How to Master the Language of Your New Job (Even When You Feel Lost)

If you move to a foreign country, trying to learn the local language should be a given. You don't really need to be able to read the country's greatest literary work (unless you want to, of course). But you need to be able to do the basics of living there day-to-day.

It's going to make your time there more pleasurable and engaging.

And if you don't bother, or challenge yourself to learn that language, the move is going to become a struggle.

When you move from one job to another, or one industry to another, it can often feel like moving to another country. You don't know where anything is, the processes are different, the people speak in a funny (peculiar) way.

Your head is spinning, at the worst possible time.

But here's what I want you to know: There's nothing wrong with being a beginner again. And, you have the advantage of knowing how to learn.

Sometimes, you have to say to yourself: I know how to do this, even if I don't know how to do this.

I've done this before, and I can do it again.

My Own Language Learning Journey

I was in that same situation, moving from print to video at The Wall Street Journal. Print has a language all its own, and so does video. As I moved into that new medium, I fumbled the language, stumbling around to find my bearings.

Eventually, I got my sea legs under me, and tried to do the best that I could.

People get stuck if they don't know the language. They don't give themselves a chance to learn a new language, and progress and move forward.

What do you need to do or have to make learning that new work language work for you?

Stay Curious About Your New Environment

You don't need to become fluent overnight. But staying curious helps you stay open, and openness is what keeps you moving forward.

Maybe you're sitting in meetings where everyone's talking about "user personas" and "conversion funnels" when your background is in traditional retail. Or perhaps you're hearing about "agile sprints" and "retrospectives" when you're used to annual planning cycles. That unfamiliar terminology isn't a wall; it's a doorway.

When you let yourself be genuinely curious about these new concepts, something shifts. Instead of feeling behind, you start feeling engaged.

Curiosity means being okay with not knowing, but refusing to stay that way. It gives you permission to observe, to listen, to dig deeper. And more importantly, it keeps your ego from shutting down the process. If you're curious, you don't need to prove anything. You just need to keep learning.

And that curiosity becomes your secret weapon.

H3: Ask for Help Strategically

Now, let's get real: no one learns a new language alone. You need a partner to help you learn the nuances of your new tongue.

If you've been successful in your previous role, this part is probably going to feel uncomfortable. Asking for help can stir up old perfectionist patterns: I should know this already. I don't want to look weak. I don't want to slow anyone down.

Think of it this way: asking for help is a form of strategic speed. You're borrowing wisdom, and you're compressing the learning curve.

Give this approach a try: "Can I shadow you for an hour? I want to understand how you think through this process." Or "I'm working to understand how things flow here. Could you walk me through your approach to this?"

Most people are glad to help when they see that you're doing the work. They remember what it was like to be new. They want you to succeed because your success makes the whole team stronger.

Embrace Trial and Error as Learning

You will mess up. Let's just put that on the table.

You'll use the wrong terminology in a presentation. You'll approach a project the way you used to, only to realize it doesn't fit this new environment.

That's not failure. That's fluency in progress.

Every mistake you make now is teaching you something valuable about how things really work in this new world. You're not trying to be perfect. You're trying to adapt. And adaptation always comes with some bruises. It also comes with breakthroughs.

When something doesn't land the way you expected, get curious about it rather than getting discouraged. What would have worked better? What can this teach you about how people communicate here?

Those moments of "getting it wrong" are actually moments of getting closer to getting it right.

You're a Fluent Learner, Not a Stranger

Here's what I want you to know: feeling foreign in a new environment doesn't mean you don't belong. It means you're growing.

If you're stepping into a new role, a new field, or even a whole new chapter—it's okay if it feels foreign. It's supposed to.

And the truth is, you already know how to do this. You’ve learned before. You’ve grown before. You’ve figured out what seemed confusing or intimidating before.

You are not a stranger in a strange land. You’re a fluent learner. And that’s one of the most powerful skills you can bring anywhere.

What's one term or concept in your new environment that you're curious to understand better? Share it in the comments. Sometimes just naming what we're learning helps make it less intimidating.