It’s no surprise when many people talk of communication skills, especially when you are in college or in the Job. The placement cell of many college would be eager to indulge in training for its students. English, being the virtual universal language, demands such respect. To learn proper English has become a basic requirement today. Not only because it’s the flood gate of getting a good job and a better life, but to open up to the deluge of ideas and thoughts. However, I am certain that it’s NOT the only condition for the same.
Understanding the essence of communication.
I do understand, there are many pressure to learn English, and for many vernacular background student, English has been a nightmare. Sometimes, it’s because of the outward pressure, and sometimes it’s a fear created by the predecessors. People can learn Sanskrit, and even talk in Sanskrit, but when it comes to English, they just falter. It’s NOT because they can’t or incapability of their language skills but the inherent fear – it’s more of the psychological denial. When one understands that it’s just a medium to communicate one’s ideas, thoughts, and feelings, it becomes easier. When the big world of grammar is nothing but a set of largely accepted rules, to make the language simpler, so that there is no problem in common understanding or minimizing otherwise unending complexity.
Why we need to understand and follow good grammar of a language? One technical example may help. We have so many different phones today. Every manufacturer is free to have their own design, layout, and user interface. But when we send an SMS, they can NOT be one brand specific. As they can be sent to any device that supports SMS, so there has to be some standard that everyone understands, that’s why we have 3GPP and ITU standards for telecommunication. If you are familiar to computer programming, ANSI C is a standard to write and run C program in all different computers and operating systems - which is someway similar to English grammar.
My lessons in understanding the importance of communications
I have heard and read all the theoretical aspects, and I tried my best to learn and improve my English, and I do pursue the same even now. But when I was in college it was more of learning curve. Though I understood its importance, it was like a theoretical one. Because what you need mostly is Odiya, to communicate in Odissa. But once you are out of native state, you have to learn a new language. Initially, when I talked to people from South and North India, they have a different ascent, and sometimes, few words would not be understood, that’s where the importance of learning the “right” pronunciation comes into play. And, when I started working with people from different regions of the world, it became more difficult. I had to talk to people from China, Japan, Europe, and US (Afro-American ascent is more difficult to understand) for different project requirements or working together for some project. There I had to try my best to understand their ascent, and I had to be more careful of my ascent. Then I felt, there is no universal standard of English pronunciations, however, one should learn the way so that majority can understand. It’s NOT as difficult as people think. It comes over practice. And, no matter how much you learn, one can’t be error free. I have seen it even from “so called perfect elite”. So one should never be afraid of making mistakes. Yes, committing them again and again is, of course, a crime, and learning from the mistakes is a gain.
Communication skill is not just limited to English!
At times I was ashamed of my ascents, but today I am not. Because, that’s my identity. As long as, what I speak is understood to quite many people from different regions of the world, I don’t need to change my ascent to US or British! I can be what I am, and improve over learning the “right” or “majority” way of speaking or pronouncing the words.
One more thing - learning good English never demands to forget the existing one. Learning good English or speaking good English never demands the sacrifice of “no learning” of a native language. They can be cultivated simultaneously. It is true that English language is a flood gate to ocean of knowledge. If I compare English to languages like Hindi or Odiya, they are not far behind. The beauty of every language has their own identities. The literature of every language is a mine of information of its lineage, history and often the cornerstone identity of a human race. Every language is a precious resource of humanity. And, good communication skill is NOT limited in just writing and speaking good English, as it is often interpreted - for it has a vast meaning. By understanding the essence, following the guidelines and continuous practice, it can be mastered. It takes time, but with some effort it surely can be achieved.
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