Helping others doesn't rely on a language

Recently I ran into a situation that I figured out how to help someone when there was a language barrier.

We were sitting in a coffee shop and I heard a man ask how to get to the Casino that was close by. Well when the man said Casino I realized that he didn’t speak English very well and maybe didn’t speak much English at all. The guy behind the counter figured out where he wanted to go and gave him some quick directions which would help if you understood English and knew how all the street names were spelled.

The man asking for directions turned away from the counter and looked at his device and I understood that he was still very confused and wasn’t going to be able to get to the Casino with the directions that he was just given. As we have a tablet for work I quickly pulled it out and looked up the directions to the Casino using an app that we have on the tablet. I found the map and then we decided it would be a good idea for me to go and show the man how to get there. Of course, I still didn’t realize that English wasn’t a language he was comfortable with.

I walked over with the tablet and asked if they were going to the “CASINO” making sure I said Casino slowly. I showed them the map that I had on the tablet screen and that is when they got very excited because they figured out I was there to help them find the directions they needed. What I quickly discovered was the man had the same app as we had so that was going to make things a little easier. Through a lot of simple words and hand jesters I was able to show him how to get to the Casino. He then marked the Casino on the app which then provided him with the same directions that I was showing him. He was very happy to know that they were going to be able to get there without a problem now.

It was wonderful to be able to help someone even when language was going to be a challenge. Being able to show the directions on a device and then use the hand jesters the family was off to the Casino and we felt good. Sure it was something simple to show them how to get where they were going but it was seeing that they appreciated it so much was nice. All of the family said thank you to us for our help and then they were off.

Language doesn’t have to be a barrier when you are giving or receiving directions. Having another method to communicate can make a big difference. Sure, the man’s app had Chinese words for the various commands but we were able to see the street names in English and then he knew where he was going.

Helping others

So many people try to help others are then get frustrated when it didn't work out how they expected it to work out.

If you are going to help someone out make sure that you understand everything and there is an agreement between you. Here are some things to think about:

• Understand your abilities and your available time.
• Understand what the other person requires and the time commitment.
• Make sure the two of you discuss the needs, abilities and timing
• Don't exaggerate your abilities as it could come back at you.
• If you are donating your time the other person needs to understand what time you have to do this thing.

It is very important to make sure that when you are helping others that there are some discussions as to what is expected, when it is expected and how it is to be delivered. I have heard of cases that a person has had just a couple of hours to donate to do something and the original job was going to take that long but the person or organization kept changing their minds so the job took a lot longer and took a lot longer than the couple of hours.

Making sure that there is a clear definition of what is expected is sometimes a challenge to get because in cases of organizations they are unsure of what is needed until something is started. Sometimes an organization may want something and they expectation is it will only take a couple of hours as they are just making some basic assumptions and don't understand the requirements.

As an organization it is also important to understand that individuals donating their time need to understand what is expected of them. It is also important for the organization to know that not everything is going to be available all the time to help with issues or projects. You also need to understand that a project may not be completed by one individual if the requirements keep changing.

Helping others especially when you are donating your time can be a challenge. Make sure you know what time you have available and communicate that up front so that everyone knows.