I was talking to a photographer the other day who told me she was brought up in the Netherlands and spoke Dutch, “a useless foreign language to speak”, she said. That got me thinking. What do I get from speaking a foreign language (apart from a living that is)?
I spent a long time perfecting my French, through school, University and some embarrassing times in Paris. I quickly learnt the difference between a comb and a dressing gown in the public baths (peigne and peignoir). The hardest part was adapting to the culture. I made it though, my Fench is as damned near mother tonque as it will ever be.
The point of speaking a foreign language goes beyond simple communication. To speak it well requires a knowledge of its culture, history and the way of life of the people that speak it. My life would be less complete if I couldn’t watch films in French without the subtitles, if I couldn’t fully participate in political arguments around the dinner table or I couldn’t read Les Misérables in the original. And no doubt Claire’s life wouldn’t be the same without her Dutch components, whatever she thinks.
So what about languages I can’t speak properly?
I speak enough Spanish to know my way round a menu, order a beer or have very rudimentary conversations. I may get a few funny looks and people sometimes correct me, I get frustrated when I can’t say what I want to say, I can’t make small talk and whenever I get a blank I lapse back into French even though the person I’m talking to can’t understand a word I’m saying. But despite this, I can get my message across.
But enough of my holidays. I work with a wide variety of people. We all speak English – nominally at least – but do we speak the same language? I meet graphic designers that can’t communicate with words, I meet web coders that don’t know about graphics and art and although I’m interested in graphic design, I’m no better than a beginner.
Faking it
So I can only speak one language fluently? Not a problem. I can still communicate.
When I work on projects with other professionals, I don’t speak their language fluently either. I’ve taught myself the bits I need to know about Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. I now know what a layer is and why it’s important to put each thing I do on one because it’s easier to make corrections. I know what the various tools in Indesign do, although I struggle a bit in Photoshop or Illustrator.
Getting to know a new language means learning new skills that complement your own. I find the experience enriching. I’ll never be an expert but you’ll be able to talk the language of experts. Communication with others is all about speaking their language.
Speaking other people’s language, even partially, enhances your understanding of what they do and , in this collaborative world, work better with them
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