Lost in Translation: When language starts to lose all meaning

The premise is simple and recognisable. Communication, particularly in business, has drifted away from clarity and meaning. In its place, we’ve adopted a dense layer of buzzwords, clichés and inflated phrasing, to such an extent that much of business these days has become nonsensical.

That’s especially so when it comes to jewellery marketing, where people and companies have ‘invented’ new words and terms in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage. And in most cases, all it does is confuse the consumer. But perhaps that’s the aim!

As you can well imagine, words and language are important to me - it is my stock in trade - so I was already annoyed by useless words, and then I picked up an interesting book at an airport.

Throughout ‘Wankernomics’, the authors tackle a topic that, perhaps unexpectedly, should resonate strongly with jewellery store owners: language.

There are, of course, other names for it, such as ‘corporate speak’, but James Schloeffel and Charles Firth prefer ‘wankernomics’. What’s striking, however, is how quickly this nonsense has embedded itself into everyday communication.

Indeed, it is no longer confined to large companies and boardrooms; it appears in emails, discussions and even on the retail floor.

Picture this: Somewhere between the second and third coffee of the day, you’re on the phone with a supplier or colleague when he or she says: “We might circle back on that design direction and leverage some new thinking moving forward.”

It’s not difficult to understand. In fact, that’s precisely the point. Beneath the phrasing, the meaning is entirely straightforward: “we’ll discuss it later”. Yet the idea has been run through a kind of hideous linguistic polishing machine, emerging longer, softer and far less precise than it needs to be.

Jeweller receives dozens of emails every week from ‘public relations consultants’ and ‘communications liaisons’ that, somewhere hidden in the text, will inevitably say, “I’d like to share this press release with you.”

While it’s only a small example, the word ‘share’ is another example of a term that has lost all meaning. People ‘share’ a bottle of wine or a taxi ride. You don’t share a press release, you ‘provide’ it, or you ‘send’ it – it’s your job.

I know that it is your job. You know that it is your job. So, why would either of us alter the language and suggest something other than that is what is happening?

Distinction without a difference: The watch on the left is 'Unisex', while the watch on the right is 'Non-binary" or 'Gender Neutral'.

For an industry grounded in detail, precision and trust, this shift in language is worth examining with great scrutiny. The jewellery business, at its core, relies on clarity, which is achieved with specific nomenclature.

When a customer asks what they are purchasing, they are not seeking a ‘value proposition’. They want to understand exactly what the piece is, where it came from and why it holds value. The same is true for retailers placing orders with suppliers.

And yet, despite this traditional emphasis on precision, the language of the broader corporate world long ago snuck into the trade. It appears in marketing, communications and, increasingly, in conversations with customers.

The phrases themselves are familiar. We no longer simply revisit a topic; we ‘circle back’. People ‘walk back’ their decisions, rather than reviewing them. Capacity becomes ‘bandwidth’ while conversations are no longer paused or redirected; they are taken ‘offline’.

Jewellery’s communication collapse

In a way, these language issues can be divided into two types: the ‘corporate speak’ and ‘weasel words’.

Weasel words are far more sinister, as they’re an attempt to disguise the negative factors or connotations of otherwise entirely appropriate language. In the past, I’ve written about the issues of ‘recycled gold’ as a prominent example of language being used to conceal the truth.

Given the importance of language and definitions in the jewellery industry - you can’t describe a cubic zirconia as a diamond - you may be surprised to learn that ‘recycled gold’ has no standard definition.

Traditionally, recycling refers to materials deliberately recovered from a waste stream; however, gold has never been ‘waste’. As one of the world’s most valuable materials, gold is almost always recovered, refined, and reused. The effort devoted to salvaging it only reinforces the point that gold retains value at every stage of the cycle.

The issue becomes more complicated when considering the purpose of recycling itself. In most contexts, recycling is intended to reduce demand for newly produced materials and lessen environmental impact. Gold, however, does not follow this pattern.

Despite the increasing use of the term ‘recycled gold’, global demand for newly mined gold continues to rise. Gold is reused because it is valuable and not because recycling it will reduce consumption.

