One of the most obscure and funny workshops I have done is a jargon workshop. Each person had to do a five minute talk using the jargon of their profession and the other participants had to guess what their profession or career was. The one profession nobody could guess was aeronautical engineer. It made me realise that jargon can be very costly when dealing with people who do not work in your industry. Little wonder that you see a lot of blank stares from people at shops, online and in government institutions.
So what has been said about the cost of using jargon over the centuries, let’s have a look:
1. While wading through the whimsies, the puerilities and unintelligent words of many documents to apply for most legal actions we know why lawyers are one of the highest paid professions.
2. Chesterton is often referred to as the “prince of paradox”. Time magazine has observed of his writing style: “Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out: Perfect Illusion.
3. What words does your profession confuse people with?
4. The curly haired genius , Albert points out why using jargon is not the way to go: One Little Finger.
5. Mason Cooley (1927 – July 25, 2002) was an American aphorist known for his witty aphorisms. Perhaps he was using some of his own when he wrote this quote.
6. I think I know what two of these words mean, not sure about the others though: So What.
7. I am a one on one English tutor to three Chinese mothers, I would not dare do this to them.
8.I didn’t know Helena began her cosmetic empire in my country. She migrated to Australia at the age of 30 and began her empire in Melbourne before moving to London: Lay me Down.
9. Don’t know about this, at least books you can usually understand the words contained in them.
10. The Irish have a term Anam Cara, it means soul friend, I have the honour of being declared one by a dear friend: Anam Cara.
11. the dumbing down of society, methinks.
12. What culture are these words from, do they relate to yours: Instant Karma.
13. Katherine Anne Porter (May 15, 1890 – September 18, 1980) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel Ship of Fools was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her short stories received much more critical acclaim. She is known for her penetrating insight; her work deals with dark themes such as betrayal, death and the origin of human evil.
14. The recommendation these days is to write blogs, because they personalise events, even for businesses, they are fascinating stories: Amazing Grace story.
15. The jargon of twenty years ago is now obsolete, if we used it how would we explain the Iphone?
Jargon may be costing you meeting your Anam Cara, cut it out of your arsenal of words.
Namaste until next time, my dear friends.
I am an Interculturalist 