write essay on language barrier

Essay About Language Barriers

"Without language one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savior their songs" - Nelson Mandela. I came to the United States when I was 14 years old and started studying the eighth grade. I didn't know how to speak English and had difficulties in my studies and everyday life due to the language barrier. It is hard to ask for help when you don’t speak the language in a different culture other than yours. Language barrier has many negative effects on people; a greater problem than clear communication is the opportunities that immigrants miss like a better job or school opportunities that can lead to a good career. Students are presented with many opportunities and life choices during high school in the immigrant community, that lacks the knowledge of how to speak English, cannot fully take advantage of. " According to the report, in 2012, students in the U.S. with an immigrant background perform worse than nonimmigrant students . . ." (McManus). Immigrant students are more susceptible to …show more content…

It impedes students to acquire academic knowledge, adults obtain a better job and even communicate a grocery store. People miss opportunities that could lead to a better life due to this lack of knowledge. This should be of interest to all of us because it affects the way in which the government makes regulation or things such as how businesses run their marketing campaigns or their customer service. With the influx of immigrant our society changes. We can do something to help this people adapt to our culture or we can let them fail and depend on government agencies. We can contribute with donations to organizations that give ESL classes or vote for candidates that support the assimilation of immigrants. This essay has changed my perspective in how society works and how it is affected by different

Martin Espada Is A Mexican-American Author And Ambassador For Latinos By Richard Rodriguez

I am Puertican and Cuban, but I never got the chance to learn about my culture or how to speak Spanish. This is because my mom only learned some Spanish but she never learned about our culture. She didn’t because her grandmother wasn’t fond of her dad, so she was never accepted on her mom's side of the family. Even today my mom is sad she never got to bond with her mom's family and wishes she could have had the ability to learn and embrace her family's culture. Unfortunately, many people go through this but more often than not their not being accepted in the U.S. because they don’t speak English.

What Are The Barriers In The Devil's Highway Urrea

Very few, if any, immigrants have the chance to learn English before traveling to the U.S. Because of this barrier, it is nearly impossible for organizations such as the Border Patrol to warn, aid, and communicate with them as they travel to the U.S. Although there are helpful signs along the border, they are written in English and are therefore indecipherable. Furthermore, the language border hinders an immigrant’s ability to survive in American society once they arrive. English is the written and spoken language in almost every city, thwarting immigrants’ opportunity to find jobs and interact with others. As they struggle to communicate, they become ostracized and do not fit in.

Compare And Contrast Hunger Of Memory And Mother Tongue

He came home from school one day, his parents were talking. It wasn’t until after they had switched to English that he realized they had been speaking Spanish. Now you would think having been born to English speaking parents, here in the United States, that I wouldn’t understand a language barrier. Growing up I watched my cousin struggle to communicate with others. He lost his hearing when he was 5 years old.

Florida Consent Decree Analysis

In addition, the vocational services set standards and guidelines throughout the workplace to provide services for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students. “Our society is full of people whose contributions and desires to integrate often go unnoticed and unfulfilled. ()” “Ignorance is Bliss.” The lack of knowledge from ignoring what the world has to offer to you is hindering our society today. These immigrants play a vital role in American society and the economy, but we have yet to fully understand or implement a plan to accommodate their needs for them to achieve success as a U.S. citizen.

Personal Narrative: Moving Into The United States

Challenge Essay Moving into The United States that has a different language has been the biggest obstacle that I have ever faced, especially with the fact that there was a time where I didn’t understand a single word of that language called English. This was a big obstacle in my life since I was raised in Mexico where the prime language, there is Spanish and that was the only language I knew back then, it was until the day had come where my family and I had to move into the United States due to the violence that has been happening in Mexico. I consider those times the most difficult ones of my whole life because I had to work triple than what I normally did in school in order for me to learn a huge complex language.

Immigration In Plymouth Plantation

Effects of Immigration Immigration has been occurring since the dawn of time, People moving from one place to another for better living conditions. Immigration is both good and bad for the country that is involved. People bringing in great new ideas to help grow the country but it can also created over population and less job opportunity for the citizens of the country. These are all mentioned in Plymouth Plantation, Mother Tongue, Balboa, and Blaxicans. Immigrants’ impact on America is both negative and positive depending on the viewpoint of the original culture.

