Tips for Overcoming a Language difference

[Shellkaz]

Tips for helping someone who doesn't speak English as their native language.

Yeah the title is rather ambiguous but its the best I could come up with. We have People from all over the globe playing this game. Many of them speak (type/read) English to a greater or lesser degree. Over the course of playing PL I've found a few things that have helped me communicate with players from different countries. I've also added hints from some of the players in my guild.

And yes I know that this belongs in the Guides section, but for some reason I am unable to Post anything there. If a dev sees this I would appreciate it if you could move this to the correct sub forum. :-)

1) Be Patient - don't get discouraged if you don't get an answer right away, the person you are trying to talk to might be using a translator app. Give them time to reply. I even had one player download a translator app just so we could communicate.

2) Use short sentences - a short sentence is easier to translate clearly and your grammar is likely to be better. Sentence structure is likely to be different in another language. So using YOUR best grammar and shorter sentences make it easier for another player to translate what you are saying.

3) Stay away from shorthand and slang - don't use things like PPL ,RMK, or Rev/Res, toon/alt/char take the time to spell it out so that a translator app can do its job. Slang, well what works with your friends at home probably will only confuse the player you are trying to help because the pronunciation and meaning of words and even letter combinations can differ widely between languages.

4) Say it a different way - If what you are trying to explain isn't coming across clearly, try using different words. I remember the trouble I had trying to explain the Consignment Store to a player (now a valuable guildmate) I finally remembered that I had seen it called "Auction House" and that did the trick.

5) Take them there - it doesn't take much work to send a friend request and ask them to follow you.

6) Be polite - These fellow players are doing something that many of us aren't, they are learning another language. Instead of "follow" try saying "Follow me please. I will show you

7) Ask them what country they are from - that might give you a clue as to what to call something, or how to phrase something.

8) Don't use contractions - I know there isn't much space in the chat window but take the time to use 2 words instead of one contraction. use "do not" instead of don't, use "I will" instead of I'll.

9) Ask questions - if what the other player is saying isn't making sense, ask a question to clear things up. Example: "did you mean the place where you can buy items?" It may be that a translator app has messed things up.

10) call for help - don't be afraid to call out to your guild or to other people in town if things don't seem to be progressing well. I think that most guilds are multi national. You might have someone in your guild who can help! Or there might be a guild for people from that country! Many countries have their own guilds now.

11) Cultural differences - Please keep in mind that different cultures consider some things to be inappropriate. As an example, the use of first names right away can be considered rude or prying. Try to keep your conversation to the game or the specific questions that are being asked. And if a player *bow* s to you it's ok to *bow* in return. I made a player very happy by simply returning a common gesture from his country.


I have made many friends who learned English as a 2nd or 3rd language. I only speak English We often confuse each other, but have a good time learning from each other. It all works because of the very first tip. We are patient with each other. :-)

I know many times we feel frustrated and maybe embarrassed because we don't seem to be communicating well with another player. We may want to get on with our game, Hook up with friends, or just chat with fellow guildies. Give this player a chance. Giving back to the community doesn't just include helping people you can talk to easily. Sometimes its giving up some of your time to just talk to someone who isn't from your country and doesn't speak your language.

Thanks to Scia, Gangbear, Xiang, and several others who either directly offered suggestions or who patiently put up with me as I tried to explain something to them.!!

Additional suggestions appreciated. I will do my best to keep this updated.

*Thanks to Dudetus for the tip on Cultural differences.
* Thanks to Sciazartek for the info on pronunciation