How to Overcome Language Barriers in the Workplace

Language barriers are becoming increasingly common in the workplace across all industries. While nine out of ten employers in the United States have multilingual employees, many organizations are taking advantage of increased globalization to boost their bottom lines. That may involve hiring international contractors, developing partnerships in other countries or expanding business operations to brand-new territories. Thanks to easy Internet communication and the growing popularity of remote work, it's common to encounter partners, collaborators and colleagues whose native tongue differs from yours.

Great communication is vital to workplace success, but how do you navigate linguistic differences? When employees speak different languages, miscommunications are bound to happen. There's also an increased risk of workplace drama, cultural blunders and other issues that threaten productivity. Fortunately, overcoming language hurdles is easier now than ever before. In this guide, we'll explore several ways to prevail over challenges created by language barriers, ensuring workplaces can remain efficient, productive and supportive for all.

Unfortunately, disrespect regarding language issues is all too common, but employers should never tolerate it. Navigating communication issues can be frustrating. Feeling those emotions is perfectly normal, but it's important not to allow them to manifest as disrespect toward another. Mockery, ridicule and obvious signs of exasperation can breed contempt among coworkers or collaborators. Disrespect can lead to explosive conflicts that spread like wildfire through a workplace.

Furthermore, the subject of disrespect may feel less motivated to improve their language skills or navigate language barriers. Workplace relationships will suffer before you know it, harming productivity and creating endless drama.

When speaking to others who might not be proficient in your native language, remain respectful and refrain from making jokes, ridiculing them or rudely correcting language faux pas. The goal is to be inclusive. Employees must provide support every step of the way, fostering an environment that encourages everyone to work together while overcoming communication hurdles. Leaders should act whenever they see disrespect, ensuring everyone feels valued for their contributions.

As the saying goes, "Patience is a virtue." It's understandable for people to get impatient when overcoming linguistic differences, especially if the workplace is chaotic or there are tight deadlines. However, it's important to remember that traditional translation methods take time. Finding the right words and deciphering another language you're not fluent in requires pause.

Be patient with those who struggle to communicate in your language. Also, be realistic about how long it takes to become fluent in another language. Working in a multilingual workplace is a fantastic way to gain exposure to other languages. People learn through real-world interactions, slowly gaining more translation abilities the more they're around different languages. It doesn't happen overnight!

Even those who put in extra time and effort to improve their language skills will not become proficient after only a few months or years. Languages are complex, and overcoming barriers requires everyone's utmost patience.

Whether you're a key decision-maker for your company or not, investing in language training pays off tremendously. Corporate leaders should provide training to expand the language skills of their organization. In addition to helping minimize challenges among colleagues, training can significantly boost morale for the entire team.

Those who aren't proficient in the common language spoken around the workplace will feel valued and respected by the company's effort to enhance communication. Meanwhile, others can expand their worldview, gaining a deeper understanding of other cultures, customs and traditions. It benefits everyone, allowing people to forge stronger work relationships and partnerships.

Investing in employees also leads to better job satisfaction. The language skills people gain can lead to more motivation, productivity and retention. There are many ways to provide language training. Leaders can organize classes, provide language-learning software, offer subscriptions to educational apps, etc. Every bit of education counts and can forge a path toward a stronger team.

Language is a big part of culture, forever intertwined. While language barriers can directly impact productivity, a lack of understanding of different cultures breeds unwanted separation among those who speak other languages in your workplace. You want everyone to work as a team and show respect despite language hurdles. Translation apps and training go a long way in addressing miscommunication issues and fostering more collaboration. However, promoting cultural understanding can create inclusivity, making everyone feel valued.

Consider having open discussions about cultural differences. Workplace leaders can also organize events, celebrations, workshops or training sessions. Discussions help everyone feel valued for their unique backgrounds. Furthermore, demystifying backgrounds and cultural norms can help people better understand the intricacies of human communication. The connection between culture and language creates many subtleties that word-for-word translations don't pick up on. For example, different cultures have words to describe things that the English language doesn't have. There are also non-verbal cues or voice tones that can help provide clarity in multilingual conversations.

