A Story from my Past: Adapting to a New Language

Recently I read a post by Pawel Brodzinski.  He made the point that people need to strive towards shared meaning of terms, and that it isn’t always easy.  Those who learn a second language perhaps have a greater appreciation of word meanings in general and will dig beneath the surface for shared understanding with more curiosity than those who only speak the language natively. I would like to share a story from my past that may explain why I, too, strive to uncover the shared meaning and context of words.

When I first arrived in Burundi, age 12, I was very excited.  My father explained that since he was a diplomat, my siblings and I had to be on our best behavior and represent the best about the United States. I did not know what that meant, exactly, but I did try to behave.  I also tried to adapt to the new culture at school and to the surroundings. Language was the main barrier.

We arrived in the late summer and I had a few weeks of tutoring to help prepare me for French school.  I have only one strong recollection from the early days. I did not understand much – the instructor was talking about something and I heard him say: ‘leee-on’.  My family had come to Burundi after taking a 3 week road trip through Europe, and we had passed through ‘Lyons’.  When the instructor asked me, ‘Do you know ‘leee-on’?’   I said ‘Yes, it is a city.’  I managed to squeak out: ‘Oui, c’est une cité’.  Everyone laughed.  He had been talking about the animal, a lion, and proceeded to draw it on the chalkboard.  I was embarrassed, but I survived. Context is everything. Respect and patience for those who do not share the same vocabulary, context and meaning is critical.  Building a truly shared vocabulary takes time.  Most are not even aware where there are gaps until there is a failure of great magnitude. While this example is very basic, the lesson learned here applies universally.

When you are in a new environment, whether it be a country, a company, or a relationship, you will not necessarily share the same language, lingo, or vocabulary. If you do share it, you may not share the same meaning for the same words. For example, someone transitioning from a waterfall project to an agile project will understand what the word ‘requirement’ means in a different way. The transition requires that new vocabulary and meanings be adopted (epic, story).   Words are tokens. What those tokens mean has to be learned.  Languages are rich in synonyms and homonyms.  Teams should strive for shared meaning and pay attention to words, verbal cues, and shared understanding in day-to-day work.

The communication ‘distance’ between two or more people is measured by meanings, visions, and vocabulary that are not mutually shared or are shared but not understood in the same way. The closer teams come to shared meaning, the better they will communicate, the better they will perform.  And unlike in French school, where everybody laughed at me, the environment must be a ‘communication-safe’ environment.  My two-year cultural immersion in Burundi helped make me more resilient, but a more supportive environment would have been appreciated!  In the near future, I hope to post more about what I consider to be ‘communication-safe’ environment and how my coaching will enable that to happen effectively.

Thank you, Pawel, for inspiring me to write about this.

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