Being A Mexican American Essay

One of the toughest adjustments, having been born to Mexican parents, is migrating to an unknown country where traditions and languages differ from one 's own. Though many pursue an education and strive for a better life, the purpose behind an immigrant, like myself, differs from the typical American. Immigrants strive for a life that was once impossible, going to school is not only to attain an education, but to better prove that we can also become successful regardless of our traditions and skin color. I lived in a country for over fifteen years, fearing deportation, not only losing a home, but potentially saying goodbye to a bright future. Although many feel empathy for Mexican-Americans, it is undeniably difficult to truly comprehend the immense trauma children and even adults undergo upon experiencing racism and prejudice.

Espadas Bilingualism

He supports this argument by telling his own story of being forced to learn English by the bilingual education system. The experience he had learning English made him experience great embarrassment, sadness, and change. Rodriguez concludes his experience by discussing how English had changed his personal life at home: “We remained a loving family, but one greatly changed. No longer so close;no longer bound tight by the pleasing and troubling knowledge of our public separateness.” By learning English, Rodriguez’s family is finally able to integrate into society without language barriers.

The Latin Deli An Ars Poetica Analysis

Learning the language and having difficulty speaking english, having trouble communicating. In The latin Deli: An Ars Poetica it identifies the issue of speaking a different language. The poem states "all wanting comfort of spoken spanish. " Securing work is another issue either because of illegal immigration, the job only hiring people with experience in the united states or because of the language barrier. Cultural barriers as americans we are more open to do different things but when being from different cultures it might be considered disrespectful.

Compare And Contrast Richard Rodriguez And Anzaldúa

Richard Rodriguez and Gloria Anzaldúa are two authors who both immigrated to America in the 1950s and received first hand experience of the assimilation process into American society. During this time, Rodriguez and Anzaldúa had struggled adjusting to the school system. Since understanding English was difficult, it made adjusting to the American school system increasingly difficult for Rodriguez. Whereas Anzaldúa, on the other hand, had trouble adjusting to America’s school system due to the fact that she didn’t wish to stop speaking Spanish even though she could speak English. Both Rodriguez and Anzaldúa had points in their growing educational lives where they had to remain silent since the people around them weren’t interested in hearing them speaking any other language than English.

Assimilation In America

For many new immigrants coming to America, it is difficult to adjust into the new society. Many come to America without the basic knowledge of English, the new immigrants do not have the ability assimilate to American society because of the lack of possible communication between the immigrant and an native. Non-English speaking immigrants that come to America face harsh challenges when trying to assimilate to U.S. society because immigrants are often segregated into ethnic communities away from natives, Americans do not know basics of words of other well known languages, and the lack of government funding education programs. Assimilation into a new society is difficult enough, but when the society pushes any new immigrants to separate part

No Comprendo Analysis

But even when they didn’t learn English themselves, their children grew up speaking it. Thousands of first-generation Americans still strive to learn English, but others face reduced educational and career opportunities because they have not mastered this basic skill they need to get ahead. According to the 1990 census, 40 percent of the Hispanics born in the United States do not graduate from high school, and the Department of Education says that a lack of proficiency in English is an important factor in the drop-out rate. People and agencies that favor providing services only in foreign languages want to help people who do not speak English, but they may be doing these people a disservice by condemning them to a linguistic ghetto from which they cannot easily escape.

Essay On English Language Learners

The United States is a place of freedom. We are a mixing pot that unifies as one. Many religions, cultures, and languages make their home in the Unites States. Many foreigners see the U.S. as an opportunity to seek better lives and education, but when it comes to foreigners and native-born non-English speakers that do not yet know English, it becomes a little more difficult to go about an average day let alone make a better future. Children in school often become English Language Learners, or ELL, to assimilate to the American standards.

Essay On Language Discrimination

Discrimination is an action or a decision that treats a man or a social affair gravely for reasons, for instance, their race, age or debilitate. It includes so many things like race/ethnicity, age, color, region, sex, employment and culture. Language is one of the discrimination types which I am going to describe. It is very important part of every culture, religion or country. It is a way of communication through which we all share our feelings to each other.

Foreign Language In Schools Essay

Learning a second language at a younger age is beneficial Most little kids first day of school is when they are approximately five years old, and about to enter kindergarten. Kids go to school from about age five till graduation from high school at about age eighteen. Most schools focus on the basic core subjects, such as math, reading, science and history. Until junior high or high school, foreign language is not even offered.

More about Essay About Language Barriers

My experience dealing with a language barrier

CevherShare

My biggest challenge in the United States is the language barrier. Even after a year here, I very often face difficulties in communication. I did not grow up listening to American music or watching American television, and I did not have enough learning opportunities during my youth. Being an adult, it is only harder to confront these challenges in communication. Ironically, I was invited to share with a high school class of Spanish speakers how I am dealing with this challenging situation.

