Isn’t technology a wonderful thing? Imagine, in just a few hundred years the United States has gone from some pilgrims on Plymouth Rock struggling to exist to a multi-ethnic country populated from coast to coast. We gone from months aboard a wind powered ship to hours aboard a jet airliner. Personal transportation has gone from horse to horsepower. And, communication has gone from letters to email. All of this technology is very amazing, but something has gotten lost in translation.
In a world of texting and email the spoken word has been render virtually obsolete. Whether it is for personal or business reasons people are finding it more convenient to utilize these technologies rather than to pick up a phone and call. This is troublesome because when we do this we are losing the personal connection, the nuances in a person’s voice, the inflection of words and the emotions that can only be understood when we hear someone speak. There is just something lost in translation.
I’m currently negotiating a lease renewal on a property that my firm manages. The tenant has occupied the space for many years and has always paid rent on time and asked very little in return. They are a perfect tenant, the type of tenant that any owner or property manager would want. Because the owners value this tenant they instructed me to offer them a very attractive lease renewal package. In an effort to conserve time I outline the proposal in an email and sent it off to the tenant representative. Shortly thereafter I received an email response from the representative who expressed his dismay over the proposal calling it overly aggressive and lacking appreciation for their years of loyalty and timely payments. Something got lost in translation.
Instead of responding via email I placed a call to the representative. I know from experience that a series of emails back and forth will only complicate the issue rather than resolve it. While I know that email is not the most effective way to communicate it is what most people prefer and I abide by their wishes. But, when it is obvious that there is a misunderstanding it is time to place a call.
How you correspond is something to consider in your personal and professional life. Think about the situation I experienced and how you may have had similar situation occur. Hopefully this blog has been helpful and the
point of it wasn’t lost in translation.
