Top 5 strategies for overcoming language barriers

Language barrier is a common challenge here at MobileFolk, as we consist of international teams and often find ourselves working with partners coming from different parts of the world. With MobileFolk offices in Canada and Vietnam, half of our teams grew up speaking Vietnamese, while the other half only know English. As we go along the road, we’ve realized that it’s not our “accents”, but rather, our own ways of speaking English that creates roadblocks and language barriers. To bridge communication gaps between teams and to effectively communicate with our partners, we’ve come up with several strategies for overcoming language barriers.

1. Ask for clarification:

At MobileFolk, our developers are never afraid to ask questions and ask for clarification. We truly believe that assumptions are the worst, and can even lead to project failure. Thus, our teams ensure that they raise concerns and never assume they’ve already “understood” what has been said. 

2. Active learning and checking:

We offer English classes for our employees so that they can practice English in a business setting. Let’s admit it: someone who’s not native speaker can do so well in a normal, daily-life setting, but using English as a second language in a business environment can be a real challenge. We practice reflective listening to check our own understanding. Within our team, we often use open-ended questions to check other people’s understanding. For example, we always ask “what’s your understanding of this project” instead of “does it make sense?”

3. Avoid idioms:

Even for native speakers, idioms can be a real pain. Be it a game or metaphor – this may make the communication more difficult to understand. As a general rule of thumb, if the phrases require extensive knowledge of other information, we try to avoid it and move on to use clearer, simpler phrases. 

4. Be specific:

We set our expectations and deadlines clearly. Instead of saying “we hope to get this project done as soon as possible”, we say “this project has to be completed by 5pm CST on Friday, August 3rd”. We also use a set of words and phrases to update our progress on Jira so that it’s easier for everyone in the team to follow.

5. Provide information via multiple channels:

We hold our weekly meetings every Tuesday, and follow phone calls/ video calls with emails that summarize the important information that’s been said. We also provide presentations and agendas in advance so those who are not English native speakers can familiarize themselves with materials beforehand. 

Language barriers can be a real challenge, but working with people of different backgrounds is what drives creativity and success in a business. We embrace a diverse workplace, and we hope these tips will help you and your team succeed as well!