First of all, I recognize that I have a weakness. Usually, I warn people that I am learning English in case they don’t understand me. I don’t mind repeating or rephrasing. Secondly, I listen carefully, making sure that I have comprehended correctly. Even if I don’t understand something the first time, I’ve realized the best thing to do is to ask for clarification and to not be afraid to raise questions as many time it is necessary. Watching people speak also help me to add new words, expressions or entire phrases to my vocabulary. In addition, to be a better English speaker, I have exposed myself to the local culture, and in my case, every night I watch short videos, news or movies.

However, my big fear is public speaking. I don’t feel confident in conversation, and, to add to that, I have a natural nervousness being on the stage. I might not be the right person to give advice on public speaking, but I’ve found that being calm and paying attention to your respiration while speak slowly and getting plenty of practice are good tips. Another strategy that works for me is what I am doing right now–writing down what I want to speak. This is good because I already have some words and sentences in my mind, instead of improvising during the presentation. I received this method from a colleague who is a native English speaker.

All this is a lot of effort, but it doesn’t avoid criticism from others. It doesn’t stop questionings faces, laughs, and misunderstandings. Do not let these challenges push you down. Observe your small success. For example, I noticed that I usually pay more attention to my few hard times than I do to the countless successful communications I had through the day.

Finally, speaking a new idiom will make a difference in your personal and professional life. It will help you to connect with people from different nationalities, share your experiences, learn from others, be friendly and secure more professional opportunities.

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Language Barrier Essays

Language Barrier Essays (Examples)

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Language barriers in business communication.

Communication Barriers Communication plays an essential role in an organization. There are a number of ways in which communication take place within an organization and with the outside suppliers. All sorts of communication have its own merits and drawbacks (Means, pg. 4). Different types of communication barriers also exist that can cause a great hindrance in effective communication. These barriers can come either from the sender or the receiver or in some cases from both sides. This paper will shed light on the importance of communication and communication barriers. It will further clarify the concept by giving an example of communication barriers between Chinese freight forwarding companies and small family owned U.S. Customs Brokerage (Hogan and Stubbs, pg. 26). Body No activity can take place without communication and achieving effective communication can sometimes be tricky if proper measures are not taken. There will be no use of communication if the sender is unable….

Works Cited

Brounstein, Marty, et al. Business Communication. London: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.

Green, Thad B. And Jay T. Knippen. Breaking the Barrier to Upward Communication. London: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999.

Hogan, Kevin and Ron Stubbs. Can't Get Through: Eight Barriers to Communication. London: Pelican Publishing, 2003.

Krizan, A.C., et al. Business Communication. Australia: Cengage Learning, 2010.

Language Barriers Among the Karen People

GAP stands for Guadalupe Alternative Programs and stands to serve St. Paul's Latino youth living on the West Side for the last fifty years. Programs like GAP have existed to promote the wellbeing of St. Paul's, Minnesota's Latino student population by offering services like counseling, educational programs, emergency resources, and job assistance (GAP, n.d.). While GAP still assists the Latino student population, times have changes and the Latino population has decreased, opening GAP services to diverse ethnic backgrounds. This has led to a recent issue of understanding the needs of the current population of GAP students. The current population consists of English language learners, refugees (Karen refugees), and low income students. Social work interns at GAP recognized external factors that may affect GAP students. This has led to the desire to promote wellness among the current student GAP population. This research study is meant to provide an understanding of what potential….

Language Barrier

Sometimes students have obstacles to contend with as they enter school. One such barrier can be language. The student I worked with is a Chinese first year student who is attempting to assimilate to AP class schedules. He is a 14-year old interested in learning the English language and is having problems not only learning the language but balancing out the needs of his identity versus the American culture. English Language Learners often must contend with several influences and deal with a new culture that may seem dauting and stressful[footnoteRef:1]. His name is Bo. [1: Larry Ferlazzo, English Language Learners: Teaching Strategies That Work (Santa Barbara, Calif: Linworth, 2010)] Bo recently immigrated to the United States with his family two years ago. While Bo has learned conversational English and some grammar, he still has problems writing in English. The way to write simplified Chinese is different than English and so he….

Language Is the Perfect Instrument

Consider the fact that the Iroquois are said not to have had a strong word for the singular "I," and that they subsequently developed what was arguably the longest lasting communal representative democracy the world has ever known. The Inuit, whose culture revolves around the arctic world, have dozens of words for snow - this sort of technical knowledge allows quick and accurate transmission of conditions and training in survival. In Western terms, one remembers that Jesus Christ was said to be "The Word," yet in the original Greek this indicates not only a spoken word but also the Logos - the root term for intellectual reason, for Meaning within context (be that the context of a sentence, a life, a history, or a universe); logos was rational order. The difference between saying that a religious figure is the Word (which at its most profound seem to indicate a kind….