Another example of the misuse of language in the jewellery industry is the term ‘demi-fine’ jewellery. In reality, it’s simply fashion jewellery positioned at a higher price point. This is an existing category dressed up with new terminology.

And why ‘demi-fine’ instead of ‘semi-fine’? Because it sounds more exotic and sophisticated, which, somewhere down the line, might generate more sales.

The same trend appears in watches. You’ll see the phrase ‘gender neutral’ or ‘non-binary’ watches from time to time. That raises an obvious question: How is that anything different from a ‘unisex’ watch?

The term ‘unisex’ has existed for decades to describe products designed for both men and women. There’s nothing revolutionary about it.

What’s changed is the language - and in this case the politics - surrounding certain products. The product hasn’t changed, only the jargon has.

This gibberish has even infiltrated job titles; a shop assistant is now a ‘customer journey associate’ or a ‘fashion retail consultant’. So crazy has it become that people are inventing job titles and then trademarking the names so no one else can use them. (See Breakout Box)

The Snowball Effect

Individually, these expressions are relatively harmless. Collectively, however, they create a kind of linguistic fog. They lengthen communication without adding substance, and they often obscure meaning rather than clarify it.

Straightforward ideas become unnecessarily complex, and conversations take on a tone that feels more performative than practical.

This matters more than it might initially appear. After all, at a fundamental level, language underpins trust. When communication becomes vague or overly stylised, it can create the impression that something is being softened, exaggerated, or avoided altogether.

In an industry where reputation is established over years, and often over generations, even small shifts in tone can affect customers.

There is also the question of distance. Clear and direct language tends to foster connection: between supplier and retailer, and between retailer and consumer. By contrast, this jargon and corporate speak can introduce a layer of separation.

It can make communication feel scripted, as though it has been filtered through a corporate template rather than shaped by individual expertise and experience.

Perhaps most significantly, this style of language can displace genuine knowledge. Phrases such as “leveraging innovative design solutions” may sound impressive to some; however, they rarely convey meaningful information.

They gesture towards expertise without demonstrating it. By comparison, a jeweller who can clearly explain the durability of a precious metal, the behaviour of light within a gemstone, or the craftsmanship behind a piece is offering something far more valuable: substance.

Clarity beyond diamonds and gemstones

This raises an obvious question: Why has this way of speaking become so widespread?

Large brands and corporate structures often bring a particular style of communication that gradually permeates the wider industry. Social media, with its preference for trends and repetition, accelerates it further. Over time, even independent businesses, those defined by individuality, begin to adopt a more uniform voice.

The irony is difficult to ignore. In a competitive retail environment, most understand that differentiation is critical. Product, service, and experience all play a role, but so too does communication. If every business sounds the same, a valuable point of distinction is lost.

The alternative is neither complex nor radical. It is, in many respects, a return to fundamentals. Plain speaking remains one of the most effective forms of communication available to retailers.

It is efficient, credible, and, most importantly, difficult to misinterpret. Saying “we’ll talk about this tomorrow” conveys more clarity than “we’ll circle back.” Describing some jewellery in precise, confident terms is more persuasive than relying on vague superlatives.

This is not to suggest that professionalism should be abandoned, nor that all industry terminology should be simplified. Jewellery has its own technical language, and rightly so. The distinction lies in purpose. Technical terms exist to increase accuracy, whereas jargon often does the opposite, and worse, it is sometimes used to deceive.

Customers are perceptive in this regard. They respond to clarity and confidence. They are more likely to trust a retailer who speaks plainly and demonstrates knowledge than one who relies on abstract or inflated language.

So perhaps the conclusion is this: if you can’t sell a piece of jewellery without “leveraging” something, you might already be saying too much. In some cases, “this one suits you” still does the job rather well.

More reading
CIBJO releases new glossary to standardise jewellery industry terminology
Terminology tussle: CIBJO suggests a new definition for recycled gold
Dark art of language: How words cast spells of deception
Wordplay: Diamond jewellery retailer changes terminology