Language brings people closer. But only if they speak the same one. I could hit it off with a stranger at a train station, just by asking
“Which train should I take to go to the city?”. But if I was in Germany, and asked
the same question to a non-English speaking person, I may not get an inch
closer to the city or to the person.
Although verbal language is not the only kind of
language, it is the most commonly-used tool to communicate. Then why do we complicate it? Why do we introduce new words
every day, and expect the world to keep up? Why do we make it more difficult
for people to learn it? Advances in all fields (arts, science, technology,
sociology, psychology and everything in between) have introduced new concepts,
which require new words. Fair enough. If a new planet is discovered…or a new
disease is found, of course they will need new names.
But often, it’s an age-old concept that’s re-packaged, actively
promoted (in academia, media and big corporations), and brings with it the immensely annoying (and completely avoidable) "corporate jargon". Right from jobs to job titles, things have evolved
over the years. The fundamentals though, often remain the same. Let's consider "Marketing". The ultimate goal of all marketing
initiatives (directly or indirectly) is to sell or teach people how to sell.
But just think of the plethora of words that have crept into our lives from
this fundamental concept of “selling”.
There is an article on a whopping 159
types of marketing. And that’s just one perspective…the tip of the iceberg. The same goes for "Management". In simple terms,
it is to do with managing something or someone. Essentially, it’s what generations
have done intuitively/organically, before “management” gained its current-day
status of a highly-regarded “skill” that can be taught and practised in a conscious/sophisticated
way, with its many nuances. As with any sophistication, it injected our
vocabulary with yet another high dose of jargon.
The advances may be
necessary but the side-effect of corporate jargon is not. It contaminates and challenges the very essence of language i.e.
to understand and be understood. And when jargon sneaks out of boardrooms and
offices into our dinner tables and casual conversations, nobody wins. It
creates barriers, pushes people away and affects our credibility. Nobody likes
a Mrs Names-Dropper or a Mr Know-It-All whose primary aim is not to
communicate, but to intimidate or impress. These are people who are usually
trying to cover-up for fluff (overcompensate because they are insecure about
what they are saying) or they want to sound smarter than they actually are.
Jargon can make complex concepts simple (in medicine, for example, it serves as shorthand) or simple concepts sound complex. It's the latter we should be wary of. That kind of jargon is a threat to language, just as processed food it a threat to our health. There is a huge focus worldwide to steer people back to wholefoods –meat, veg, fruits and nuts, which are as close to their natural form as possible. A can of tuna swimming in preservatives is no match for a fresh piece of fish lightly grilled on the pan. Similarly, “brainstorming”, “strategic thinking”, “ideation” is no match for the simple (yet honest) “thinking”. A “thought leader” is ultimately still a “leader”, “collaborate” is still “work together” and “benchmarking” is essentially still “comparing”. "Leverage" and "impact", on the other hand, should have never been used as verbs.
Our ancestors lived in far more challenging conditions than
we do today - battling with harsh weathers, hunting for food, suffering diseases
that didn’t have a cure back then, fighting for their lives/principles in war.
Yet, their language was simple and honest. And we, the suit-wearing generation
of modern times, who invent videos games to simulate challenging environments,
have adopted corporate jargon to feel superior. After all, “Content
Marketing Specialist” sounds far more important than “Writer”, and “Customer Financial
Analyst” sounds meatier than “Accountant”.
Corporate jargon surrounds us. From big corporations to small not-for-profit-organisations, from media and sports to home-based businesses, this annoying gobbledygook has crept into most environments. It’s up to us whether we embrace it or
resist it. It’s up to us whether we use the “artificial preservatives” for our
egos or preserve the simplicity of language – the most powerful and unique
asset of our species.
