We Think We’re Clear, But We’re Not

My favorite breakfast shop is closing permanently at the end of June. I have been quietly sad about it, not just because I will miss the food, but because that shop has been part of my routine, my comfort, my little corner of familiarity.

One day, my husband asked, "What day is it closing?" As someone who is not exactly chatty, I glanced at the calendar and replied, "Last day," assuming he would know I meant the last day of June.

He paused, looked confused, and said, "Yesterday?"

That was when it hit me. How easily misunderstandings can happen, even with just two words. "Last day" made perfect sense in my head, but without context, it could mean anything. Yesterday. The last day we went. The final business day. Or yes, the last day of the month.

It was a small moment, but it reminded me that language, for all its power, depends heavily on context and shared understanding. Sometimes we think we are being clear, but we are actually being vague. We forget that what seems obvious to us might not be obvious to someone else without the full picture. It is like in movies when a character says something ambiguous, then insists, "I made myself clear," while the other person looks confused or completely misreads the message. This perfectly illustrates how clarity is not about what is said but about what is actually understood.

That moment made me reflect on an important balance: conciseness versus clarity. While overly wordy communication can be exhausting, oversimplifying things often leads to confusion. Effective communication means finding that middle ground, being brief while still offering enough context.

The same principle applies to translation work. Translation is not just about converting words from one language to another. It is about bridging the contextual and cultural gaps between different linguistic communities. Translators constantly have to decide how much context to preserve, adapt, or explain to make sure the message is understood as intended. A phrase like "last day" might be perfectly clear in one culture but confusing in another, requiring a more specific term or a bit of clarification. In that sense, the translator becomes a mediator between two systems of assumed knowledge, filling in the gaps that the target audience might not naturally grasp.

Even something as ordinary as a breakfast shop closing can remind us how easily words can fall short, and how much easier it is to connect when we just take a moment to say a little more. This incident taught me that communication is not just about what we say. It is also about what we assume others will understand. The gap between intention and interpretation can be wider than we expect, and bridging it takes conscious effort. In a world that often values quick and concise exchanges, we should not forget that clarity matters more.