While most of us believe jargon is unavoidable, an increasing number of language experts like Maher think something else is going on. By scattering our language with indecipherable jargon, we create exclusive workplace languages understood only by those on the inside. And those incomprehensible workplace languages aren't borne out of a desire for efficiency. They are a means to create an us and them, a powerful elite on the inside who understand the conversation, and a powerless group on the outside who merely nod along. From banking and finance to social work and software development, linguistic barriers exist in all industries-but they don't need to.