A client recently came to me with an issue they have with an employee, where the person is professional, experienced and highly skilled for the position, but struggles in the corporate language, with is English. They don't need English for their position in their location otherwise, but as all company communication is in English, staying abreast of a continually changing organization and its processes is a challenge for them. In their previous role at another company, they had a small support team that took care of a lot of tasks and, the company they worked for was localized to their language group, so they didn't need English much at all.
This can be demotivating and stressful for an experienced person, because it is like they have been handicapped, even though they know their skills for the role are up to scratch. Being unable to communicate well internally is not just about the job role either, as especially in a global company, it is about building networks to leverage for collaboration and without those relationships, performing the role can become even more difficult. In many ways, it is a spiral that affects confidence.
I know this after moving to Finland, as when I spoke to people they didn't necessarily credit my skill, they judged my language. This was fine in English where I am capable, but if I even had to switch to Finnish, the temperature would change and I would be suddenly treated as an infant. I still don't speak Finnish well enough to do more than socially engage, but I have positioned myself where I am not too disadvantaged by this.
However, while talking with my client and their supervisor, I mentioned that I understood the challenge faced in another way also, referencing the effects of having a stroke last summer. My client didn't know this and was surprised I was back at work, as he is older and has seen strokes in a couple of people within his circles over the years, and even in mild cases, return to work has been challenging at best for them.
I went on to mention that the challenge has multiple facets to it, as while there is the relearning of ordinary tasks, what has perhaps a more profound effect is the degradation or loss of the high-level, professional functions. Essentially, I have to learn a new language while not being able to grasp everything that I could in my mental "mother-tongue" - which I no longer speak well at all. Much like not speaking the corporate language, it is a disconnecting factor that drops my motivation, as I feel less capable of performing my role - even though I know I should be able to perform the tasks, if only I still spoke the language.
Obviously, this is different to not actually speaking the language itself, as I actually can't do some of my tasks that well, even if I do speak the language. However, the discomforting experience of being incapable and feeling quite useless is similar, at least from my experience as both a non-native speaker who doesn't speak the local language and someone who suffered a stroke. It is hard to imagine perhaps, but if you think of being in a foreign country and in an urgent situation, but no one shares a common language, it compounds to make problem-solving even more difficult.
For me, I have actually had my language ability cut significantly also, though it is less noticeable in my writing as I have more time to process sentences and structure. Face to face, those who know me recognize the negative differences, but it might be worse in regards to the people who don't know me. Those who do, know I have had a stroke and allow for it, but those who don't, just make the assumption that this is the way I have always been, meaning they judge my shortcomings without context.
Sometimes I wonder how many people I have judged based on what I experience with them, but without the context of why they behave in a certain way. I assume all of them in some way, but there are certain things that are more pronounced and evoke harsher judgement. Now as an idiot myself, I sometimes wish I could wear a sign that says being an idiot is not entirely my fault and I am trying the best I can to be less idiotic, but it fails often.
For those who speak a second, third or fourth language, it is akin to saying "excuse my poor grammar", except that is seen as something acceptable to say. When it comes to mental process, this doesn't work in the same way for the most part, as the thinking process gets judged "globally" across the person and for the most part, there is a false dichotomy of smart or not. This is false because the conditions that "change our mind" are changing constantly themselves, for instance when we are tired, angry, nervous or drunk. However, it is easier to excuse bad decision-making by saying "I am tired" or "he was drunk", than it is to understand the less visible or unfamiliar reasons.
But, none of this stops me feeling like an idiot and it doesn't stop my clients charge feeling less than confident either, especially as the "fix" is not a short-term solution. It is difficult to adequately support this kind of person too and what often happens is that people move away from them naturally as communication and general connection is difficult, which exacerbates the problem further. This is something that I have experienced in some way also, as some people I have known a while, still don't know how to "treat" me, even though I have been open with them and have asked them to be open with me - ask questions!
But, it is easier said than done, as while this impacts on the person directly and is ever-present, for those they interact with, it seems like the solution should be found faster than what is actually possible -
"What, it has been six months, don't you speak the language yet?"
For me, I don't think that I will ever speak my language again, but regardless of losing a lot of abilities, it is likely I still have 40-odd years of life ahead of me and if I withdraw due to what I can't do or do as well as I could or would like, it is going to be a very long and depressing experience. Unfortunately, it isn't like a job, I can't just get another brain.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
