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I prefer body language!

We keep talking about the importance of learning how to express ourselves in different languages – and here ‘different’ starts from considering our mother tongue as the ‘usual’ one – and while all this bla bla goes around the world we seem to forget the ‘real thing’, the most international and probably the oldest way of communication that is, body language.

What we transmit without using words does not require much explanation even if there are some gestures, movements and looks that strongly differ from a culture to another and can cause rather embarrassing situations! Those have to be taken in account and we should learn how to deal in a good humoured mood with unpredicted laughs or even horrified faces caused by some cultural misunderstandings. However those facts don’t account as the most frequent. Generally speaking anywhere and anytime just anyone can clearly perceive what a person is expressing through a non-verbalized way.

And why is it so? Elementary, my dear! Because most of what is said by body language relates to emotions and that is international! People crying hardly and exceptionally mean something else than sadness; shining eyes are a clear (of course) sign of joy and happiness; open arms certainly give you the feeling of being welcome; laughs make you want to laugh too; seduction has some special ways to be expressed (and surely not difficult to decodify); speedy or slow movements let us know about what is happening, etc. Even more understandable are the messages sent by the face being the eyes particularly communicative. It doesn’t require too much intelligence to know when someone is in pain. Or sleepy. Or tired. Or fed up. Or anxious, or or or. We communicate.

Smiles also supply good information: it is not so difficult to make the difference between a ‘plastic’ and a ‘I love you’ smile. Plastic smilers never smile with the eyes! They sell that (tiring, argh!) movement of their lips together with some idea/product and never get to touch your heart with it. On the contrary, smile lovers bring light to your life and they are – very fortunately – highly contagious. Irresistible.

Dance, dance, dance. The music of the universe calls and teaches how to discover the meaning of life just by following the rhythm of the sounds around. Nothing more beautiful and meaningful than the heart beat! It is only when we can learn how to embrace and share our warmth that we achieve deep communication.

Yes, I definitely prefer body language.

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Polyglots & Troglodytes

Globalization has brought us to this simple fact: English is a must. You can’t just think of anything regarding other cultures if you can’t manage expressing yourself in English. Nobody asks you if you like it or not, they just take it for granted that you can do it. Punt.

This assumption is not only a pre-requirement for the work market but also for any business relationship in general. In case you still don’t have a reasonable level of knowledge of English and consider touring around another country where the language is unknown to you, you should either start thinking on planning your excursions through a travel agent or sharpen your linguistic abilities, what now means at least being in condition to use some words in English. Unless you’re really good with body language…

So, you accepted this fact and can already read this text? Good. It’s a real positive point for you.

But it can happen that your curiosity for other countries, people and cultures goes beyond the possibility of making contact in English and you find it interesting – or even fun – to learn other languages. Wow, here you go and after some time you become bilingual. This is a plus in your CV and a new window for your personal growth.

And because the excitement of getting to know two languages has caught you, here you are, ready to move to your next studies and open to the fact that as you keep on going into this direction you’ll be soon called a polyglot. Huh? Me? Yes... that can happen, if you don’t stop studying languages, my dear curious kid! Watch out, you became skilful in three languages! Trilingual is a bizarre concept but that's where you are now.

However, in spite of the strangeness of these terms, you go on. You’ve been stung by the language-mosquito and its trace is in your blood, you can’t get rid of it anymore. Surrender. Choose and start learning the fourth language, the one that will set you in this very strange group of people: the polyglots. This sounds very weird...

If you’ve ever met a polyglot you know they are real and that they seem to be human too. But it’s not every day that you bump into an element of this species, right? Be aware of people who can speak so much! Beware of polyglots specially for they can speak a lot... in different languages.

But you couldn’t help it, you got the feel, you fell in love with the new forms of oral and written communication and now you are labeled forever. Polyglot. It is a very weird adjective and seldom used to define normal beings. Be ready for the suspicious look when someone comes to know you belong to this species. Furthermore, be prepared to be treated as a troglodyte. What is a polyglot by the way?

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C’mon! let’s share our knowledge!

This may seem too naive or even too dumb but I’ve come to the conclusion that not necessarily the huge spectrum of possibilities internet offers to those who search a simple way to share what they know makes things that easy to the searchers as it possibly should. You try and try, google, wikipedia, whatever and still you don’t find what you’re looking for.

