International Literacy Day: The important role of language in the life of a taxi driver

 

Celebrated on the 8th of September, International Literacy Day seeks to remind people of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights to advance the literacy agenda toward a more literate and sustainable society. According to UNESCO, post-COVID, nearly 24 million learners around the globe may never return to formal education, out of which; 11 million are projected to be young women and girls.

 

Lacking basic reading and writing skills is a huge disadvantage. Literacy can lift individuals out of poverty, enabling them to develop skills that can help them and their families. It also develops the wider community, as it facilitates employment, helping to contribute to the economy.

 

Communication, through reading, writing, and language, is a vital part of human connection. Language allows us to share our thoughts, feelings, and ideas with others, with the power to build societies, but also to break them down.

 

Literacy and language are essential elements in the life of a minibus taxi driver. For most of the working day, a driver is communicating with passengers, other drivers, and service providers, so it’s obvious to see why getting a message across clearly is needed to successfully conduct business. In a country of 11 official languages, this could be a barrier to some people outside of their home area. While most people using a taxi know how to communicate where it is they need to be, the minibus taxi industry has spawned its very own language. Short and to the point, passengers and drivers alike need to communicate in this language, to ensure understanding.

 

Sho’t right, sho’t left, after robot, bridge, circle, four four mas’hlalisane, and dankie are just some of the phrases that are used in minibus taxis. These phrases are instructions that passengers call aloud as to where a driver should stop. Communication can be non-verbal too, so let’s not forget the hand signals when hailing a minibus taxi: single raised hand, finger pointing down, fingers spread.

 

 

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Nelson Mandela