I don't mind it when non-technical people use technical words. Your colleagues are feeling cozy in Edwin Abbot's world when a few round boys pop in to set up camp. They don't understand and so they use a mixture of what they think they know about the new stuff with familiar terms that they almost understand from the old stuff.
But it can sometimes be amusing (after one gets past the annoyance) when someone uses a technical word that they don't understand in a technical context and you're going on in this conversation at considerable length, with no thought that you and the other person are not completely in sync, when you both gradually perceive that your common understanding is separated by a considerable semantic chasm. It's not just tech vs non-tech. It very often happens between two people versed in different areas of science or technology.
There's this really cool thing that I've seen happen at some technical conferences. I suspect if you asked the attendees about it, they would swear it never happens. But I've noticed this curious docimasy that often occurs between two people who are communicating. It's a sort of handshake after the handshake, where they kinda feel each other out and make sure they're speaking the same language. At first, I thought it was like typical net-banter. You know, like when two alpha males get together and argue over who's is bigger, only now they're using net knowledge as a surrogate for their IQs as a surrogate for their johnsons. But that's not it at all. It's a necessary part of the process. They really are just trying to make sure they understand each other BEFORE they start a conversation. What a cool idea. Anyways, I just realized I have digressed.
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