Hi ,
People live all over the world. They look different and speak different languages. They look different because of minor genetic traits they've inherited over time due to
gene isolation after the events of Genesis 11 - the dispersal from Babel. Before that time, everyone basically would have looked similar and they all spoke one language. God is the one who specifically intervened at that time and accomplished two things: 1) He "confused" their language - which means that He brought into existence the roots of what was to become all of the various languages and dialects of the world, and 2) He dispersed the people from there over the entire face of the earth.
This dispersal isiolated genetic information, giving birth to the various racial characteristics we now see, and caused ther original "confused" (or "new") languages to flourish and develop into various forms, or dialects. This all happened roughly 4,000 years ago, and these effects are very clear to see today.
In the case of language, our task, if we want to understand each other, is to learn each other's languages so we can communicate like we used to. This is often difficult, but it can produce very funny results, too! Remember that God is the one who created the smile and the laugh, and it's very good and healthy to find humor in the common things of life!
There are many funny skits and plays that illustrate this, and I personally get a charge out of this ridiculous and politically incorrect skit relating to translation. Check it out...
