About Communication

Communication is an extremely complex phenomenon, but at the root of it is the latin word "commū´ni/ō  -ō´nis  f.  sharing in common, communion."

In other words, in order to communicate, you have to have something in common with whoever you are communicating with. This doesn't just mean a shared language, but shared experiences, references, etc. For example, it's often joked that older generations can't understand younger generations even though they speak the same language. On the other hand, through hand gestures, pictures, and grunting, it is often possible to communicate some ideas to a person who does not speak the language you do at all.

That's why learning a language is not just about learning the rules and vocab, but beginning to understand the culture of a different group of people. It's a tough task, and if we were to ever complete it, it would be more attune to communion, in the religious sense of a blissful sharing almost a bodily experience (think Catholic communion), which shares some of the same root words.


From this podcast project, I think what we are struggling with and will eventually learn about, is how to communicate to a Japanese audience, who might understand the words we are using, but little more! What do they care about? What will make them want to watch our video? How do we get into their heads?