I’m not really a linguist. I’ve tried to develop fluency in French and made an attempt at German but the only language in which I ever developed any competence, apart from English, was a form of double speak called Management Speak. I haven’t used it for a while but amongst a group of management consultants I can soon pick it up again.
Native speakers claim that it is merely a specialist set of terms, jargon if you like, that distills complex business issues into straightforward language and imparts a more professional tone. Why talk about “cutting out the middle man” when you can simply disintermediate? It’s not always best to say what you really mean. It’s more professional to say “We value your suggestion but I’m afraid this is non-negotiable on this occasion” rather than simply “f*** off”?
But there’s another language, a dialect of management speak, that is way more complex and it’s almost impenetrable to most of us: Banker Speak. Here’s an example from David Gustin, CFA from Global Business Intelligence, responding on linkedin to
my article on the UK Government's announcement on supply chain finance. I’ve exchanged views with David a few times and he has a highly expert voice on this subject. He explains why suppliers get to pay 20%-30% for credit: