Communication, language and culture

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION is often an underestimated aspect of any safety plan. As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) celebrates Women in Maritime under the theme, ‘Safe Horizons: Women Shaping Maritime Safety’, it is imperative that we revisit what constitutes effective communication.

We’ve heard of notable disasters that have both occurred and been averted secondary to communication. As a language educator at the Caribbean Maritime University, it’s my responsibility to ensure that our students graduate with language competence that is bolstered by language awareness. As Jamaicans our communication is both verbal and non-verbal. Jamaican Creole is a very expressive language that is more often than not, spoken with passion. That passion can sometimes be mistaken for anger or aggression. Additionally, our culture influences the manner in which we speak. These differences can affect interactions within the maritime space especially while onboard vessels. Yes, the lingua franca of the seas is Maritime English, but when English is a second language, that English is spoken with an accent, and at times quite literal, which is not how the language is used. Moreover, specific words or phrases can have a different (and sometimes derogatory) connotation in another country.

Our Jamaican students’ default language for communication is Jamaican Creole. This impacts their ability to use and understand Jamaican English. The curriculum requirement to learn and utilise a foreign language often further compounds their communicative abilities. At times people are fascinated with the “Jamaican accent” and are more attentive to the accent than what is being said. All of these are impediments that can increase the safety risks onboard a vessel and at port of calls, et cetera, if one person is not able to understand the other properly. Therefore, as we aim to make the maritime space safer for women, and other stakeholders at large, we must examine how we use language and the impact of culture.

Culture is not only ascribed to one’s birth country. Each industry has its own culture. On board vessels they have their own culture and that also creates a unique means of communication that is not necessarily obvious to outsiders. Consequently, we have to conduct industry sensitive needs-based assessments to know how to properly equip those enrolled in the maritime institutions. We must employ strategies that will augment language awareness and competence. More importantly, we need to create a space in which women feel safe to work without encountering language that can be deemed as sexist or abusive. Effective communication is a soft skill that must be developed in tandem with continued improvement of and within the maritime sector. Let us navigate effectively to safer horizons by prioritising the teaching and learning of effective communication.