Indian entrepreneur and investor Kunal Bahl recounted a personal experience that emphasized the importance of confidence in using your mother tongue for business communication. He criticized the lingering effects of a “colonial mindset” that associates English with professionalism.
Mr Bahl, who co-founded Snapdeal and Titan Capital, wrote on X, “Getting your point across, the complete and authentic essence of it, is much more important than having a colonial mindset that if it’s an important business presentation, it must be done in English.”
Further in the post, Mr Bahl recounted a situation where a startup founder, asked if they could deliver their pitch in Hindi for a more comfortable and effective presentation.
“Obviously I replied with a resounding “Yes, of course!” Bahl wrote. “It seemed strange that two people, who understand and speak the same native language fluently, are having to discuss whether they can have a business presentation in their own language, which they know best.”
Mr Bahl suggested many founders feel pressure to present in English, appearing polished.
“At least from my standpoint, it absolutely doesn’t matter. Zero,” he said.
“??? ? ??????? ?? ??????”
I was surprised when a startup founder sheepishly asked me a few days ago whether he can walk me through his startup’s presentation in Hindi because he would be more comfortable.
Obviously I replied with a resounding “???,…
— Kunal Bahl (@1kunalbahl) April 22, 2024
Kunal Bahl’s message resonated with other founders. One entrepreneur even admitted he might have missed out on a funding opportunity because he felt pressured to present in English, a language he wasn’t comfortable with.
Pritesh Lakhani, co-founder of Pneucons, an industrial marketplace commented, “We lost an opportunity for the same reasons. After multiple calls with analysts over months, today on a partner call I fumbled and choked the flow because I was asked to present in English. PS: The call lasted 16 minutes.”
Another X user added, “I used to present in Hindi way back in 2009, was not very comfortable expressing my thoughts in English. Most of the time VCs were very welcoming but never felt comfortable asking follow-up questions. Maybe the first impression was ‘yeh kya funding lega jab english bhi nahi bol pata’. This was in Mumbai.”