Bibliography

Atkins, J.D.C. (1887). Report of the commissioner of Indian affairs. House Exec. Doc. No. 1, Pt. 5, 50th Cong., 1st Sess. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Boston Language Institute. "TEFL FAQ http://teflcertificate.com/faq.html

Ethnologue. "English http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=eng

Macha, Freddy. "Tanzanian Independence Day Abroad. http://www.unclesamofafrica.com/TanzaniaGuardian.htm

Language and Cultural Literacy in Health Policy Realm

Hispanic Health Policy As described by the Latino Policy Institute at the Hispanic Health Council website, there are many issue that face Hispanics and Latinos when it comes to health policy and execution. In general, the biggest barriers are cultural and language barriers experienced while giving and providing health care of any sort. However, a problem identified by the aforementioned Institute is that very few of the people that have experienced and seen the barriers feel there is an actual problem that has to be identified and dealt with. Of course, this is less than true and must be recognized for what it truly is. While the language and cultural barriers experiences when giving healthcare are not seen as a problem by many providers, a problem absolutely exists and it is hurting Hispanic patients and citizens every day. Analysis To expound and expand on the details of the item mentioned in the introduction….

HHC. (2016). HispanicHealthCouncil -- Program: Latino Policy Institute. Hispanichealth.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016, from http://www.hispanichealth.com/hhc/latinopolicyinstitute

Sanchez, G. (2012). The Implications of ACA Ruling on Latino Voting Behavior. Latino Decisions. Retrieved 28 July 2016, from http://www.latinodecisions.com/blog/2012/07/03/the-implications-of-aca-ruling-on-latino-voting-behavior/

Language in Clients With Schizophrenia

" Done, D.J. Crow, T.J. Johnstone, E.C. Sacker, a. (September 1994) Childhood Antecedents of Schizophrenia and Affective Illness: Social Adjustment at ages 7 to 11.BMJ, 309:699-703. Teacher appraisal using the national child development study was utilized to examine differences between normal individuals and those who exhibit adult psychological disorders. "At the age of 7 children who developed schizophrenia were rated by their teachers as manifesting more social maladjustment than controls (overall score 4.3 (SD 2.4) v 3.1 (2.0); P.

Harrison contends that there is a growing body of data, though as yet inconclusive, with regard to control and repeatability that shows some differences in brain MRI between patients with and without mood disorders. Interestingly the areas of the brain that are shown to be affected in those with mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder are areas of the brain which control language function, not in its source but in its ability to be transmitted by the patient. This could indicate some correlation, in behavioral indices where patients with bipolar disorder report a sense that they cannot think straight or communicate their thoughts effectively. "The neuropathology is postulated to contribute to the pathophysiology and dysfunction of the neural circuits which regulate mood and its associated cognitions, behaviours and somatic symptoms."

Done, D.J. Crow, T.J. Johnstone, E.C. Sacker, a. (September 1994) Childhood Antecedents of Schizophrenia and Affective Illness: Social Adjustment at ages 7 to 11.BMJ, 309:699-703.

Teacher appraisal using the national child development study was utilized to examine differences between normal individuals and those who exhibit adult psychological disorders. "At the age of 7 children who developed schizophrenia were rated by their teachers as manifesting more social maladjustment than controls (overall score 4.3 (SD 2.4) v 3.1 (2.0); P

Official Language for the United States

United States make English its Official Language? The calls for English to be adopted as United States' official language have been prevalent since 1919 when President Theodore Roosevelt stated that the country has room for only one language i.e. The English language. The advocacy for English-only in the United States has been fueled by attempts to develop a unique American nationality. Actually, President Roosevelt advocated for English to be adopted as the official language of the United States because of the explicit and unqualified link between language and citizenship. However, since the beginning of this advocacy the issue on whether the United States should make English its official language has attracted various arguments and counter-arguments between supporters and opponents. The determination of a suitable position regarding the issue requires an evaluation of arguments by both sides. Advocacy for English as America's Official Language In contrast to popular belief, the United States does….

Brice, Brandon. "Why English Should Be the Official Language of the United States." Washington Times Communities. The Washington Times, LLC., 13 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. .

Fabian, Jordan. "No, It's Not Necessary to Make English the Official Language." Online Posting. ABC News. ABC News Network, 14 June 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. .

Jackson, Raynard. "Should English Be Our America's Official Language or Not?" Online Posting. Charisma News - Informing Believers with News from a Spirit-filled Perspective. Charisma Media, 7 July 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. .

