are at a slight disadvantage over first language English speakers from the onset.
Imagine (or perhaps you don’t have to) having to deal with people on a daily basis but being unable to properly articulate your words and express yourself. This would probably lead to a lack of confidence, which would undoubtedly start affecting the way you do business.
Take for example the widely publicised outburst by Julius Malema on a BBC journalist in which he called him a “bloody agent” with “that white tendancy”. Antjie Krog said in an essay that it was likely not what the journalist said that enraged Malema, but rather that it was said in a confident, smooth-flowing English accent.
“The obscenities and sexual belittling step out of the works of Fanon and Mbembe, but one has to ask: What would he have said if he was allowed to speak his mother tongue? Firstly, the journalist would have had to wait for a translation before he could fire his question.”
The same thing must happen in business to a lesser or greater degree everyday in South Africa, and judging by the way South Africans attack their politicians for their less-than-perfect enunciation while delivering speeches I’d say probably to a greater degree.
We as South Africans need to realise that in the same way we are accepting of Cultural Differences, skin colour, sexual orientation and life choices, we need to be more accepting of the language barrier that exists in business.
Businesses may also want to incorporate language courses into their skills development plans to ensure their staff are capable of remaining confident and comfortable while conducting business.
