A few days ago I happened across an article in the Wall Street Journal by Lera Boroditsky…Lost In Translation. It is a fascinating chat about how language influences our worldview…and more importantly, how different languages create significantly different worldviews.
In Spanish or Japanese, “the lamp broke itself.” In English, “he broke the lamp.” Think about how that simple difference has shaped our entire society(I say this as someone from the United States). No wonder we are the most litigious society…we immediately assign blame while others think that things just happen.
Our language shapes how we view space, time, causality, color, number, and even each other. Growing up with different languages creates a different reality…and the more different the language the more different the reality. Even when we theoretically speak the same language, there are major differences…think American English, British English, Australian English, South African English. Or even New York City English versus Memphis English, educated English versus uneducated English.
And yet, we lead by talking to people in our language, no matter their language. And then don’t understand why they didn’t understand…so blame it on them, not ourselves.
Keep this in mind next time you give a speech to rally the troops or attempt to complete a deal with someone with a different language. Who knows, this might even be one of the reasons that your spouse often doesn’t have a clue what you’re talking about.
