Learning another language
There's more to language than simply speaking
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 336
I speak a little bit of French and I know enought German to buy five postcards and five stamps to mail to England.
I’ve often thought about what it would take to become multilingual, but sadly,
my mind usually drifts to the traditional maps of fluency.
I picture myself rolling my Rs in Spanish and perfecting the cadence of my French pronunciation; I dream of ordering an espresso in Italian.
As a society we view language skills as badges of worldly sophistication, as the keys to unlocking new cultures, and as tools for professional expansion.
And yet, we walk through our daily lives fluent in criticism, judgement, and derision. But when we do this we miss out on the dialects that holdour communities together.
I know because I’ve been guilty of it myself.
It’s time to pracise our other langauge skills: empathy, kindness, support, encouragement, and sympathy.
These aren’t soft skills or pleasant personality traits; they’re active, expressive forms of communication.
These five emotional languages give us the power to transform ourselves and our environments.
So, let’s keep learning our Spanish, German, and Italian.
But let’s not forget the dialects that define our character.
Ultimately, we need be kind, to ourselves and to others. The world needs better speakers of the heart.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
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Next time on Shaking the Tree: Are you really listening?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.