Discovering the Truth in Language

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is based in the idea that “a particular language’s nature influences the habitual thought of its speakers: That is, different language patterns yield different patterns of thought (Wikimedia Foundation).” If the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis can be accepted with certainty that implies that there is no way to fully engage in cross-cultural communication between individuals of different languages. There is no way to adequately translate literature or technical information, and no way individuals can communicate amongst themselves. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis has been integrated into my fields of study and assumptions of modern life, even though linguistic support and acceptance of the hypothesis has been relatively slow, and there is still significant linguistic debate over the validity of this hypothesis (Wikimedia Foundation).What is indisputable, however, is that language concepts are not universal; for example, some languages have a relative lack of counting vocabulary, while other languages have what might be considered to be an excess (Wikimedia Foundation).

While this remains an unsettled linguistic question, it does have a seeming application to everyday life. We have all experienced the suspicion that this hypothesis is true. Trying to assemble a product in which the directions are poorly translated is a common example of failure of translation to fully provide context and appropriate thought patterns. We have all scratched our heads over things such as complicated Internet operating instructions (http://www.engrish.com//wp-content/uploads/2008/08/internet-instructions.jpg) or tried to work through origami instructions.

This type of mistranslation has been the cause of frustrating home improvement products and abused electronics for years, if not decades – there is no one in the English-speaking world that does not have an intuitive understanding of the difficulty in translation, and I don’t doubt that speakers of other languages are just as frustrated with translated English instructions, signs, or even driving for that matter (which all leads be to language and the way it is taught). As English relies as much as any other language on the use of idioms, metaphors, and jargon as an everyday part of its vocabulary, if not more, I suspect that the difficulties of non-native English speakers in deciphering translated material would be greater than that of English speakers.

However, sometimes we have just as much difficulty in translating thoughts and feelings from our own language’s native speakers! The use of email in particular seems to be prone to elisions, jargon, and other unclear language that can prevent effective communication even among individuals that nominally share a language. It is not uncommon even in the professional context to receive an email that makes little or no sense, or takes so much effort to puzzle out its meaning that the two people exchanging emails might as well be communicating from different languages, which according to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis would provide a completely different frame of mind and understanding (Wikimedia Foundation). Tips for effective email usage center in meaningful and straightforward communication, intended to ease the lack of clarity that may be experienced within the email context (Bauer and Jerz). For example, identifying yourself clearly, adding meaningful subject lines, proofreading, and distinguishing between formal and informal contexts are all tips that are intended to create a shared context for communication in the absence of personal contact and visual and physical cues. In essence, these tips are intended to create a shared context in order to ensure that two individuals that share a language also share a communication context, which is at the heart of the challenge to understanding that which lies in the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

Works Cited

Bauer, Jessica and Dennis G. Jerz. E-mail: ten tips for writing it effectively. 12 December
2000. 25 January 2009 <http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm>.

Wikimedia Foundation. Sapir Whorf Hypothesis. 20 January 2009. 25 January 2009
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapir_Whorf_hypothesis>.

Images thanks to engrish.com and youtube.com