Business transaction these days is growing global and more integrated. Goods and services exchange has also taken new shapes and dimensions. Hence, it is now easier to transfer goods from one country to another country to another country compared to the preindustrial era. The technological intervention has limited the stress of travelling down with the products and late delivery. A critical industry in the easiness of this delivery across borders is the courier service. Sending your products or documents down to your place of interest with courier business is just like taking a nap. This courier business is useful in transporting goods across the borders. Some regard carrier business as lucrative. Yeah! The market is profitable. However, in the course of their operation, they do face different challenges. One of the challenges faced by the courier business includes the language barrier.
Other problems are the inability to get the location, inability to handle fragile goods, and so on. Therefore, this article will help in giving a clear explanation of language barriers in the courier business. You will know what the language barrier is; you will know the effects on different aspects of life and courier business in particular. Also, you will get to know the keys to breaking barriers to language learning. You will also get to see the courier ground skills needed by courier business workers to breaking barriers language learning. The roles of the interpreters in the courier business and cutting barriers language learning need discussing.
What is the courier Business?
Courier business is the business that offers service of delivering packages, messages, and mails to customers from one location to another. Courier business offers delivery services that are swift and secured. They are also known for their specialization and tracking services. Courier business is the business that helps the clients in moving packages from place to place for a fee. Courier business offers perfect solutions to a lot of transport needs such as the delivery of items ordered from online shopping. It also helps in ensuring help in the delivery of your documents and beloved pet as you want it. Courier business, however, don’t work for just the individuals, but also organizations. Courier services are found mostly in metro areas where we have some public and private businesses.
The courier business emerged to give alternative solutions to the slow traditional mail services. Regular mail services are known for their quiet delivery time and discrimination based on the weight of items. Courier business has brought easiness to the delivery of items and services in a lot of ways. It offers standard offers like delivery of heavy and large objects, and signature required delivery for import products. It also offers worldwide delivery of products, next day delivery, and fast track delivery. Courier business also can track the delivery of your item. Many people, especially the homeworkers, rely on courier business, as it helps in taking care of their absence in office. Courier service helps them in relaying necessary information to the appropriate quarters as and when due. Courier business does employ ground courier skills to ensure that extensive delivery services to meet their clients’ needs.
Language barrier
Language barriers are the difficulty faced by one of the parties in a conversation or discussion. Language barriers are the most common hurdles/barriers in communication, which lead to misinterpretation and misunderstanding between the individuals involved. It occurs when one of the parties interacting cannot understand what the other party is saying or communicating. Different factors, such as: could cause it
- Cultural differences
- Regional accents and dialects
- Inability to communicate clearly
- Uses of slangs and Jargons
- Word choice
- Linguistic ability and Literacy; and so on.
While talking about the language barrier, it cut across so many aspects of life. Different discussions raised on issues like language barriers and domestic violence. Discourse has also been on the relationship between language barriers and health literacy. More importantly, this article will now focus on the language barriers in the courier business.
Forms of a language barrier in the courier business
There are different forms of language barriers in communication in the courier business. They are:
The native differences in the language barrier
This form of the wall starts when there is no similarity in the language used in the conversation. For instance, an English businessman, speaking with a native Chinese businessperson who doesn’t understand the English language. In this form of interaction, there would be a language barrier. It will be tough for the two businessmen to communicate since they don’t speak the same language. In the courier business, if delivery workers cannot understand the language of the customers, then there will be a language barrier. Most of these courier delivery service workers do face in relating to others coming from a different linguistic territory. It mostly occurs during phone conversations of the courier service workers and the customers who speak the various native languages.
Technical language barrier
This form of barrier surfaces from the use of jargon that seems strange or not too familiar in communicating. For example, if an IT businessman is using IT jargon in teaching with an ordinary clerk in a local store. Here, the listener might find it challenging to understand what the speaker is saying, even when speaking the same language. Some courier service delivery workers sometimes, converse with their customers with too much jargon that they could understand. Some courier service delivery workers might forget their clients have little or no knowledge of what they are communicating. By implication, there could be a language barrier coming into play there.
Dialect language barrier
This form of restriction is common among those who technically speak the same language, but encounters obstacles due to dialect differences. In some countries like Nigeria and India, where we have people speak the same word in different dialects. For instance, in India, there exists over 22 major languages, with more than 720 dialects. It also could cause a barrier in the communication process. In courier business, some courier delivery service workers do face difficulty in offering their service even with their own country. In India, it is likely for a courier service worker to find to communicate with clients with a different dialect. These dialect differences will pose a language barrier in communication, even when they still speak the same language.
How has language barriers affect the operation of courier businesses?
The increased interconnected of the market has led businesses to interact across linguistic boundaries. Language, as we all know, affects all aspects of our everyday life. The courier business, as stated earlier, offers delivery services in different locations. This delivery services are not restricted to just a country, but rather, across borders. Hence, in the course of their relations with these countries, the issue of cultural differences does surface. However, cultural difference is not the only factor that affects communication in intercultural service delivery businesses like courier business. Another factor that could cause difficulty in a courier business is the language barrier. This language barrier does have a great deal of effect on the operation of the courier business. These language barriers issue is crucial, particularly in intercultural services delivery companies, especially in the courier business.
