The side effects of an introduction

The other day at morning tea I met with a colleague and realised that there was an odd coolness between us. Usually I get along pretty well with people, so this surprised me and left me trying to work out where things went astray. My conclusion is that we lost our way the day we met.

We met in a work context, but not a formal one. In making small talk, my purpose being to get to know this person I was to be working with, I probably asked about life before PNG. The reply I got felt like the reply one would get at a job interview as previous training and work experience was detailed. As he is an American, I’m told that this sort of introduction through qualifications is natural and normal. As an Australian, I heard it as arrogant. Ok, I’m Aussie, the idioms that came to mind were a lot more colourful than ‘arrogant’. Without realising it, I started to dislike the guy.

In response, when he asked about my past life, I would have given a general reply, mentioned sailing and not detailed all my university degrees. He probably walked away thinking me underqualified and out of place, for Australians typically undersell themselves in such a situation. Our introductions are usually low key and we do not like to be seen as self-promoting. Since then I have felt that this colleague does not value what I have to contribute. Maybe if I told him I had the equivalent of nine years full time tertiary study this might change, yet I struggle with the idea that my value is in my qualifications. I prefer people to get to know me as me, not as a collection of letters which can go after my name or as a job title.

So what now? Being aware of the fact I’m cool to him because of his cultural introductions and judgements I can start to change my attitude and get to know him as a real person, not as a stereotype. Knowing that qualifications and experience are more important to other cultures, I can try to remember not to hide my achievements.

Working in a multinational organisation means constant awareness of different ways of being polite, introducing and relating. So far I have negotiated this fairly well, but in this case, the relationship was derailed at the start. I am not too worried though, as I have plenty of other friends from the US to remind me that most of the time, that cross cultural relationship works well too.

TEA

Since returning to PNG a month ago I have been looking at which language group to work with long term. In a country with hundreds of languages waiting for translation work, it is a challenging process and a difficult choice. To help ease the process, we’ve been sharing this journey as a group of translators exploring allocations, or TEA for short.

Over the last few years, our organisation has accumulated a number of unallocated linguists. Some people were previously allocated to work with a language group and for various reasons vacated their programme. Some are new to the country. Some have been waiting for a work partner (me!). Some are committed to one project for a set period but are contemplating long term options. Together, we have been meeting for a cuppa, a chat and prayer. There is comfort and strength in sharing our struggles and working out the road forward between us.

We have also taken to inviting a guest to our gathering, usually a regional director (RD). When one first arrives as a linguist, RDs can be a bit scary as they seem to see a target painted on you and aim to recruit you for their region before another RD gets you for theirs. Having got to know a number of the RDs in person over the last few years, I now know that they are actually more gracious than that, but first impressions were intimidating. Having RDs come and share with us as a whole group takes away the pressure of feeling targeted.

Group discussions during a workshop in a village

Region by region we are listening to possibilities and priorities. We listen, we question, we pray, we ponder. We look at maps and are amused by place names. If one language group strikes a chord for one or more of us, we start discussing what the next step might be. This next step usually involves a visit to a language area, but the challenge is to do it in a way which allows us to have a look-see without promising anything long term. We find ourselves discussing options of language surveys and workshops, exploring legitimate reasons to engage with a community without raising expectations. We discuss ways to find out more information, while contributing to the community at the same time.

So far we’ve had four gatherings and heard from two of the eight regions. That leaves six more to hear from, when I’m already feeling overwhelmed with information. Yet sharing the journey between us makes it easier. Where we will all allocate waits to be seen, but at least we have found a practical way to take manageable steps towards that goal.