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(and what you can do about them)

1) Others will feel left out.

There is no way to avoid it. When you converse with someone in a language that your coworkers do not understand, they will feel left out. In most cases, they mistakenly believe you are talking about them behind their backs. (They’re so vain…they think the conversation’s about them.)

Even if they are simply dazzled by your linguistic superpower–no one truly enjoys not understanding what’s going on or feeling excluded.

Side Note For Those of You Who Are Not Bilingual:

I’M FAIR-SKINNED WITH BLOND HAIR, AND MOST PEOPLE ASSUME I DO NOT SPEAK SPANISH. I’VE UNINTENTIONALLY OVERHEARD MANY CONVERSATIONS AND HAVE HEARD TMI FOR SURE. HOWEVER, IN MY 19 YEARS OF SPEAKING SPANISH, I’VE ONLY HEARD SPANISH-SPEAKERS TALK ABOUT ME ONE TIME, AT A BUS STOP. PEOPLE HAVE THEIR OWN LIVES AND WORK TO WORRY ABOUT. THE ODDS ARE THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU.

Actions you can take to make people feel more comfortable: 1) If everyone in the room understands a common language, avoid conversing with a foreign person in his/her first language. While your intention may be to put that person at ease, you risk coming off as rude or arrogant to the majority who do not understand. If it will be easier to communicate in another language, try to go to an unoccupied space to speak in private, or postpone the conversation if possible. 2) If it is necessary to speak to someone in a language that the majority of your colleagues do not understand, and you two cannot leave to speak in private, first give people a heads up that you two will briefly speak in another language. Explain to them that it's only because it will be easier and faster, not to exclude anybody. 3) If you are speaking privately with someone in a foreign language and a coworker happens to walk in, summarize to your coworker what is being said or what the discussion is about. The conversation summary can be quite simplified and general--but this will make your coworker feel included. If they're not interested in the topic, they will lose interest and not even care if they don't understand every word.

2) You may have more work responsibilities than your coworkers.

But…isn’t this what you wanted? To feel needed, make invaluable contributions, and to have increased job security?

Of course, these are some of the greatest benefits of being able to use your language skills in the workplace. Unfortunately, once management realizes just how much you can contribute, they may not give you enough time to take care of those projects in addition to your main job.

What you can do when your boss gives you unrealistic deadlines:

Speak up! Don’t assume your boss knows what a realistic deadline is for the project – especially if he or she only speaks one language.

For example, a manager once gave me 5 days to translate a 300-page technical manual. I explained to him that I would not be able to do it within that timeframe. All I could promise was to get as much done as possible.

He did not believe me and refused to extend the deadline. As a result, I wasn’t able to finish the job, despite translating nonstop for 9 hours a day. He was definitely not pleased with me, but my conscience was clear.

3) Your coworkers may become jealous of your travels.

If your job requires international travel and you are the only one on the team who is fluent in the local language, beware. I’ve had fellow colleagues express their envy on various occasions.

Things I’ve Been Told

“I wish I could go to Mexico all the time and get paid to drink tequila all day.”

“Why are you the only one who gets the fun jobs?”

“You’re always on vacation.”

“While you were sunbathing on the beach in Brazil for two months, some of us were busting our a$$e$ at the office.”

I’ve been told more, but you get the point.

How you can respond to snide remarks about travelling for work:

1) Explain that when you travel for work, you are doing more tasks and working longer hours than when you work at the home office. Working long hours leaves little time, if any, to go sightseeing, snorkeling, or sunbathing.

2) Suggest that if they’d like opportunities to work internationally, they can learn a second language, too, and offer to suggest helpful resources to get them started.

4) People will question your value.

If I had a dime for every time I’ve been asked, “Why do you need to translate this e-mail/manual/slide presentation when we have Google Translate?”. If I had a quarter for every time I’ve been told, “your job will become obsolete within the next year or two, because online translations are so good now that human translators are no longer necessary”.

(Me: cringing and shaking my head)

How to explain the value of a bilingual human being versus a robot:

This one is tricky. It is extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible, for someone who speaks one language to comprehend the necessity of human interpreters and translators. Surprisingly, there is a common myth that translations can be done by copying and pasting text into online translation software, then copying and pasting those translations to a new document, and bam!–project complete.

Ha! If only. We know the truth. Translation software is helpful and useful. However, for the end result to be accurate and professional, a person who is bilingual, proficient at translating, AND familiar with the topic at hand needs to double-check, triple-check, and quadruple-check the final document before sharing it with a client.

Translations cannot be done literally word for word. Furthermore, translation software will not be familiar with all industry terms or slang. The grammar will not always be correct.

In certain cases, poor quality translations can lead to severe consequences. Miscommunication can offend clients, result in providing them a product or service they didn’t want, and losing contracts.

When you’re the only one at work (or one of the few) who is bilingual

While misunderstandings may arise when you are bilingual and your colleagues are not, there are things you can do to try to reduce them. Keep in mind that there are things that a person who only speaks one language simply cannot understand. Not because they are not intelligent, just because they don’t have the experience. Some may not even have experience working with people from other cultures apart from their own.

Be mindful and patient when misunderstandings arise. Politely explain things to help people understand concepts they’re not familiar with. Attempt to make everyone feel included. There may always be issues here and there, but these actions can go a long way to reduce friction at the workplace.