Language - A barrier or a breaker of barriers ?

I have written quite a few posts on LinkedIn but never published an article. This is my first attempt at publishing a full length article. Some observations and discussion with my kids at home led to me write on the subject of language.

The term "language barrier" is common place and used by many, albeit in the sense of a show-stopper in conversation. While I agree to it partially, what I present in this article of mine, is that language can actually be used to break barriers, even if you are not an expert. As I write this article, I am reminded of the term, "glass being half full or half empty". I personally, have always tried to enjoy whatever I could drink out of the half full glass. ;-);-)

India has pluralism on language. The language changes moving from one state to another. Not to mention the change in dialects within a state for the same language. There are 22 languages officially recognized, another 40 odd fighting for official recognition and of course English. Most states have their own official language which is spoken by a large chunk of their populace.

I grew up in Gujarat, a state on the western coast, with Gujarati as the primary official language. During the course of my education, I learnt Gujarati & Hindi in my curriculum, in addition to English. Born in a Tamil family, I also learnt speaking Tamil. Thus, at the end of my formal education, I was equipped with good expertise at speaking these languages.

In my career I have done stints across geographies as well as geographical levels. I hence have got multiple opportunities to interact with colleagues & partners across the various states of India. Even in my current role, I happen to speak to various people from around 7-8 different states on a daily basis. And since we deal with partners who belong to deep rural territories, for some states, I face an issue conversing in Hindi/English. I doubt if I am being comprehended by the person on call with me. Situations like these encourage me to think of learning new languages and efforts are on. My next language of interest is Bengali since I have yet to learn any language of the east.

My comfort with speaking five languages helps me establish an immediate rapport whilst speaking to people from these regions. The immediate delight in their voices when they realise that I am speaking their language tends to be pretty evident. Add to that the fact that even if a discussion begins on a sour note (in case I am handling an escalation call) the friendly banter with which the call ends gives me immense joy and pleasure. Even if the other party realises that you are a novice at their language, the very fact that you are making at attempt to relate to him/her through the language will get them to appreciate you.

It was this very joy which kept encouraging to learn Marathi even better. Thus a language like Marathi(which otherwise could have been a show stopper for me) turned out to be one which broke negative barriers. Ditto with Tamil and Gujarati. Predominant reason; me being based at Mumbai(metro city with a highly cosmopolitan crowd) and my surname being Iyer (a Tamilian surname), most people tend to assume that I would be able to talk only Hindi & English.

These days, I see a lot of parents getting their kids enrolled into language learning classes for French, German, Spanish and other such foreign languages. Nothing against this, but most of these children struggle to properly speak even Hindi or their mother tongue. I am left wondering, "What's the point of learning German or French when most of you will continue to reside somewhere in India? You might as well learn the language of the state you reside in or your mother-tongue."

My piece of advice : Learn a foreign language if the language is an immediate ask for your career goals or if you need to learn it pursue some passion of yours, but do not do so only to show off your knowledge of some foreign language. India is a land rich in languages and each language has its own quirks as well as sweetness.

Learning/knowing a common language surely helps you collaborate better and get things done faster. It is common experience, when two or more people speaking a common language other than the prevalent language happen to be working together, then their camaraderie and working is surely better and different. The affinity that comes due to the common chord of language is something that cannot be ignored. This applies to both business conversations as well as personal banter. Mild warning : Do not speak about business in your common language when the larger team is present, lest you should unknowingly offend someone.

In a country like ours, knowing any number of languages is less and there is always scope for more. Hence, at the end of it, all I would say is, "Go ahead, learn new languages and bond better with your stakeholders/buddies. The benefits, though intangible, are immense. You will see for yourself that language has more potential to break barriers rather than make barriers. Best wishes as you explore which language to start off on.."

PS : As mentioned at the start of this post, this is my first attempt at publishing a full length article. Solicit your views and suggestions. Criticism is equally welcome.