According to a recent LA Times article, about 10% of surveyed US citizens believed “HTML” to be an acronym for a sexually transmitted disease. The survey, conducted by VoucherCloud.net, also found a number of other hilarious technical jargon mixups:
- 77% of respondents could not identify what SEO means. SEO stands for “Search-Engine Optimization”
- 27% identified “gigabyte” as an insect commonly found in South America. A gigabyte is a measurement unit for the storage capacity of an electronic device.
- 42% said they believed a “motherboard” was “the deck of a cruise ship.” A motherboard is usually a circuit board that holds many of the key components of a computer.
- 23% thought an “MP3” was a “Star Wars” robot. It is actually an audio file.
- 18% identified “Blu-ray” as a marine animal. It is a disc format typically used to store high-definition videos.
- 15% said they believed “software” is comfortable clothing. Software is a general term for computer programs.
- 12% said “USB” is the acronym for a European country. In fact, USB is a type of connector.
MP3 as a Star Wars robot? That’s just too funny (but maybe not impossible)!
Language Barriers
What’s the takeaway from this article? Maybe it’s that technically inclined people need to do a bit more to help others reach at least a basic understanding of technically terms. There’s a language barrier at work here, and we need to a bit more proactive in removing it.
I’ve often heard people decry the jargon that Christians use with/against outsiders, and I think there’s no difference here. When we use highly technical terms, are doing so because it’s the best way to communicate the the idea or issue or because it makes feel smart or powerful? My wife has been trying to teach me a very powerful lesson over the past few years, and I’m slowly beginning to learn it.
Communication is more about the person you’re communicating with than it is about you.
Sure, when you’re talking or writing, you’re trying to get a point across, but if you put more effort into focusing on who it was that you wanted to receive your point, then you might actually communicate that point better. Feel free to use technical terms, just be patient and not patronizing when you explain them. Remember, someone taught you what all of those words mean. Be nice and teach someone else.
How do you help non-techs understand technical terms?
[via The LA Times | Image via Noah Sussman via Compfight cc]
Ryan Sim says
I don’t think this quite reflects reality. From what I understand, this was a multiple choice survey, so the authors presented these hilarious choices to the respondents. Even though I know what these terms mean, I can see myself having fun and checking off all the funniest answers.
Phil Schneider says
Hey, Ryan! Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. Gmail thought that the comment notification was spam! (Bad, Google!)
I guess you’re right, that certainly could be the case. Honestly, I hope it is. I’d rather us be silly than stupid.