How do you deal with multiple cultures and languages? For years, I have seen things in my life constantly get lost in translation. It is the challenge but also the opportunity. Living in Asia, bouncing around between Hong Kong, China, and some parts of South East Asia I often lose my mind. Because you are switching your thought process, your cultural thinking, to adjust to the people you are dealing with. Because to get your message across, you need to speak in a different tone, a different style.
In a way, I think it makes me less direct. Because in Asia I cannot just directly say how I feel. I need to go around and about. I have to let the other person think of it. I need to let them process it and digest it. Hard to explain in text, and hey, maybe this is how we need to communicate even in native English in America and I’m just learning it now.
Communication takes up the majority of our time – to get our idea across to another human’s brain. Maybe Elon Musk’s direct brain connect to a computer can solve this problem. But for now, it is about making things as clear as possible so there is no misunderstanding.
How do you effectively communicate? Especially overseas in a multiple language, multiple culture environment? And not lose your mind, or your “home roots”!