Miller, Eric C. "Should English Be the U.S. Official Language? -- Eric C. Miller -- Aeon." Aeon Magazine. Aeon Media Ltd., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. .

Cultural Barriers Cultural and Language

nhl.com/sm-reebok-washington-capitals-alexander-ovechkin-language-barrier-player-name-and -- pi-3070445.html Here, we can see an innovative way of overcoming the inherent language barrier, or at least rendering it secondary to fan intrigue. hina is another market context where challenges are specific and dominant due both to the dramatic distinction between the hinese language and Romantic or Latin-based tongues and due to hina's isolated and distinctly defined cultural nature. In both of these, we consider that there is a real and difficult obstruction for organizations seeking to establish a meaningful identity. In consideration of the example of Foster's beer, for one, we are given a narrative detailing a long and difficult process by which the Australian beer distributor was eventually able to penetrate the market. For Foster's, one of the biggest problems was its prior strategic dependence on its name and Australian identity, which are easily and charmingly conveyed in advertisement in America. In a non-English speaking market, this is a….

China is another market context where challenges are specific and dominant due both to the dramatic distinction between the Chinese language and Romantic or Latin-based tongues and due to China's isolated and distinctly defined cultural nature. In both of these, we consider that there is a real and difficult obstruction for organizations seeking to establish a meaningful identity.

In consideration of the example of Foster's beer, for one, we are given a narrative detailing a long and difficult process by which the Australian beer distributor was eventually able to penetrate the market. For Foster's, one of the biggest problems was its prior strategic dependence on its name and Australian identity, which are easily and charmingly conveyed in advertisement in America. In a non-English speaking market, this is a harder association to draw. Such is to say that "The brand name is an essential part of marketing and it not only helps to identify a product but also creates value through consumers' association with the brand (Kohli, Harich, & Leuthesser, 2004). Cultural differences are therefore of major concern when managing brands in China." (Chung, 2) This is especially true coming from the Australian market, where the association between the brand name and a high standard of quality would negatively translate to mean high cost in the Chinese market, where income is decidedly more modest.

Another instance comes to us from China of cultural barriers creating a distinct challenge for internet search engine giant, Google. Google's ideology places it in a spot of unparalleled challenge, even further observable as it attempts

Cultural and Linguistic Barriers to

Cultural differences extend to language. In some instances, this merely necessitates "code-switching" -- the use of different words and speaking patters in different cultural settings (e.g. The difference between conversation at a business meeting and a baseball game, although with intercultural issues the impact of code-switching becomes far more profound). On a less esoteric level, however, there is the simple issue of language barriers in providing equal multicultural care. Evidence shows that simply increasing he availability of multilingual care -- especially in populations with a large number of non-English speakers -- greatly increases the quality of healthcare and overall health of immigrant populations (Ngo-Metzger et al., 2003). This suggests one of the main ways that the healthcare industry can combat these barriers -- simply educating more providers in cultural differences, and actively recruiting new students and practitioners from among different cultures and across linguistic lines will greatly improve the availability and….

Ngo-Metzger, Q., Massagli, M., Clarridge, B., Manocchia, M., Dvais, R., Iezzoni, L. & Phillips, R. (2003). "Linguistic and cultural barriers to care." Journal of general internal medicine, 18 (1), pp. 44-52.

Uba, L. (1992). "Cultural barriers to health care for southeast Asian refugees." Public health reports, 107 (5), pp. 544-8.

Formulaic Language in the Year

acial or ethnically-based teasing and peer pressure has long been associated with academic achievement, as Tyson et al. point out in his 2005 report studying the behaviors of blacks and whites during high school. While Tyson et al. also suggests that "school structures" are somewhat to blame for "stigmas" of "acting white" or "acting high and mighty" (582), he maintains that that teasing and peer pressure and also important components. Because of the profound social implications of interactions between formulaic speaking and non-formulaic speaking students, teachers in the third year classroom need to be aware of students' interpretation of the formulaic speaking students, monitoring the communication between the groups. In addition to being aware of the situation, teachers should use the problem to educate students about stereotypes and teasing in addition to encouraging formulaic speaking students to express themselves in the language of instruction. Thus, third year students' use of….

Hamilton, Kendra. (2005). The Dialect Dilemma. Black Issues in Higher Education. 22

O'Neil and Gish. (2008). Customer did not provide the rest of the citation.

Pearson, David P., Hiebert, Elfrieda H., Kamil, Michael L. (2007). Theory and Research into Practice: Vocabulary Assessment: What We Know and What We Need to Learn. Reading Research Quarterly. 42 (2), 282-296.