You think it’s all about exercising patience and you’re a perseverant person. Most of all, there is this objective fact, the undeniable reality: the information you want is there! It exists and is available, most probably free of cost, and what? You just can’t find it!

The more you search the less you feel you’re coming to any positive result. What started as a simple need for an information keeps growing to become a difficult task, then moves to a cruel challenge until it transforms into a monster who wants to see you die of frustration and disappointment. You’ve always thought of yourself as a normal person but you start to doubt if your intelligence is below the average criteria to determine basic functions, because searching AND finding something on internet is the basic of the basics, no?

No point on sweating, cursing or even crying: you don’t get anywhere. The computer looks at you with that ironic and critical smile that computers dedicate to those who can’t talk to them in a civilized way. You’re the dinosaur, the rhino of modern times and all the medals and diplomas hanging on your wall are good for nothing. No matter how despaired you can be this machine remains silent and shows no mercy towards you.

Help! cry for help! At least ‘this’ you can do, no? Go to the ‘help’ page! No. Most sites don’t approve you doing this at first. You’ve got to read the whole list of FAQ before you’re allowed to act as a crying baby. Oh, yes, you’ve got to learn that FAQ means ‘frequent asked questions’. Great. The only problem is: usually your question is not a frequent asked one and you know why? Because it is too simple...yes…

Go to ‘forum’ then, but don’t be upset and take your time to fill in a profile that will open the door of paradise to you. You can’t access the forum without being part of the group...It’s logical of course but it is not what you planned when you opened your computer to look for an information. Don’t panic, you’ll fill in all the items in less than one hour! Got it ready? Did the site confirm your subscription? Be happy, take a beer from the fridge, call your friends and let’s celebrate: you’re now part of a very special community and everyone who’s already there is only willing to help and eager to read your questions: they will make them feel very intelligent.

Well, making other people feel intelligent was not exactly the idea when you started the whole thing but as long as you can get this bloody information it is even nice to know that you could make other people happy on the way. Go on, write your doubt and wait for some good-hearted and competent collaborator who will be having fun answering to this little dummy who does not know something so elementary.

Sorry: the little dummy is yourself. Let me rephrase it: the little dummy is me.

Maybe you’ve read this just out of solidarity. My compliments and sincere thanks.

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Why learn another language?

I don’t think there is need for too many discussions on this matter. Not only because we live in a globalized world, which implies the necessity to open our vocabulary to new words and terms aiming at making more money, but also for some less ‘serious’ reasons, like personal communication, emotions and poetry.

Around the world it is almost taken for granted that if you want to establish a successful business relationship you have to speak English. If you don’t but your company is wealthy and strong in the market, you can always use an interpreter, that’s what interpreters are for, right? This is settled: we use English as a bridge, discuss terms of contracts, sign the papers and bye bye. Let’s get back to the real thing, that means, let’s work hard to get more people around the conference table.

But this is not really what ‘human communication’ is about... ’people who needs people are the luckiest people in the world’, says the famous song and this is very true. We can go just anywhere around the planet and will always see people sharing their emotions – which is the only really international language. Tears and smiles, love and pain, wonder and despair... nobody needs books or courses to understand the meaning of an emotional expression. No need to study, sharing a feeling requires ‘only’ the basics of being an animal: sympathy. We are alive, we are animals. We share emotions. Punt.

On the other side, in order to exchange ideas, principles, morals, hopes... we need to speak the same language as our interlocutor. Body language plays an important role here but is never enough to make people come to an understanding about what has been said or expressed. In short: if you want to learn about people’s thoughts you have to speak a common language.

We know that art speaks for itself but not all artistic expressions can be grasped without words because literature relies on the knowledge of languages, to be perceived. We can feel the rhythm of a poem but we can not relate it to our various worlds if we do not know the message being transmitted. That is so.

Poetry requires the ability of knowing languages. And this is a lovely reason why to learn a new one: it allows us to enter in the wonderful unknown caves of another culture. There lies poetry.

Languages open doors and windows to our lives. And this can be the way to learn more about ourselves, about the others and help us find peace and understanding among all of us.

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