Avoiding Misunderstandings
Di akhir lesson ini, kamu bisa:
- Mengecek dan mengonfirmasi pemahaman secara aktif dalam percakapan kerja.
- Memparafrasekan ucapan orang lain untuk memastikan tidak ada salah tafsir.
- Menghindari idiom, slang, dan jargon yang membingungkan rekan internasional.
Penjelasan (ID)
Dalam tim internasional, kesalahpahaman (misunderstanding) jarang terjadi karena tata bahasa yang salah: lebih sering karena orang menyangka sudah saling mengerti padahal belum. Dua keterampilan menyelamatkanmu: mengecek pemahaman dan menyederhanakan bahasa.
1. Mengecek & mengonfirmasi pemahaman (checking & confirming)
Jangan menunggu sampai akhir proyek baru sadar salah paham. Konfirmasi saat itu juga:
- "So, if I understand correctly, you need the draft by Wednesday?"
- "Just to confirm, we're handling design and you're handling content: is that right?"
- "Can I check I've got this? You said the budget is fixed."
- "Sorry, could you clarify what you mean by 'as soon as possible'?"
2. Memparafrasekan (paraphrasing)
Paraphrasing = mengulang yang baru kamu dengar dengan kata-katamu sendiri, lalu meminta konfirmasi. Ini membuktikan kamu benar-benar mengerti dan memberi lawan bicara kesempatan memperbaiki:
| Pembuka parafrase | Fungsi |
|---|---|
| "So you're saying that..." | Mengulang inti pesan |
| "In other words, ..." | Menyimpulkan dengan kata lain |
| "If I've understood, the main point is..." | Memastikan poin utama |
| "..., is that what you mean?" | Meminta konfirmasi di akhir |
3. Menghindari idiom, slang & jargon
Penutur asli sering memakai ungkapan yang membingungkan rekan internasional. Pilih plain English agar semua on the same page:
| Hindari (idiom/slang/jargon) | Pakai (plain English) |
|---|---|
| Let's touch base later. | Let's talk again later. |
| It's a no-brainer. | It's an easy decision. |
| Ballpark figure | Rough estimate |
| Let's circle back. | Let's return to this. |
| We need more bandwidth. | We need more time/capacity. |
💡 Tip: kalau kamu yang memakai idiom dan lawan bicara terlihat ragu, jangan ulangi idiom itu lebih keras: rephrase dengan kata sederhana. Dan kalau kamu yang tidak paham, lebih baik bertanya sekarang daripada menebak: "Sorry, what do you mean by...?"
Examples (English)
"So, if I understand correctly, you'd like the report in two parts: is that right?"
"Let me paraphrase to be safe: we launch in March, and marketing starts in February."
"Could we use plain English here? Not everyone is familiar with that jargon."
"Just to make sure we're on the same page, the deadline is the 15th, not the 5th."
Kosakata
| English | Arti (ID) | Contoh |
|---|---|---|
| to confirm understanding (phrase) | mengonfirmasi pemahaman | Let me confirm my understanding of the deadline. |
| to paraphrase (verb) //ˈpærəfreɪz// | memparafrasekan, mengulang dengan kata sendiri | Let me paraphrase to make sure I've got it. |
| to clarify (verb) | memperjelas, mengklarifikasi | Could you clarify what you mean by 'soon'? |
| misunderstanding (noun) | kesalahpahaman | Paraphrasing prevents costly misunderstandings. |
| idiom (noun) //ˈɪdiəm// | idiom, ungkapan kiasan | 'Touch base' is an idiom that confuses non-native speakers. |
| jargon (noun) //ˈdʒɑːɡən// | jargon, istilah teknis khusus | Avoid internal jargon when emailing external partners. |
| to be on the same page (idiom) | memiliki pemahaman yang sama | Let's make sure we're all on the same page before we start. |
| plain English (phrase) | Bahasa Inggris sederhana/lugas | Use plain English so everyone can follow. |
Dialogue
Clarifying a brief on an international call
Let's touch base and we'll loop in the stakeholders to move the needle.
Sorry, could you clarify? I'm not sure what 'move the needle' means here.
Of course: I just mean make real progress on the targets.
Got it. So, if I understand correctly, we meet the stakeholders next week to agree on the targets?
Exactly. Thanks for checking: now we're on the same page.
Latihan
Cek Pemahaman
1. Which phrase best confirms your understanding of a brief?
2. What does 'to paraphrase' mean?
3. With an international colleague, you should:
4. Rephrase 'Let's touch base later' in plain English:
5. Being 'on the same page' means:
Lengkapi kalimat konfirmasi
Flashcards
to confirm understanding
Klik untuk lihat arti
Ringkasan
- Kesalahpahaman datang dari asumsi, jadi confirm dan clarify saat itu juga.
- Paraphrase ("So you're saying that... / If I understand correctly...") untuk membuktikan kamu paham.
- Hindari idiom, slang, jargon; pilih plain English agar semua on the same page.
- Kalau ragu, tanya sekarang: "Sorry, what do you mean by...?"