Language; The Bridge and The Barrier

Before I begin, I’d like to thank my classmate Gunadevi Chengalaram (also known as Lorna) for giving me the idea to blog about this experience after I shared it with her and a group of friends. I hope you will find it as interesting as they did.

I wanted to share a bit about the importance of communication in public relations. We all know it is a vital part of the process, but to what extent? A lot of our attention and focus is given to the technical part of drafting correct and innovative PR briefs in university classrooms, but the truth is once you are on the field, the way you communicate and share your ideas are almost as important as the idea itself.

The most basic example of this is perhaps the most challenging part of my internship- the language barrier. When I pick up the phone and say, “I’m calling from Blast Communications…” and follow up with a bunch of technical words and questions in English, the most recurring reply I've had is, “What? I can’t understand, can you please repeat?”  

Being a student with Mauritian roots who has lived abroad for so long, I find it hard to master the local language, Mauritian Creole, and even French at times. My education has mostly been conducted in English. While it is the official language in Mauritius, I cannot necessarily speak to all journalists and head of companies in English.

In order to truly relate to a group of people, the best approach is to use their native tongue, so as to make them comfortable. Sure, using English will get you places and people will be able to understand what you are saying. But this does not mean you have made a connection with that person, and they might not go out of their way to help you or to get tasks done on time. Some might even think that you are trying to make them feel inferior by using a language that is widely spoken, but that they are not necessarily comfortable with.

Language therefore acts as both a barrier and a bridge, depending on how it is used. I’d encourage all undergraduates to avoid using complicated terminologies and jargon when on the phone with people, and to bear in mind that creating a relationship with the person on the other end on the line is the first step to getting the task at hand done. 

Sasha-Lee Marivel