Perez, Samuel a. (2000). Using Ebonics or Black English as a Bridge to Teaching

Official Language Movement Hispanic Cultural Interest the

Official Language Movement: Hispanic Cultural Interest The focus of this work is the official language movement and bilingualism in education politics in the United States, which is an important Hispanic-American cultural interest. One of the fastest growing groups in the United States is the group of Hispanics and it was reported in the 1990 U.S. census that there were 22.4 million Hispanics or Latinos in the United States, which was up from 14.5 million in 1980. (Garcia, 2011, paraphrased) Hispanics are reported to be concentrated in the states of California, New York, Florida, Texas and Illinois, all of these states that when taken together "comprise over half of the electoral vote majority needed for election to the presidency." (Garcia, 2011) Age a Key Factor that Limits Political Participation There are several factors that are reported to hinder the political participation of Hispanics as well as hindering their development "into a unified voting bloc."….

Constitutional: Official Language (2011) U.S. Constitution Online. Retrieved from: http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_lang.html

Garcia, Maria-Cristina (2011) Hispanic-Americans: An Under-Represented Group in American Politics. ARNET. Retrieved from: http://www.americansc.org.uk/Online/garcia.htm

Huntington, Samuel (2004) The Hispanic Challenge. Foreign Policy. May 2004. Retrieved from: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/blogs/gems/culturalagency1/SamuelHuntingtonTheHispanicC.pdf

Communication and Language for Teaching and Learning Math in English in Hong Kong

English in Teaching and Learning Math in Hong Kong With the intermingling of cultures, business, and globalization in general, it is difficult to imagine that English would not be spoken or at least understood in some form in any part of the world. If nothing else, Internet communication has opened up myriad opportunities for people to learn about any amount of cultures and languages they wish. In terms of business, as mentioned, the world has also become increasingly globalized. Businesses that can expand globally tend to be stronger financially and have greater longevity than those who cannot. Often, an ability to communicate internationally is at the heart of business success. For this reason, the medium of instruction in schools, and especially non-English speaking countries, have come to the forefront of educational attention. In Hong Kong, social and political changes have given a unique dynamic to whether or not English should be….

Education Commission (2005, Dec.). Report on Review of Medium of Instruction for Secondary Schools and Secondary School Places Allocation. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of The People's Republic of China. Retrieved from: http://www.e-c.edu.hk/tc/reform/resources/MOI&SSPA_report_Eng.pdf

Poon, A.Y.K., Lau, C.M.Y. And Chu, D.H.W. (2013, March). Impact of the Fine-Tuning Medium-of-Instruction Policy on Learning: Some Preliminary Findings. Literacy Information and Computer Education Journal, Vol. 4, Iss.1. Retrieved from: http://infonomics-society.org/LICEJ/ImpactoftheFineTuningMediumofInstructionPolicyonLearningSomePreliminaryFindings.pdf

Tsui, A.B.M. (2008). Medium of Instruction in Hong Kong: One Country, Two Systems, Whose Language? Medium of Instruction Policies: Which Agenda? Whose Agenda? Edited by James. W. Ollofson and Amy B.M. Tsui. Taylor & Francis e-Library.

Zeng, W. (2007). Medium of Instruction in Secondary Education in Post-Colonial Hong Kong:

Benefits of the Language Access Plan for ICE agents

Immigration has become a very polarizing and contentious issues within the Untied States. The primary catalyst for such visceral responses on both sides of the argument often related to illegal immigration. President Donald Trump also caused social unrest due to his racist and often divisive characterizations of immigrants. His overwhelmingly negative stance, which was heavily echoed by his supporters caused widespread disagreement on how to handle illegal immigration. Trumps rally cry, and what was a heavily influence to his successful election was to build a wall on the Mexican/US border. The opposition vehemently believed that a wall was very anti-American and an inefficient use of tax payer funds. In addition to disagreement regarding the border, disagreements also arose on how to properly deter illegal immigration in the first place. Disagreements ranged from the manner in which to detain illegal immigrants, how to identify family members, how to properly repatriate immigrants….

References 1. Ronald Bayor, ed., The Oxford Handbook of American Immigration and Ethnicity (Oxford University Press, 2016)2. Roger Daniels, Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American life (Harper Perennial, 2002)

Lessons Learned From Barriers in Care

barriers that emerged and are list in D3. Access to readily accessible primary care resources. Time constraints and busy office hours is a barrier that hinders the overall patient experience. Serious issues can potentially arise when care is not given in an adequate manner. Namely, a customer can become irritable and frustrated, which makes care much more difficult. In rare instances, an illness can worsen while waiting for a primary care resources. This ultimately makes treatment much more costly and time consuming. As a result, valuable resources may be consumed for a problem that could have otherwise been prevented through proper staffing. This action plan will attempt to address this issue by providing adequate staffing during peak office hours. A common complaint is the inability to simply speak with the actual provider of services or primary care manager. To insure availability, at least two managers will be on duty at….

