Communication can be viewed as a process of social interaction. It refers to the process of transmitting and exchanging information, emotions, knowledge, ideas, opinions, or creativity between the sender and receiver. It is also an integral part of the human being’s everyday life. Moreover, Communication is fundamental to human survival and the existence of societies, groups, and nations (Giovannoni & Xiong, 2019). However, for a conversation to be well-interpreted or understood, Communication must be effective. However, within the process of Communication, miscommunication can occur. Various avoidable and unavoidable obstacles or barriers can hinder the effectiveness of a conversation. This paper will delve into barriers to Communication, provide miscommunication events, and explain how the miscommunication could have been changed.
Communication barrier
Communication obstacles or barriers can be classified into physical barriers, language barriers, cultural barriers, interpersonal barriers, and emotional barriers. This essay will discuss the language barrier as one of the most relevant obstacles to the communication process. Language is the most significant tool of Communication and, at the same time, the biggest barrier to effective Communication that many people face today. Language obstacles are linguistic limitations, which can cause misunderstanding or confusion in the process of Communication (Giovannoni & Xiong, 2019). Therefore, linguistic differences are the primary cause of the language barrier. This is a communication problem that occurs in communities or between groups with diverse dialects or language backgrounds. Such differences keep people from understanding each other effectively. For instance, when two or more people speak Chinese and English, they cannot converse, or the message can be misunderstood or misinterpreted.
Other common causes of language barriers in effective Communication are differences in the use of jargon, accent, and slang. In a given field, professionals have some jargon, which they use for effective Communication with colleagues or other people from the same field. However, different fields have different jargon; for example, specific work-related language used in the Aviation industry is totally different from words used in healthcare. When people from the two professions communicate in a formal setting such as a hospital, these jargon differences can result in language barriers and hinder Communication.
On the other hand, even when people communicate in the same language, differences in accent can cause a language barrier. Based on an article on accent-related communication issues in healthcare (Gu & Shah, 2019), an accent can be defined as differences in pronunciation, intonation, or rhythm of language associated with certain countries or regions. Differences in accent can change the meaning of words, resulting in misunderstandings. For instance, in the English language, when two people communicate in different accents, for example, a Scottish accent and an American accent, it is easier to fail to comprehend the majority of what the other individual says, hindering effective Communication. Finally, the use of slang or informal words in a conversation often excludes certain groups who cannot understand the language (Ahmad Abuarqoub, 2019); well every country has a slang language that is used by certain groups or areas. If a person who uses slang words communicates with an individual who uses standard language, misunderstanding can occur.
According to (Ahmad Abuarqoub, 2019), language continues to be one of the biggest obstacles for people to convey their messages in various social settings globally. The author continues to state that, as one of the destroyers of human relations, language obstacles have great implications for people’s daily lives. For example, in healthcare, effective Communication between physicians and patients or their families is significant in providing quality healthcare. However, in case of differences in languages and lack of an interpreter, this can result in misdiagnosis or medical error, affecting the patient’s well-being. As such, the barrier can easily hinder effective Communication within various social settings.
Miscommunication encounter
Every individual has participated or witnessed miscommunication in their everyday life, as it is not something one can always avoid. However, regardless of the type of miscommunication, it has the power to affect social relations or people’s emotions negatively. According to my prior experiences, I have encountered miscommunication many times, which has affected my relationship with others as well as my overall well-being. For instance, when I started using a phone, my parents always had an issue with how I was texting them. To be precise, my mother often complained about how rude I was and how I should learn the differences between them and my friend. For a long time, I avoided replying to my parent’s texts and called instead. Failure to reply escalated the conflict between my mother and me. Later, I confronted my mother and realized that our style of texting and text language was different, which resulted in misinterpretation and misunderstanding. For example, I was familiar with the use of emojis, abbreviations, and ‘GIF’ stickers.
