ovErComing thE lAnguAgEBArriEr
thE DisCovEry thAt lAnguAgE CAn BE A BArriEr to CommuniCAtion is quiCkly mADE By All who trAvEl, stuDy, govErn or sEll. whEthEr thE ACtivity is tourism, rEsEArCh, govErnmEnt, poliCing, BusinEss, or DAtA DissEminAtion, thE lACk oF A Common lAnguAgE CAn sEvErEly impEDE progrEss or CAn hAlt it AltogEthEr. "Common lAnguAgE" hErE usuAlly mEAns A ForEign lAnguAgE, But thE sAmE point AppliEs in prinCiplE to Any EnCountEr with unFAmiliAr DiAlECts or stylEs within A singlE lAnguAgE. "thEy Don’t tAlk thE sAmE lAnguAgE" hAs A mAjor mEtAphoriCAl mEAning AlongsiDE its litErAl onE.
Although CommuniCAtion proBlEms oF this kinD must hAppEn thousAnDs oF timEs EACh DAy, vEry FEw BEComE puBliC knowlEDgE. puBliCity ComEs only whEn A FAilurE to CommuniCAtE hAs mAjor ConsEquEnCEs, suCh As strikE, lost orDErs, lEgAl proBlEms, or FAtAl ACCiDEnts--EvEn, At timEs, wAr. onE rEportED instAnCE oF CommuniCAtion FAilurE took plACE in 1970, whEn sEvErAlAmEriCAns AtE A spECiEs oF poisonous mushroom. no rEmEDy wAs known, AnD two oF thE pEoplE DiED within DAys.A、rADio rEport oF thE CAsE wAs hEArD By A ChEmist who knEw oF A trEAtmEnt thAt hAD BEEn suCCEssFully usED in 1959 AnD puBlishED in 1963. why hAD thEAmEriCAn DoCtors not hEArD oF it sEvEn yEArs lAtEr prEsumABly BECAusE thE rEport oF thE trEAtmEnt hAD BEEn puBlishED only in journAls writtEn inEuropEAn lAnguAgEs othEr thAnEnglish.
But isolAtED ExAmplEs Do not givE An imprEssion oF thE sizE oF thE proBlEm--somEthing thAt CAn ComE only From stuDiEs oF thE usE or AvoiDAnCE oF ForEign-lAnguAgE mAtEriAls AnD ContACts in DiFFErEnt CommuniCAtivE situAtions.
in thEEnglish-sCiEntiFiC worlD, For ExAmplE, survEys oF Books AnD DoCumEnts ConsultED in liBrAriEs AnD othEr inFormAtion AgEnCiEs hAvE shown thAt vEry littlE ForEign-lAnguAgE mAtEriAl is EvEr ConsultED、
liBrAry rEquEsts in thE FiElD oF sCiEnCE AnD tEChnology showED thAt only 13 pEr CEnt wErE For ForEign lAnguAgE pErioDiCAls.
stuDiEs oF thE sourCEs CitED in puBliCAtions lEAD to A similAr ConClusion: thE usE oF ForEign-lAnguAgE sourCEs is oFtEn FounD to BE As low As 10 pEr CEnt.
thE lAnguAgE BArriEr prEsEnts itsElF in stArk Form to Firms who wish to mArkEt thEir proDuCts in othEr CountriEs.British inDustry, in pArtiCulAr, hAs in rECEnt DECADEs oFtEn BEEn CritiCizED For its linguistiC insulArity--For its Assumption thAt ForEign BuyErs will BE hAppy to CommuniCAtE inEnglish, AnD thAt AwArEnEss oF othEr lAnguAgEs is not thErEForE A priority. in thE 1960s, ovEr two-thirDs oFBritish Firms DEAling with non-English-spEAking CustomErs wErE usingEnglish For outgoing CorrEsponDEnCE; mAny hAD thEir sAlEs litErAturE only inEnglish; AnD As mAny As 70 pEr CEnt oF EmployEEs CAnnot CommuniCAtE in thE CustomErs’ lAnguAgEs.A、similAr proBlEm wAs iDEntiFiED in othErEnglish-spEAking CountriEs, notABly thE usA,AustrAliA AnD nEw zEAlAnD、AnD non-English-spEAking CountriEs wErE By no mEAns ExEmpt-- Although thE wiDEsprEAD usE oFEnglish As An AltErnAtivE lAnguAgE mADE thEm lEss opEn to thE ChArgE oF insulArity.
thE CritiCism AnD puBliCity givEn to this proBlEm sinCE thE 1960s sEEms to hAvE grEAtly improvED thE situAtion. inDustriAl trAining sChEmEs hAvE promotED An inCrEAsE in linguistiC AnD CulturAl AwArEnEss. mAny Firms now hAvE thEir own trAnslAtion sErviCEs; to tAkE just onE ExAmplE inBritAin, rowntrEE mACkintosh now puBlish thEir DoCumEnts in six lAnguAgEsEnglish, FrEnCh, gErmAn,DutCh, itAliAn AnD xhosA). somE Firms run pArt-timE lAnguAgE CoursEs in thE lAnguAgEs oF thE CountriEs with whiCh thEy ArE most involvED; somE proDuCE thEir own tEChniCAl glossAriEs, to EnsurE ConsistEnCy