Nonnative Speakers- IN THE WORKPLACE

Hello my fellow bloggers! To those that may not know, I am from Canada (GTA to be more precise); and in Canada, our communities are extremely diverse. It doesn’t just stop there, our workplace are just as colorful. Therefore, it’s really no surprise to be working with people with different backgrounds, who aren’t necessarily native English speakers. The world is becoming more and more like this every day. This results in issues surrounding language barriers which may result in poor listening habits (as mentioned in the previous post). Although many have studied English and can understand, many have difficulty speaking. Why is this so? Well, speaking English can be difficult for many reasons. For example, it may conflict with the speaker’s native tongue resulting in an accent, or they can be translating sentences word for word from their language to English etc. Obviously, this makes understanding a little more difficult, thus resulting in miscommunication and poor listening. During these times, let’s all keep in mind that many nonnative speakers become worried that they may be judged, and perhaps even embarrassed if they may a mistake. Remember, our world is filled with many different languages, and although English is considered a universal language, there are so many accents out there that make English more colorful. So, regardless of whom you’re listening to, always try to listen with intent- it’s one of your keys to success!