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Lesson 2, Understanding Each Other

Communicating in Another Language

Some people know many grammar rules in a foreign language but are not able to get their point across. Others do poorly on grammar tests but manage to express themselves quite well. What makes the difference? Communication skills. Language is more than just a set of rules; it is a toolfor communication. Here are some tips to help you better communicate with people who don't share your mother tongue.

When you are speaking English as a foreign language

Your goal should be to get your message across and avoid possible misunderstandings. How can you achieve this?

Learners of English often worry too much about whether their English is accurate. They focus so much on getting their grammar and pronunciation perfect that they lose sight of their message. It is more productive to ask yourself, "What do I want to express?" than to worry, "Is this the correct form?"

Some students try to speak very quickly. This is a mistake. If you are talking fast to a native English speaker, he or she may have trouble understanding you. This habit also encourages the native speaker to reply to you FAST! Is that really what you want? Slow down and speak clearly. This gives the other person time to understand you, and it lets you listen to more comprehensible English.

Don't assume that what you understood is exactly what the other person meant. If it is important, check! For instance, if your friend says, "I'll see you here before class tomorrow," you might reply, "OK, I'll see you here at the library at 8:45 tomorrow." That way, both people are 100 percent sure that they meant the same thing. Regularly checking if you and the other person understood each other keeps communication going without a problem.

When you are speaking Korean with a language learner

In this global age, not all of your cross―cultural encounters will be in English. There will be times when you are the native speaker and the person you are speaking to is a learner of Korean. Here are a few more tips to remember when you are the native speaker.

Language learners often have trouble choosing the right words. For instance, they might confuse ｅxpressions and say, "물음표 있어요." when they really mean, "질문 있어요." Or they could confuse similar―sounding words and say "접시" when they actually mean "잡지" They may also make mistakes in word order, creating a sentence such as "우리는 갔어요, 학교에." When listening to a learner of Korean, pay more attention to what they are really trying to say and less attention to their errors in grammar and word choice.

Many misunderstandings are caused by negative questions. In English, people answer "yes" if the fact is affirmative and "no" if it is negative. This is done differently in Korean. For this reason, there might be some confusion about how to answer a question such as "밥 안 먹었어요?" It is better to ask, “밥 먹었어요?” in order to avoid confusion.

Don't try to make language learners laugh by using funny words or jokes. This almost never works. Even if they understand the words, they may not understand why the joke is funny. This is because jokes are usually based on culture. What the people of one culture find cute or funny might be considered uninteresting or even rude by the people of another culture.

Someone once said that the most important thing in communication is desire. When two people really want to understand each other, they can usually find a way to do it. Likewise, if two people want to remain strangers, a thousand words won't make them understand each other. Therefore, try to be supportive and encouraging when communicating with people from other cultures. Talking with them is not a test of your language abilities but rather an adventure in getting to know someone.