English Language Learner Experiences

ELL Case Study: JavierPart 1Javier (a pseudonym to protect his identity) is a 17-year-old student in the 12th grade, attending a high school in a medium-sized town in the Midwest. Born and raised in Mexico, Javier\\\'s journey to the United States began four years ago, and it marked a major transition in his life and education.Background and Family LifeJavier comes from a close-knit family and is the youngest of three siblings. His early education was completed in Mexico, where he attended middle school before relocating to the U.S. Initially, Javier and his parents, who are employed in a local factory and possess basic literacy skills in Spanish, lived in Arizona. His parents\\\' proficiency in English is limited, which influenced the language dynamics at home, predominantly Spanish.After a couple of years, Javier moved to Indiana to live with his sister and her family. This shift introduced him to a bilingual environment,….

how are people diverse learners

People are diverse learners in various ways. Here are a few examples: 1. Learning Styles: Individuals have different preferred learning styles, such as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. Visual learners learn best through pictures, diagrams, and visual aids, while auditory learners grasp information better through listening and speaking. Kinesthetic learners, on the other hand, learn best through physical activities and hands-on experiences. 2. Sensory Preferences: People have different sensory preferences and sensitivities. Some may have a heightened sense of touch, taste, smell, sight, or hearing, which may affect their learning. For instance, individuals who are visually impaired may need alternative methods, like Braille....

Let\'s brainstorm together! What essay topics could be interesting on higher education difficulties for immigrants?

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Topic 1: The Social Exclusion of Marginalized Groups Essay Title: Unveiling the Hidden Toll: The Profound Impact of Social Exclusion on Marginalized Communities Introduction: In contemporary society, the insidious forces of social exclusion continue to cast a long shadow on the lives of marginalized groups. This essay delves into the multifaceted nature of social exclusion and its profound impact on these communities, shedding light on the systemic barriers, prejudices, and societal attitudes that perpetuate their marginalization. By exploring the lived experiences of those affected, we aim to unveil the hidden toll of exclusion and advocate for a more inclusive and equitable society. Body: 1. Institutional....

I need a spark of inspiration! Can you share some captivating essay topics related to Something we consider typical may be different and unusual for others.?

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Essay on Language Barriers

Language Barriers Communication is an essential part of our day to day lives. We use it in almost everything we do. Although effective communication does not guarantee success, its absence usually assures problems. In the U.S. language barriers can create many problems for non-English speaking immigrants that might include, but are certainly not limited to, difficulty finding employment, difficulty obtaining medical care, and difficulty achieving an education. Foreign-born workers are increasingly becoming a fundamental part of the community and the local workforce. The inflow of immigrants into the U.S. has provided both an opportunity for and a challenge to employers to fill many different positions. While many foreign-born …show more content…

According to a 2006 study by Glenn Flores, “Even patients who do manage to obtain care can still fall prey to miscommunication.” In one case, a mother misinterpreted the doctors' instructions and put antibiotics that were meant to be taken orally in her child's ears. In another, a doctor who did not fluently speak Spanish interpreted "she hit herself" as "I hit her," which resulted in the mother unfairly losing custody of her children (Barclay, E. 2009). Language barriers in the classroom have also become a huge problem due to the growing number of immigrant children who do not speak English. Many times non-English speaking students do not get the same educational opportunities as their English speaking peers. This lack of language equality in schools causes these children to be unsuccessful in their education which in turn can affect them in other areas of their lives. In The Circuit, Francisco Jimenez (1997), the son of Mexican immigrant parents, described his first day of school in the U.S. like this, “Mrs. Scalapino started speaking to the class and I did not understand a word she was saying. . .I thought that perhaps by paying close attention, I would begin to understand, but I did not” (p. 17-18). Language barriers are a major problem in our society today. Our ability to exchange information with others is vital to our success and survival as human beings. We depend on

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-language differences- when two people are unable to speak using the same language , or have more difficulty making themselves understood,or understanding others. You could reduce barrier to provide interpreters for non-English speaking people .

