Elsewhere.
The most annoying jargon comes from elsewhere
I’m not against jargon, per se. I’m against misused jargon, especially when it’s bandied about in the office. Let me explain…
Jargon was invented for a reason
Experts needed words to describe their ideas and so developed specialist language. A.k.a. jargon. And that’s where it belongs. Between experts. Close to the discipline where it was born.
But businesspeople will do anything to look impressive. To prove a point, they’ll steal jargon from the people, places, industries they admire. And that blurs boundaries.
Why does that matter?
Because applying technical language to corporate life is… awkward. The terms don’t fit. Not exactly. Use them enough and the workplace ends up feeling like an engine, a battlefield, a lab.
No wonder we’re confused.
Strap in
You’re about to see a century of jargon. Where it came from. Where it belongs. Where it makes the most sense. Where it should return.
Aidan Clifford writes for Pinstripe Poets – artists who love their day jobs.
