Point of View: Semiwhatics?

This brief article provides examples of failed semiotics and discusses the difficulties in communicating meaning clearly to different cultural groups.

Point of View: Semiwhatics?

Dave TrottThe Gate London

I was giving a talk to The Berlin School of Creative Leadership.

It was people from all over the world: Germany, Italy, Brazil, China.

So I kept everything in plain, simple English.

They all seemed to understand everything; they were taking lots of notes as I talked.

Eventually it was time for questions.

Several hands went up, I pointed to one young woman.

She referred to her notes.

In a German accent she said "Throughout your talk you used a certain technical term with which we are not so...

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