Importance of a Good Understanding of the English Language - Essay Example

Couse Importance of a Good Understanding of the English Language The development of language as a means of communication has enhanced the growth of culture all over the world. Language facilitated the replacement and expression of behavior with concrete and concise messages. The concept of culture which incorporates language as one its critical elements has a rich theoretical background. Its definition, framework, interpretation and application differ according to perspective. In the specialized field of building construction and security management, the primary concern of the manager is ensuring safety and protection of all the resources of the organization. The function entails detection of any kind of intrusion and initiating appropriate actions to ward off and prevent harm or damage to the organization, as a whole. Language and communication plays an important role in ensuring that all aspects of an organization’s policies, procedures, and operating details are relayed appropriately and effectively. In this regard, this essay aims to proffer problems communicating Hispanic immigrant construction company employees who do not have a strong grasp of written and verbal English. Specifically, the discourse takes a building contractor’s perspectives in highlighting that a lack of a good understanding of the English language is a major safety concern. Definition of Terms Communication is the “process of transmitting thoughts, feelings, facts, and other information” through verbal or non-verbal means. (Delaune and Ladner 2006) Verbal messages are messages communicated with the use of words and language. These messages can either be spoken or written. Non verbal communication, on the other hand, is the process of transmitting messages without words, that is, through body language. (Delaune and Ladner 2006). The ways of communication using traditional verbal means are often insufficient to transcend cultural barriers. There is always this tendency to misinterpret messages due to cultural variances. Duties and Responsibilities of a Building Contractor A building contractor’s job includes “the planning, developing and coordinating of activities which coincide with the building of structures. The building contractor is the individual who oversees the construction and ensures that all necessary measures are taken to result in the completed finished product. The building contractor is the individual who deals with all emergencies and surprises which relate to the project and occur on-site and sometimes off-site as well. This individual is the one which many parties go to should they need assistance with an emergency issue that has just arisen.” (Exforsys, Inc., 2010, pars. 2 & 11). Diversity in Culture The United States has been considered home to various migrants of diverse descent from all over the world. Most migrants have assimilated into America’s traditions and ways of life. Although conventional cultural values and beliefs have been preserved by the originating migrants, most immigrants have completely adapted and adjusted to Western culture. However, language remains to be a predominant problem in organizations where English remains to be the first language: spoken and written by majority of the personnel. Any personnel from one country to be assigned to another would have to incorporate diversity in culture especially during committee meetings, orientations, review of company policies and procedures, following codes of discipline and applying safety and security procedures, where the manager will have to communicate with various personnel from other nationalities. Lack of Understanding of the English Language A lack of understanding of the English language is therefore a major safety concern. Part of the building contractor’s responsibilities is ensuring that safety measures have been relayed and communicated to each and every personnel. For Hispanic immigrants, the critical role of understanding the English language is sometimes taken for granted. According to Cranford (2010), there are already 42 million Hispanics in the United States, but that “a first generation immigrant may never master English, a second generation person, after having gone through our public schools or even our private institutions, will know a fair amount of English” (par. 14). It was clearly emphasized that “to succeed in this country in a business sense, in a career sense, you must master English. The global commerce language is English, so we think it’s very important for every immigrant to make every effort to learn English” (Cranford, 2010, par. 14). In this regard, failure to learn the English language endangers the safety of oneself and of other personnel. Security tasks and responsibilities calls for an understanding of various security standards with respective assignments (daily tours, monitoring of door access, ensuring efficient upkeep of monitoring CCTV cameras, checking alarm systems, among others), preparing and coordinating for annual security audit, maintaining and updating all security documentation, among others. As building contractor, a comprehensive understanding of the English language is necessary to grasp pertinent details of the security tasks in relation to other responsibilities of critical personnel. The building contractor is also “is responsible for hiring, supervising and, at times, firing employees who work on the specific project with the contractor. Along those same lines of supervising the employees, the building contractor must also take care of payroll with regard to the workers and engage in payroll functions or hire someone to do so for the contractor.” (Exforsys, Inc., 2010, par. 4). In this regard, the building contractor should also ensure that his personnel have undergone regular training, have been regularly evaluated in terms of performance (for salary increases, promotions, advancement, or application of sanctions in cases of violations) and have been duly recognized for a job well done. All of these functions are incorporated in the company’s manual of operations surely written in the English language. Failure to understand the policies, procedures, performance standards, development and maintenance tasks would create chaos in terms of demotivating employees and not according each and everyone with fair and equitable acknowledgement of performances. Likewise, violations of the code of discipline have corresponding sanctions and procedures which have to be adhered to and understood clearly in order to avoid legal complications. Conclusion The existence of communication problems should be immediately recognized by managers of organizations who support cultural diverse personnel. By encouraging diversity, organizations were found to attract and retain top talents since it promotes training and development of diverse potentials to contribute to a unified goal. However, this is only possible when each and every personnel understands the major language spoken and written in the organization. Language barriers need to be taken into account in the light of both verbal and nonverbal means to communicate messages which differ according to cultural orientation. Only then can organizations be assured that the safety and security of each personnel is being appropriately addressed. Works Cited Cranford, Leslie. Hispanic Immigration: Facts versus Fallacies, Clarifying America’s Opportunity. 2010. Web. 08 June 2010. < http://today.ttu.edu/2009/03/hispanic-immigration-facts-versus-fallacies-clarifying-americas-opportunity/> Exforsys, Inc. The Duties and Responsibilities of a Building Contractor. 2010. Web. 08 June 2010. < http://www.exforsys.com/career-center/career-tracks/the-duties-and-responsibilities-of-a-building-contractor.html> Delaune, Sue C. & Ladner, Patricia K. Fundamentals of Nursing: Standards & Practices. Delmar Learning, Inc., USA. 2006. Print. Read More