When ASTDNY asked me to contribute to the chapter’s new blog, I was honored and also a little nervous. As a business developer for a small Training and Development boutique, what could I contribute to this online community? As VP of Lanartco, Inc., linguist, and former teacher, I know about many subjects but what could I write about, in this forum, that others will find interesting, too? A wise person once told me to write what I know. So here goes.

Recently, I came across an article in HBS titled Walking through Jelly: Language Proficiency, Emotions, and Disrupted Collaboration in Global Work. You can find the PDF version o f the article on the HBS website. In this article, Beyene, Hinds, and Cramton discuss the expectation and frequently agreed upon notion that a common language, in this case English used for business purposes, will facilitate communication within organizations, undoubtedly achieving communication excellence at all levels. The authors argue that, this is NOT the case and, may not be as realistic a view as some believe it to be. And, I agree; it takes more than just a common spoken language to raise a village. I think language is a vehicle for communication but it, alone, does not define our day-to-day interactions.

One of the conclusions of this study is that our interpretations of the actions we encounter during the work day are what fuel our emotions, and ultimately, our productivity. So, as trainers and/or training providers we should collaborate to bring innovative best practices to our clients so that the perceived high cost of failure sometimes associated with language and/or cross-cultural programs morphs into solid client buy-in.

Thanks for reading; I look forward to comments and I really look forward to reading your posts one day.