by Mary/María “Bess” Lewis, M.A.T., Bilingual Management Development Specialist / Especialista Bilingüe para el Desarrollo Administrativo
Ima Ramirez is a supervisor for the Cornell Research Dairy Farm. He has worked in the dairy industry for over 18 years and has been a supervisor for 8 of those years. Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development interviewed Mr. Ramirez to glean from his experience. The full interview will be part of the Agricultural Supervisory Leadership course in Spanish once it releases online this fall 2023. Here is a part of that interview:
“When you are trying to deliver an important message, try to deliver it verbally; call the person to you and tell them the message in person. There are times when bosses want to send a message in English to someone who barely speaks English, and this will create a great communication barrier. I believe it is important to go to the person and talk face-to-face even when you can’t speak the same language.”
Language barriers are real challenges in the workplace. But Ima’s advice comes from vast experience in dealing with language barriers, not just between English and Spanish but also from his experience in working among the Indigenous languages of Central America. Most experts agree that anywhere between 70-93% of all communication is non-verbal. Delivering a message in person, especially when there are language barriers, will diminish some of the frustrations. Face-to-face communication helps people interpret more than just words. Non-verbal communication tends to be more genuine. It allows the receiver to read gestures, facial expressions, vocal tones, and body language. When a supervisor sends an employee a message via text in a different language, the employee must go and find an interpreter. This interpreter, whether it is Google or another employee, leaves the employee to the mercy of the interpreter’s skill and intention. Taking the time to walk over and physically deliver a message then becomes a huge investment into better communication and building a personal relationship between the supervisor and the employee.
Stay tuned for Part 2 in this series of 4 – for more Insight from Ima…
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By Mary Bess Lewis, Cornell University. Permission granted to repost, quote, and reprint with author attribution.
The post Insight from Ima, Part 1 appeared in The Ag Workforce Journal
