A few days ago I wrote this post about the death of a Japanese pilot in Florida, USA in 2015.
I have great sympathy for the US controller involved in this tragic accident. It was a horrible, horrible situation which no one ever wants to be a part of.
I still maintain however that, despite the best intentions of the controller, she could have helped more by keeping her instructions short and simple.
But this is hard to do in an emergency situation. Our instinct to help tells us to DO something, to SAY something. To do or say LESS is counter-intuitive. But the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep it Short and Simple) is the best approach, especially when a non-native speaker is involved.
There have been plenty of studies which help us to understand what happens to our ability to communicate during times of high stress …
- Stress has a significant impact on language processing and comprehension.
- Stress impairs working memory which is essential for processing and retaining new information. This can lead to difficulties in language production and comprehension (speaking and listening).
- We have more difficulty recalling words and structures we have learned in a foreign language.
- Under stress, we have more difficulty processing grammatically complex sentences in a foreign language (compared with when we are not under stress).
- We make more errors when speaking a foreign language, including grammatical errors and incorrect word choices.
- Stress can also trigger the release of cortisol, a hormone that can impair our ability to think clearly and remember information, including vocabulary and grammar rules.
- Stress can make us feel anxious and self-conscious, which can lead to a lack of confidence when speaking another language.
- When we are stressed, we may be more likely to try to revert to our native language, as it is requires less cognitive effort.
- Stress can lead to physical symptoms such as a rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, and muscle tension, which can make it harder to speak clearly and coherently.
- Stress can also affect our ability to focus and pay attention, which can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunications.
- Stress can cause us to feel overwhelmed and emotionally drained, which can affect our mood and tone of voice. When we are stressed, we may be more likely to sound tense, defensive, or agitated, which can make it harder for others to understand us or feel comfortable communicating with us.
- Stress can also affect our ability to listen actively and empathetically, which can lead to a breakdown in communication.
- When we are stressed, we may be more likely to interrupt others, make assumptions, or become defensive, which can prevent us from truly hearing and understanding their perspective.
These issues affect us all (both native and non-native speakers of English) but they seem to have a bigger impact on those with a lower level of language proficiency.
SOLUTIONS ARCHITECTURE SPECIALIST at Prisma Medios de Pago
1 年the pilot took the plane without permission, she was not ready to solo flight as her instructor stated . They returned from an instruction flight at 5PM and she took back the plane "alone" at 9PM (night). She was not ready to fly IFR( with no visual reference at night) and she definitely was not ready to communicate with her poor english. i believe this accident was not related to "lack of ability to communicate in english due to stress" . ATC controller was absolutly professional dealing with the emergency
Aviation English facilitator & technical translator of English, German & French. The opinions expressed herein belong solely to me and do not reflect the views of my employer.
1 年Great!
Air Transport Regulation Consultant
1 年Are there any published guidelines/procedures for controllers to follow once they realize that they are dealing with a non-native speaker? Native speakers could also be confused by differences in accent or controllers who speak too fast.