I'm a translator between people who speak the same language, but don't communicate.

People who act mostly based on their instincts and emotions, and those who prefer to ignore or squelch those instincts and emotions[1], tend to have difficulty having meaningful conversations with each other. It's not uncommon for people from these groups to end up in relationships with each other, or at least working or socializing together.

On the spectrum between the two extremes, I am very close to the center. I have an easier time understanding the people on each side than their counterparts do, it frustrates me when they miscommunicate, and I want to help. This includes general techniques (although there are some good books on that already), explanations of words or actions which don't appear to make sense, and occasional outright translation of phrases ("When they said X, they meant what you would have called Y").

Is this problem, or this skill, something of interest to the LW community at large? In the several days I've been here it's come up on comment threads a couple times. I have some notes on the subject, and it would be useful for me to get feedback on them; I'd like to some day compile them into a guide written for an audience much like this one. Do you have questions about how to communicate with people who think very much unlike you, or about specific situations that frustrate you? Would you like me to explain what appears to be an arbitrary point of etiquette? Anything else related to the topic which you'd like to see addressed?

In short: "I understand the weird emotional people who are always yelling at you, but I'm also capable of speaking your language. Ask me anything."

[1] These are both phrased as pejoratively as I could manage, on purpose. Neither extreme is healthy.