Part 2: Problems with Language

While incredibly long to read, this section on language was interesting and informative. Prior to this selection, I understood that people from different parts of the world communicate and interact in many ways. However, this reading emphasized the importance of the N.A.K. (needs, audience, knowledge) acronym.

On page 61, William Zinsser listed four articles of faith when writing a document: clarity, simplicity, brevity, and humanity. These articles can be applied to writing and communication with people from other cultures. Zinsser added that the best practice a person can employ is writing as oneself (67). Specifically, writers should be careful to balance relaying a message while also avoiding redundant, mechanical-sounding prose.

The Stuart Chase segment entitled "Gobbledygook" was another one of my favorites from this reading. Chase identified academic, bureaucratic, and legal talk as some that is riddled with goobledygook. Lofty academic talk, or "pedageese", is one of my biggest pet peeves of all time. Although it is acceptable to speak this way among a group of peers, I often question why it is needed at all. I have even questioned some pedageese offenders about this matter. They have often responded that they will rarely get the opportunity to speak in that manner once they have graduated from the Professional Communication program. Frankly, I consider this type of self-gratifying talk unnecessary. Goobledygook communication makes some people happy; however, mere mortals such as myself consider it no more clearer or distinguishable than either of the two examples on page 56.

Finally, Gwyneth Olofsson's article on international communication included a number of points of which I had never heard. Specifically, I never realized how differently silence is interpreted across cultures. Moreover, until reading this section, I could not think of a good reason as to why the MAPC program specifies a foreign language requirement. Thanks to Olofsson's detailed, persuasive explanation, I now have an answer to my question.