I've learned a lot about cultural and language differences while spending the last several years working with clients and colleagues around the world. Dealing with non-native English speakers has made me re-evaluate the way I speak and write in order to be much more clear, and has also made me better at deciphering emails, IMs, and phone conversations that are not always constructed in a way I'm used to reading or listening. It doesn't always work out perfectly, though, and sometimes the results are quite funny.
English, especially US English, colloquialisms can be confusing for my non-US colleagues. Once, very early on in my career, I was having a conversation with a co-worker who had just moved here from an Asian country, and some other co-workers. Someone mentioned that a manager in our department had "a dry sense of humor." My Asian co-worker was puzzled -- could someone also have a wet sense of humor? More recently, the phrase "a little snag" used in an email from a co-worker confused a client in South America, prompting an IM to me requesting clarification.
Also sometimes causing hilarity are word misspellings or misuses in emails and IMs from my colleagues and clients around the world. A frequent and amusing misuse is "pop-up massage" in place of "pop-up message". What's not funny about that?
In reality, though, it impresses me that I work with brilliant people all over the world, who are able to function for eight or more hours daily using a language that is not their native tongue. That's an accomplishment, and I'm thankful that they're willing to do it. Because if they weren't, I would miss out on a very rich and diverse work experience.
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