Being Bilingual In Tech
When I was younger, I spent some time in Europe, where multilingual people are much more common than here in the states. You would often go to dinner with a bunch of friends and have three or four languages spoken around the table. If you were multi-lingual, it was great, but if you only spoke one language, it would be quite difficult. Being a native English speaker, my friends had a rule that really made me feel welcome.
THE RULE
That one “rule” my friends had about speaking different languages did help a lot. The rule was to try to speak the common language of people in earshot if possible.
Say two people would be having a conversation in French, when an English speaker would walk nearby. The two French speakers would switch to English even if the another person was not involved in our conversation. They would language switch because it was the polite thing to do. I still do carry on this habit to this day.
I had a technical phone screen a few years back for a consulting gig in Chicago. The person who was interviewing me , quite frankly, impossible to understand. I suggested we switch to Mandarin , and finish the phone screen. I thought is went well, the conversation flowed.
A few days later, the recruiter called me and said the client was asking about my immigration status and why I did not have an Asian last name. I am not sure if it helped me or hurt me during the interview. I was born and raised in the Midwest, so I was a bit shocked. But it was the Midwest, which is probably less accustomed to bi-lingual people.
In the United States, being bi-lingual in tech is a different experience than most bilingual jobs. When someone is hired because they are bilingual, it is usually to interact with customers or clients. As developers and DevOps, our clients are other members of your organization.
Even the term bi-lingual itself has connotation. When I say I am bi-lingual, most people think I speak Spanish. Most people who read the title of this piece probably thought I was speaking about Spanish. I cannot say that I blame them, it is the most common form of bilingualism.
Being bilingual in tech is more about how you deal with your co-workers and how they interact with you. And there are no ‘set’ rules for this, and each workplace is different. Speaking a second language sends a signal, and that signal can vary depending on where you are.
POLITENESS
If I am speaking to someone in Mandarin when an English speaker walks by, I will try to switch to English if possible. I think it sends a signal that we are accommodating. We have to work with one another even if we speak multiple languages. Speaking a common language in the when possible is not something that should be mandated, it should be out of common courtesy.
Language diversity in the office can mean the difference between and office where you feel welcome and one where you do not. If someone has trouble speaking English, we need to be language accommodating and understanding. At the same time, bilingual people also have to be accommodating and try to speak a common language so we can all be included.
Was this post interesting? If so, please click the ❤ below to let me know , it really does help. Greg Coleman is a freelance devop based in Annapolis, Maryland. 如果你要跟我聯絡，我的個人的網站在 https://gregorycoleman.github.io