Diving into cultural differences can help everyone navigate hurdles more successfully. It also provides different viewpoints that can transform how employees approach their work. You may find that bringing different perspectives and experiences to the fray fosters creativity, inclusion and innovation.

Clear and straightforward language goes a long way when communicating with non-native speakers. Every industry has unique jargon, and many workplaces actively promote using more professional language when communicating with colleagues or international partners. However, complicated technical terms and verbose language make conveying ideas more difficult. Translation takes longer, and miscommunication is more likely to happen.

Keep things simple. When communicating with others who aren't native to your language, speak in easily digestible phrases. Avoid flowery language and confusing technical terms. Be direct and to the point without being curt. Also, don't be afraid to ask for feedback. You might think your language is simple, but your words might not translate to someone struggling to grasp your language. Ask if the individual you're speaking to needs clarification to ensure they understand the information you provide.

Pictures speak a thousand words, and that sentiment holds when attempting to overcome language barriers. Visual art is universal. While language varies and translation can be difficult, everyone sees the same thing when presented with visual context. That's why so many language-learning tools rely on photos and visual media to convey the meanings of certain words and phrases. You can adopt the same principles when communicating with someone who doesn't understand your language well.

Providing charts, diagrams and illustrations makes a big difference, especially when delivering complex information. Visuals reinforce verbal or written communication, offering clarity when words are difficult to understand. They make communication more accessible and can help people improve their language learning.

Translation software is widely available. While some companies hire interpreters to facilitate cross-language communication with non-native speakers, translation apps are more cost-effective and allow individuals to improve their communication skills outside classes and workshops. Whether it's a high-tech app that captures audio or a web-based service that relies on text transcription, translation software is a powerful tool in your workplace arsenal.

Of course, translation apps vary in quality and efficiency. More primitive apps take time to perform translations. While useful, they can create disjointed conversations and limit employees' ability to have organic multilingual discussions. Fortunately, there are more advanced alternatives available. For example, apps like EzDubs use artificial intelligence and machine learning with advanced neural networks to facilitate real-time translations. More on that soon.

Our final tip is to create a supportive environment. Dealing with language barriers can be stressful and frustrating, no matter your language. Those in the minority who struggle to communicate in the language most commonly used in the workplace can feel excluded, hopeless and not valued for their contributions to the business. Meanwhile, those who work with them may feel their efforts to improve language learning and communication aren't working, creating an unnecessary divide that affects everyone's productivity.

Foster a supportive and inclusive workplace environment to promote understanding, empathy and patience. Many of the tips we discussed earlier have an enormous impact. For example, investing in language training, openly discussing cultural differences and having a no-tolerance policy for disrespect are just the start. Embrace the linguistic diversity in your workplace. A multilingual team is an asset, and you should treat it as such by celebrating those differences.

Organize language exchange programs to promote education and understanding, throw workshops to narrow the linguistic divide and continually invest in training for all. Be proactive about inclusivity and demonstrate to your entire team that language barriers aren't a hindrance but a challenge worth overcoming. When your workplace is supportive and constructive, everyone wins.

EzDubs is an AI-powered real-time translation app that can revolutionize your multilingual company's communication. With a single app, workers can enjoy fast, efficient and accurate translations over the phone, video messages, text messages, emails, group conferences and more. EzDubs uses advanced AI technology to translate written text and audio with nearly zero latency. But that's not all.

Unlike more primitive software, EzDubs doesn't use robotic-sounding translations. AI captures and recreates voices, including all the emotions, distinctive tones and subtle nuances of human language. The EzDubs app makes conversations feel authentic and organic, maintaining a natural flow as if participants were speaking the same language. Pair that with powerful natural language processing and machine neural translation that considers context and meaning; miscommunications can become a thing of the past.

Whether workers communicate over the phone or work with international colleagues and partners over platforms like Zoom, EzDubs breaks down language barriers to foster a more inclusive workplace environment, stronger relationships and better collaborations.

Navigating language barriers has never been easier. Follow our tips and use EzDubs to transform your approach to language differences. EzDubs is a revolutionary linguistics solution that benefits businesses big and small. It enables workers to communicate effectively, leaving frustration and misunderstandings in the past.

Download the EzDubs app today to get started and see how real-time translation technology can create a better workplace.