"...the single greatest barrier to business success is the one erected by culture." Edward T. Hall and Mildred Reed Hall".
In today’s global environment more of us are required to understand people who come from other countries and who have cultures different from our own. While English is now the global language being a native English speaker can frequently be a disadvantage, rather than a benefit, when communicating with non-native speakers.
Throughout 25 years of teaching English to international business people I have repeatedly heard a phrase which roughly goes ‘I have no problem communicating in English with non-native speakers but understanding native speakers is very difficult’. I have also encountered individuals who actually avoid interaction with their native English speaking counterparts whenever possible.
Non-native speakers can also experience difficulty coping with English text displayed on websites, in advertising and in instruction manuals particularly if the language structures are complex or idiomatic. This linguistic disadvantage is often not considered but the difficulties arising from it can result in a vast amount of expertise, skill and knowledge being hidden because of linguistic and cultural barriers.
Some commentators have seen this disparity as something more concerning than just a communication gap. In an article- Gunta Rozina states: ‘It is often evident that native speakers enjoy the supremacy and considerable advantage of using their mother tongue’. She continues: ‘...foreign speakers might feel at a disadvantage linguistically and probably therefore, in a business relationship as well’. Rozina goes on to say that- ‘Thanks to communicative competence, they (native speakers) often dominate in international meetings of corporate international companies, where national or disnational (sic) interests are set against company goals’.
In his book: Linguistic Imperialism. Robert Phillipson goes further and argues that ‘Western countries use English as a tool of imperialism to dominate colonies and former colonies’. Although these views may seem rather harsh they do however illustrate the inequality and linguistic disadvantage that many international business people experience when communicating (or failing to communicate) with native English speakers. This may also explain why non-native speakers say that they prefer doing business with other non-native English speakers.
Most native speakers working in international business have confidence in their ability to communicate effectively and the notion of ‘teaching English speakers to speak English’ can seem somewhat condescending. However, grading or aligning ones English, in order to make it more listener accessible, is a vital commercial skill which if creates a friendlier working atmosphere and a better one in which to conduct business. Being able to use English in a listener friendly fashion is readily achievable provided English speakers are aware of the problems encountered by non-native speakers.
I am going to post three further articles discussing techniques on how to grade ones English in order to make it more effective. The first post will cover problematic language areas i.e. the vocabulary and language structures that are difficult. I will also look at areas that are more comprehensible. The second post will cover ways to deliver an effective message and ensure that is being understood. In the third post I will look at specific problem areas. However, before I do this I will discuss a general principle.
The obvious way to ensure that you are being understood is to slow your speaking.On average we speak at between 150 and 180 words per minute (wpm). This depends on the situation: whether we are excited, enthusiastic or angry, happy or sad, or from which country or region we live. Talking books are pitched at around 150-160 wpm (this being considered a comfortable speed for most native speakers), an auctioneer can speak at up to 400 wpm. For most non-native speakers except those with a low level of English 100-120 wpm is a comfortable speed.
A way to judge just how fast 100-120 wpm is say this sentence, timing yourself as you say it:
‘I should try to speak clearly at about 100 words per minute’.
If the sentence takes about 6 seconds to say then you are speaking at a speed which most non-native speakers would find comfortable. You will notice that this is only a little slower than the speed than would be used in a relaxed conversation. Speaking too slowly can be as difficult to comprehend as speaking too quickly and can sound dull, stilted and patronizing.
In my experience the most important factor in being understood is phrasing rather than speed.
In anything but a short sentence there is a natural break between words. Take for example-.
‘I should try to speak clearly at about 100 words per minute’.
This sentence would normally be delivered with natural pauses, for example:
‘I should try to speak clearly...at about... 100 words... per minute’.
When speaking to non-native speakers, lengthening these natural pauses, if only fractionally, gives the listener time to decode each part of the message and is the first step to speaking effectively in the international workplace.
Gunta, Rozina STUDIES ABOUT LANGUAGES (2001).No.1. The Language of Business: Some Pitfalls of Non-native / Native Speaker interaction
Phillipson, Robert (1992). Linguistic Imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
