It is interested that, when listening to someone speak, there are certain qualities that shine even through a language barrier. During our closing ceremony at the Hesed Community Center, the building that my group was painting during our Spring Break trip in Moldova, many volunteers shared their stories and extended their appreciation to us and we to them. Though the people that we were speaking with spoke Russian and we needed a translator to get our words across, the qualities of a presenter still shined through.
No matter the language, each speaker spoke clearly and at a volume so that everyone could hear the speech, even if we didn’t understand it. The speakers varied in pace though each implied a nostalgic and appreciative tone. Most importantly, we still maintained eye contact with one another. I thought that this was truly the strongest mode of communication between both parties. Even before we were given a translation, I could understand the message behind the words because the speaker "spoke" through his or her eyes. Rhetoric is important when giving a speech. But the delivery is just as vital. Even without knowing the meaning of the words, the delivery allowed me to understand it.
Thats really interesting. I've never really spoken with someone who doesn't speak english but i've learned in psych that facial expressions are common in all humans so its kind of cool that you got to see it first hand
ReplyDeleteI totally believe that "the eyes are the windows to the soul". It's my biggest pet-peeve when people refuse to make eye contact. Eyes can show such emotion. Its sounds like your trip was so interesting.
ReplyDeleteYour trip sounds AWESOME! Blog about it more- I wanna hear details! What a cool take on it too.
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