an hour away from my home and find that the language I’ve worked so hard to speak
(Tshivenda), is not understood. It is rare that other people outside the Venda culture speak
Tshivenda, as most natives claim it is the most difficult language to learn. On occasion, you will
find people who are fluent in multiple tribal languages. In my 10 months in country, such
encounters have been sparse.
I can greet in multiple languages, but am only mildly conversational in Sipedi,
and minimally fluent in Tshivenda. English was introduced as the medium for cross-cultural
communication, but I’ve mostly encountered fluent English speakers outside of the rural
communities in which I work.
Storytelling in isiZulu at the Human Rights Day Festival by Alliance Francaise de Durban. This was also
the venue of my chance meeting with the Ambassador of Switzerland (unfortunately I was dressed only in
a swim suit at the time).
In the province of KwaZulu-Natal, which houses the city of Durban, isiZulu is spoken. When I
hear isiZulu I melt- especially when the men speak it! It is melodic and powerful and delights me
in more ways than one.
Shangaan language incorporates sounds like whistling through the teeth, and reminds me of
birds singing in the morning.
IsiXhosa is the language of Eastern Cape, and Nelson Mandela’s mother tongue. It is the
language of clicks, and its music could make foreign bystanders move to dancing!
The variety of languages presents some obvious challenges for the nation. In my own work, I
have experienced some of these challenges. It is easy for meanings to become skewed or lost in
translation. Additionally, progress is a slower process than when communicating with American
colleagues in the conference room of a sky scraper back home.
There is one consistency I’ve observed in my cross-cultural communications: Energy is a
Universal Language!Enthusiasm, Belie