17 March 2009

INTRODUCATION TO LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION SKILLS

INTRODUCTION
LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION SKILLS

The environment in many fields has a constant change to face: larger markets, more efficiency and tougher competition. In this competition all functions and human competencies are subject to internationalization: from marketing and procurement to research and development, production, logistics, human resources development and financial management. At the heart of this competence lies the ability to communicate and empathize between different cultures.
Language and communication skills are a bridge of understanding between cultures and individuals. Sometimes the bridge may just barely support one’s weight, as when you manage to get your shopping through by mimics and gestics in a foreign culture. Sometimes the bridge will carry, and simply let the strangers through with the correct fare for tolls, but wondering what the tolls were all about and why. Optimally the bridge will carry everything required and be recognized for how well it serves the clients and fits perfectly in its natural environment.
To understand the sufficiency of communication skills in foreign languages, one has to know about their strengths and weaknesses in foreign languages and they have to learn the language instructions as they have received in education.
The term language alone would lead us to thinking of work communication in the traditional way: as the particles system of linguistics. The word “communication” alone again may lead the reader to think of messages sent and received or media or theories of the sign, visual meaning or social semiotics. People with a technical orientation may even link it with the field of technical communications. Communication covers a wide ground. It includes communication theory, use of technology, selecting communication channels, examining impact of communication, intercultural issues/understanding of diversity, oral communication, listening skills, group interaction, report writing, investigating information sources, research documentation, presenting graphical information, writing proposals, business correspondence, employment, to mention the major content areas.