On the other hand, I communicated more formally. For instance, my parent would use proper punctuation and grammar, while I used short forms with no punctuation, which changed the tone and the feeling of the message. For example, instead of saying ‘okay’ as my parent would text, I use words such as “‘k,’ ‘ok’ and ‘cool.'” Clearly, my parents misinterpreted the messages all along, which led to miscommunication. Most importantly, I mostly used slang language to text, such as ‘yo’, ‘lit,’ ‘Stan,’ and more.
Reflecting on this situation, the conflict and misunderstanding were rooted in linguistic barriers, assumptions, lack of clarification, and generational differences. Each time I texted or replied to my parents, I used slang and informal language instead of formal or standard. The use of slang can create different problems, which cause misunderstanding and gaps in Communication. First, as evident in this situation, slang is a language that results in an unintentional misunderstanding due to the possibility of words having different meanings. The gap between the meaning I intended and how my parents understood caused the misunderstanding. Therefore, the use of informal and slang language leads to confusion and lack of clarity. It also was perceived as disrespectful because of the tone of the language displayed. These outcomes affected the Communication between my parents and me. It is clear that slang and informal language cause linguistic barriers and hinder the effectiveness of Communication, especially if used with people of different generations or people who only understand the standard language.
The solution to the situation
Miscommunication in this situation impacted my relationship with my parent. As such, the conversation could have been changed variously for a positive outcome. First, when communicating across the language barrier, an individual needs to make sure their message can be easily understood and interpreted (Ahmad Abuarqoub, 2019). Therefore, in order for my parents to understand my text messages, I should have avoided using informal or slang words. Instead, using simple and clear words or language could have helped convey my message. The second strategy is understanding my audience. In this case, I was communicating with my parents, who are not only from different generations but also have much experience in using formal language. Therefore, if I could have understood my parent’s way of texting or communication style and tailored my message based on their style, I would have avoided misunderstanding.
The third strategy is choosing a familiar language or words to communicate with my parents. Since my parents often used the Standard English Language, selecting my words carefully based on their language could have helped avoid misunderstanding. For example, instead of using words such as ‘yep,’ I could have used ‘yes.’ Such a word is not only familiar to them but also sounds more respectful.
Choosing the right communication channel could have increased the possibility of a positive outcome. For example, I could have opted for phone calls instead of texting. One advantage of making phone calls instead of texting is the ability to convey clear messages and emotions. Texts are easily misinterpreted and convey emotionless messages. Based on research conducted on 200 people (Dannenmaier, 2020), the results indicated that humans are able to have a more positive interaction and conversation when they communicate by talking than by texting. Thus, I believe phone calls are the right communication channel that could have played a major role in changing my interaction with my parents,
In conclusion, Communication defines human relations and life to some extent. To communicate effectively, the right message and the right channel are required. However, regardless of how good an individual communicator is, there are inevitable communication obstacles. Language obstacles are among the most relevant barriers to effective Communication. It affects groups, organizations, media, and the whole world. However, this barrier arises from not only linguistic differences but also jargon, slang, accents, and dialects, factors that lead to misinterpretation of messages, miscommunication, confusion, conflict, and distorted messages. It is recommended that people avoid using slang words and use clear, simple, and familiar words. Human activities, interaction, and survival depend on Communication. Thus, people work on improving their communication skills.
References
Ahmad Abuarqoub, I. (2019). Language barriers to effective Communication. Utopía y Praxis Latinoamericana, 24. https://www.redalyc.org/journal/279/27962177008/html/
Dannenmaier, M. (2020). “Phone Calls Create Stronger Bonds Than Text-Based Communications.” https://news.utexas.edu/2020/09/11/
Giovannoni, F., & Xiong, S. (2019). Communication under language barriers. Journal of Economic Theory, 180, 274-303. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002205311930002X
Gu, Y., & Shah, A. P. (2019). A systematic review of interventions to address accent-related communication problems in healthcare. Ochsner Journal, 19(4), 378-396. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6928667/
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