There is a particular kind of attention that people who work between cultures learn early. You notice how a room speaks before you speak. You adjust your pace, your vocabulary, sometimes your name.
From the outside this looks like adaptability, and it is. It is also a quiet, constant piece of labour that does not appear on any job description and is rarely acknowledged by the people who benefit from it.
The point is not to resent the skill. It is to see it clearly, so that it can be chosen rather than assumed.
Choosing when to switch
Some people find that the answer is to switch less and explain less. Others find that the answer is better company, where less translation is needed. Most do a bit of both.
Switching is a skill. Being asked to switch constantly is a cost.
Elikia Editorial
What helps is naming it. Once a thing has a name, it can be discussed, shared and, over time, shared out more fairly.
