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You have brought up a very interesting point. It is also a point that we
don't discuss much in tech. writing but it is nevertheless a timely one.
I see a critical workplace skill that is enhanced beyond the obvious
language benefits of (1) being able to converse in another language and
therefore reach an understanding with an SME from that culture, and (2)
being able to eventually do content-related research in another language on
your own.
That workplace skill is creating an effective working relationship with
SME's from cultures other than the writer's own. Let me flesh out this idea
a little bit.
One of the most important parts of an effective working relationship is
being comfortable interviewing, querying, suggesting, and gently demanding
information from an SME, right? In the software industry, as tech. writers,
we probably go talk to the developers/programmers on a daily basis learning
what the functionality is supposed to do, suggesting GUI changes, reporting
bugs, and a myriad other things. In the contemporary software workplace,
those developers could just as easily be from south India or Shanghai,
China, as from Peoria, Illinois, right? In my experience working overseas
and in the US with international folks, one of the most significant moves an
American can make is to study the language of the other person, or even any
other language. This effort on your part to study Mandarin, therefore, is a
signal to any international worker in your company that you are an unusual
technical writer. You are unusual in that you are doing more than paying lip
service to getting inside the culture of the Chinese people. You are to be
congratulated---and I am quite sure that as your company's SME's learn that
you are studying Mandarin, you will be able to create a more effective
working environment with them, that critical workplace skill that I referred
to above.
Well done. You have identified the single-most important benefit in your
first paragraph.
From: "Rowena Hart"
Subject: Bilingualism in TW
> For the past 8 months I've been learning to
> speak Mandarin in my spare time. One of the
> side benefits is that I have built stronger
> working relationships with SMEs from Asia,
> who have been more than happy to help me
> practice and learn the language.
>
> I'm wondering if there are other benefits to
> learning and using another language in the
> workplace. In an effort to keep the topic
> relevant to tech writing, I am curious to see
> if anyone has any opinions/experience with
> the following:
>