This barrier problem has posed a lot of difficulties for the courier business. Many courier businesses have lost some of their clients to another company due to language barriers. Language barriers have also been found limiting the coverage of some courier businesses. In fact, due to the language barriers, the courier business spends more on training and hiring staff. Some delivery agents sometimes would get lost in the course of locating the destination of the package to be delivered. All these are due to language barriers in courier businesses. Some courier businesses would give to the wrong destination since the deliverer didn’t understand the language of the land.
How can the language barriers in the courier business be overcome?
There are several ways in which language barriers in the courier business are overcome. Some of these ways include:
Use of interpreters
Getting a reliable language interpreter is very crucial for courier business. Your courier business might not have any workers from the area where they are to deliver a package. Hence, you need to get an interpreter(s). You can employ a qualified language interpreter to help in translating these languages. Also, you can hire the service of a translation company to help in this area. You must get a trustworthy interpreter to ensure no instruction. Whenever there is a need to deliver any courier service anywhere, you can hire an indigenous language interpreter. This local language interpreter will help in overcoming the language barrier the courier business could face in their delivery services. The interpreter will help in relating with your delivery agents, precisely what the customers are communicating.
Recruitment of language translators
It’s common among some of the courier business service agents find it difficult to understand the instruction on delivery attached to some packages. Some could also misinterpret the information conveyed. It is often the case in terms of advertisement. Many courier businesses use only one language in advertising. These challenges can be addressed squarely by employing a competent language translator. The language translator must be proficient in this line and must make sure that no information/instruction is left untranslated. It will help in reaching a more comprehensive coverage and overcome the language barriers in the courier business.
Training of employees
Another way of overcoming the language barriers in the courier business is to ensure the preparation of the employees. You cannot sideline the place of practice in breaking obstacles in language learning. How can this be achievable? You need not worry. All you need to do is to organize classes for all your employees, both new and old ones. You can also ensure that they do take short term courses. These courses should be one that would help them in having mastery of which product they are handling. In this course, they’ll learn how to communicate in everyday language that won’t lead to language barriers for clients.
Furthermore, you can also offer free language learning classes for your employees. Create room for your employees to learn other languages. It also would help bridge the communication gap that causes language barriers facing courier businesses. For example, you can organize French and German language classes for your English courier worker. Consequently, when s/he wants to deliver any package in such places, it would not have difficulty due to language barriers. You can also engage in training like driver’s training where you get to train your drivers.
It will also help in overcoming the language barriers you face in your courier business. Most of the companies that neglect training their delivery drivers are prone to suffering the language barriers while relating to customers. Some deliveries don’t need more than the driver. In such a case, if the driver hasn’t been part of the barrier-breaking language training, there would be a problem.
Use of visual methods of communication and other linguistic symbols
Many a time that the package to be delivered would be for people with hearing problems. It can also be a delivery service to those who are visually impaired or deaf. You must figure in these people while considering language barriers in the courier business. Sometimes, words do fail us, and when these occur, it is better to use diagrams or pictures to for effective communications. You can use images to communicate complex concepts to the customers; this will help overcome the language barrier. The visual queue can help get everyone on the same page. Perhaps it is also helpful in thinking creatively in proffering solutions to problems.
Communicating in simple language
Effective communication is essential whenever you are dealing with your clients. Many courier business delivery agents might confuse their customers while talking to them, due to the usage of technical terms. While dealing with customers, either abroad or home base, you need to learn how to communicate in plain language. You don’t need to assume your listeners understand what you are saying. Either you are talking to someone who understands your primary language or not, learn to use plain language. Simple and straight forward answers can help win the customer’s interest and help bridge the communication gap. It will, in turn, help overcome the language barriers in the courier business operations.
Conclusion
Business transaction today is becoming more global and intertwined. Goods and services exchange has also taken new shapes and dimensions. When comparing this era to the preindustrial period, we would see that the transfer of products across borders has been more comfortable. The days of stressing oneself by travelling to another country before getting the item delivered are gone. A critical industry in the easiness of this delivery across borders is the courier service. The courier business comes on board as an alternative solution to the slow traditional mail services. With courier business, easiness of delivery of items and services has emerged. However, while carrying out their operations, they do face different challenges. One of the challenges they face is the language barrier.
This language barrier has caused difficulties for the courier business. Many carrier businesses have to keep losing customers every day due to the language barrier. Language barriers have been limiting the coverage of many courier businesses. Language barriers in the courier business can overcome if the courier business can engage in workers’ training. If they can employ or hire language translators or interpreters, it also helps in overcome the language barrier. Another potent tool used in overcoming language barriers is visual communication. If any courier delivery business can consider all these, they will be able to overcome the language barriers.