Language Is Power

Maggie Marton, author of the forthcoming book For the Love of Dog (February 2025) and a hearing person who parents a deaf/hard of hearing (D/HH) child and now also a bilaterally deaf and unilaterally blind dog, learned a lot from deaf community mentors and teachers. She says, “Many D/HH adults appreciate any efforts to communicate—including writing things down, using an app like Large Text, or even gestures—rather than the burden of lip reading or voicing be placed on them.”

Dayna Balinski, CVT (IL), RVT (IN), works for Emergency Veterinary Care Centers in Highland, Illinois. She is deaf and explains that coworkers get her attention by waiving their hands and switching the lights on/off. “Sometimes they throw things at me,” she laughs via emoji. Her advice for communicating with D/HH clients includes using gestures and making sure you look at them and that they are looking at you when you speak. Also, she says, “Talk slowly if possible, but don’t exaggerate your words.”

Gamification for the Win?

Many online and app learning platforms tout gamification as a fast-track to learning. This quote from renowned developmental psychologist Karen Purvis often gets cited: “Scientists have determined that it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain—unless it is done with play, in which case, it takes between 10 and 20 repetitions.”

A systematic review of gamification language learning published in 2021 concluded with the following: “Vocabulary and grammar were the most important basic language skills that reported in the reviewed articles. However, such studies in the literature, especially on pronunciation skills, are still scarce … Even though different game elements have been used for LFL, there was no clear trend as to which types of game elements might be more appropriate for which aspects of learning processes and basic language skills and advantages.”

Streaming Content and Subtitles

When Reddit users debate the best language learning apps, commenters often tout YouTube as a free way to work on new language skills by watching videos with subtitles. Others watch foreign language content from other paid streaming services also with subtitles. It helps to see the language while hearing it.

A for Effort

Whether you trot out Google Translate, compete with colleagues and friends using popular language learning apps, actively hire multilingual team members, or prioritize language education in your staff development plans, simply trying to improve your communication in other languages makes an impact that people appreciate. Veterinary teams might even consider asking multilingual clients to help role play common scenarios.

Fluency absolutely elevates client service and veterinary care for pets. Singler says, “All of a sudden, you can see their shoulders drop and the look on their faces changes because they realize they don’t have to keep struggling and working so hard to get their point across. Suddenly, they can be comfortable and just talk. That can change the whole mood of the appointment.”

Just One Caution

Considerable research into additional language acquisition describes something called a “moral foreign language effect.” Basically, this means that making difficult decisions in another language blunts emotions and increases focus on outcomes. It’s important for veterinary teams to recognize this in themselves and in clients. Know that you may sound less compassionate, and don’t assume a flatter emotional response indicates a client’s lack of feeling or connection to the veterinary patient.

Illustration credits: ©AAHA/Alison Silverman, frikota/iStock via Getty Images Plus, Dmitrii_Guzhanin/iStock via Getty Images Plus