Speaking in Tongues

Language interpretation is something I inherently do. I enjoy listening to languages and trying to figure out what people are saying or what language they are speaking. It’s a game to me. As I eavesdrop on people in the street, I try to guess what language they are speaking. Occasionally if I feel up to it, I might ask the people just to see if I’m right.

Regardless of my semi-proficiency in listening to languages and interpreting what people are saying in English, as well as in other languages, I often have no clue what some people are saying. That drives me a little batty because no matter how many questions I ask to ascertain and understand what they are saying, I get no clarity. Visually it’s like a big vacuum in space into which all coherence gets sucked. The Hoover in the Universe!

What I also find baffling about these people is that they think that repeating the same thing over and over will actually bring an epiphany to me about what they are saying. No it doesn’t. Perhaps they need to find another way to say what they are trying to say. You know ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again’. The proverb isn’t “if at first you don’t succeed, repeat and repeat yourself.’

And by all means, if you say ‘just to be clear’ at the beginning of your sentence, this does not all of a sudden, abracadabra, make what you are saying crystal clear. It usually takes a lot more than just saying ‘just to be clear’ to get yourself understood.

Communication is not easy. I definitely would never, ever admit that. But if one of the two parties trying to communicate makes no effort, then there is no communication at all. After all, communication is the exchange of information between people. If one person attempts to communicate and the other isn’t really trying, does the communication still happen? I don’t think so. So you might as well be speaking in tongues because no one will understand if only one party is trying to communicate.