Lost in translation-What do they really mean?

Understanding the difference between direct and indirect speech can help career growth

This is so revealing! I had no idea...We would usually go all out to be indirect, the more obscure, the better! These were the words of my beautiful mentee as she suddenly realised the misunderstandings of past encounters with people from different cultures at work. It was the third meeting of our reciprocal mentoring exchange. We had committed to being mentees to each other. She would mentor me in my chosen area, offer resources, signpost, and guide me through a chosen area of work, and I would do the same in her chosen area.

Her name is Claire, and although not her real name, this would do for now, for we had promised to keep our conversations private and confidential. Therefore we will call her Claire. We had ticked the areas we would like to develop or gain experience in, and then we would be paired, based on what we'd written, with someone else who had a close match to what we were seeking. I had no idea what to expect when I signed up to be a reciprocal mentor although we had been given some guidelines from our Head of Office. I thought well, we'll just see how it goes.

First, we had a chemistry session to test if we were the right fit for each other. I wasn't sure, when I first met her. The meeting was virtual, you know, one of those Teams calls, where you smile awkwardly, and try to mind read (although, I wouldn't recommend mind reading- it doesn't always help!).

Anyway, we gave a brief introduction of ourselves and brief stories with interjections of key moulding points in our lives- totally unplanned and unscripted but we instantly hit it off! Who ever did the pairing did a great job, and my thanks goes out to them.

During this session, I was sharing something that I struggled with personally- as someone who did not spend her younger years in England. I grew up in Nigeria where we spoke (and still speak directly). The regular British person may find this way of speaking abrupt and offensive but they are only cultural differences. Nigerians are bold and unapologetic in their way of life and that cuts through in their speaking too. Sometimes of course we need to reign it in a little BUT these cultural clashes have a way of seeping into our everyday lives, especially when we relocate to a country such as the United Kingdom. This is because, in the British culture, and largely dependent on the part of the country where you find yourself, indirect speech is the order of the day. This is so, not to cause offence or sound commanding, brash or rude. The same might apply to other language but I write for where I am most familiar with. Therefore, when one relocates to a country where indirect speech is the norm, one might hear things like:

"Do you want to sit down?" Where the speaker really means: Please do sit down or take a seat.

"When I get this document, I would re-arrange paragraph A and I would bring the middle section to the top." The speaker means the YOU should re-arrange paragraph A and re-edit the document.

Whilst my point may be considered as being painted with a wide brush, the fact does remain that when people come to settle in new cultures there are nuances between the native speakers of the language and non-native speakers, and this permeates into all parts of life, including the workplace. It can be a cause for misunderstandings too. A helpful article was written in the Independent about

what the British say, what they really mean, and what others understand. This chart was created by Nannette Ripmeester (@N_Ripmeester) for training in her organisation in the late 1990s. Nannette understands that language is beyond what we hear. It is cultural. As part of her work, she ensures that people can have cross cultural careers thereby supporting global employability.

Not a native English lady herself, Nannette understands, the challenges that immigrants must face when navigating workplace communication. This is because, unlike school, where "This is bad", really means, "This is bad", in the workplace, non native speakers have to navigate the nuances in language, culture and linguistics. Therefore, when I simply say something that is customary in my culture, I must be careful that my hearers, especially, non native speakers of whatever language I speak, understand the point being made.

So, back to the start, we had a beautiful light bulb moment when we discussed these cultural differences and expectations in the workplace. Claire and I have made a conscious decision to ensure that our speech is clear- whether at work or elsewhere as this has the potential to improve working relationships.

Have you ever been lost in translation before? Please share your examples below.