Lost In Translation

Apparently I am a “native English speaker”. In other words, English is my first language (not to mention my only). At home, I worked with a few people where English wasn’t their first language and sometimes there were things that didn’t make sense. The wrong word, the wrong tense, maybe issues with ‘plurality’ (is that a word?), etc. Sometimes you had to dig for the meaning as vocabulary is limited and literal translations are often “harsher” than the intended meaning. I remember being told more than once that a supervisor was “disappointed” in me (which I thought was rather harsh…) until I realized he meant “annoyed” (not sure that it was any better than disappointed!). By working with people who don’t speak English as a first language, I have realized how little I know about my own language. I don’t know why I write or say things a certain way. My grammar is atrocious. I have realized that I have a lot to learn about something I pretty much take for granted.

Here, in one week, I have learned something else that has really surprised me. I didn’t realize how much of my communication style (and maybe English speaking Canadians in general?) is non-verbal. Here, I don’t work with anyone who speaks English as a first language. I am told there are some British expats in the office but I haven’t met any yet. All of a sudden, I am the one who is no longer being understood. Even with an effort to speak a bit slower and a conscious effort to watch my choice of words and to avoid any “colloquialisms” – I frequently get an answer that is no where near the question I asked. I know that when someone doesn’t understand you, it isn’t their fault. The onus is on me, the communicator, to deliver my message in a way that will be understood. But I don’t know what to do. Yes, we are speaking the same language. But the nuances aren’t there. When my Team Lead or peers are telling me something, I am left wondering about the full context to what I am being told. For example, at work at home we generally know if we are being told off, if we are being given information as an “FYI” or if we are being told to do something “right away” or “in the near future” and usually without the communicator having to be that explicit.

Here, I don’t know how to read them and they don’t know how to read me. It’s a big old mess of uncomfortable. And while they still have a team of people that they are familiar with, I don’t. So for me it is just lonely. I miss my lunch buddies today. A lot.