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4 Works Cited

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Effective communication with patients is critical to the safety and quality care. From the last two decades ,number of researches has been conducted on the impact of language barrier on health and healthcare. It is observed that language barriers are the main cause of medical errors, complication and adverse event. But due to data limitations ,limited researches on impacts of language barrier has been conducted in Canadian setting. However, the researches conducted on other countries on the impact of language barrier on quality of care is applicable in the Canadian context. Some researches shows that there are several barrier which affect quality of care and patient safety. Now, researches has begun to know the complexity of language, culture, race, health literacy that may affect patient care. Current approaches are moved towards the knowledge of risk of language barrier rather than implementation of effective, evidence informed strategies.

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The language barrier is one of the biggest problems people face when they move to another country. Many immigrants who come from other countries are met with many linguistic challenges that not only impede their control of daily life tasks but also their ability to survive. I believe that it is important for immigrants to speak a national language. If they are unable to speak a national language, they will be unable to function to the fullest and therefore become isolated and disempowered from the community.

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Nobody’s born with the language they speak today. Everyone is born with a clean tongue that is transformed to make sounds and words that are native to their homeland and people they were raised by. Language can’t be described as a trait, like the color of your skin or the width of your shoulders. When society discriminates against individuals that speak differently, they are judging them based on how they were raised and how they were taught to speak, people don’t see them as just a person that didn’t have a choice of how they wanted to communicate, and conformed to fit into a puzzle of a whole area of people that sound the same way. I believe that people are molded by experience and adapt to the environment they were placed in. Life is

How to Overcome Language Barriers in Essay Writing for International Students

Table of contents

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, it's no surprise that more and more international students are seeking higher education in foreign countries. While this is undoubtedly an exciting opportunity, it can also come with its fair share of challenges - one of which being language barriers in essay writing.

But fear not, dear reader! Our team at Writers Per Hour has compiled a list of helpful tips to help you overcome these obstacles and become a successful college essay writer. So grab a cup of coffee (or tea, if that's your thing), and let's dive in!

According to the 2020 Open Doors report by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE), international students continue to choose the United States as their top destination for education. Despite a 7% decline in new international student enrollment over the previous two years, enrollment stabilized during the 2019/2020 academic year with a decrease of only 0.6%. This suggests that efforts to welcome and support international students are having a positive impact on their decision to study in the U.S. Nonetheless, language barriers remain a challenge for many international students, particularly in academic writing.

This highlights the importance of addressing language barriers and providing support for international students to succeed in academia. Let's explore some practical strategies that can help international students improve their academic writing skills.

Common language barriers faced by non-native English speakers in essay writing

Prior to exploring tactics, it is crucial to comprehend the prevalent linguistic obstacles encountered by non-native English speakers when it comes to essay writing. These hindrances encompass errors in grammar, inappropriate selection of words, ineptness in structuring sentences, and struggles with academic terminology.

Furthermore, cultural disparities in writing patterns and anticipations can also prove to be a hurdle for overseas scholars. Having an awareness of these barriers serves as the initial stride toward enhancing one's academic writing abilities.

Strategies for improving your language skills

Now that we understand the language barriers international students face, let's explore some practical strategies to improve their academic essay-writing skills.

Sign up for language courses or hire a tutor : Signing up for language courses or working with a tutor can prove to be helpful: These resources provide personalized attention and guidance to help overcome specific challenges.

Utilize online tools and resources that can aid in developing language proficiency : There are numerous online tools and resources available that can assist in enhancing language proficiency. Grammarly and Hemingway Editor are two popular options that provide real-time feedback on grammar, spelling, and writing style.

Read more scholarly articles and publications in one's field of study : Reading scholarly articles and publications in one's field of study can help to familiarize oneself with academic language and writing conventions. This can also aid in the development of critical thinking skills.

Practice writing regularly : Practicing writing regularly can help to improve one's fluency, grammar, and usage of appropriate vocabulary. This can include keeping a journal or blog, participating in online writing forums, or taking on small writing assignments.

Seek feedback from peers and professors : Seeking feedback from peers or professors can provide insight into areas that need improvement and help to refine one's writing skills. It is important to approach this feedback with an open mind and a willingness to learn and make necessary changes.

By implementing these strategies, international students can overcome language barriers and improve their academic writing abilities, ultimately enhancing their academic success.

Techniques for overcoming language barriers

Language barriers can be a major challenge for international students when it comes to essay writing. However, utilizing online tools and resources can be an effective technique for overcoming these obstacles. Popular options such as Grammarly and Hemingway Editor provide real-time feedback on grammar, spelling, and writing style, which can significantly enhance language proficiency.

Additionally, practicing writing regularly, reading scholarly publications in one's field of study, and seeking feedback from peers and professors can aid in the development of critical thinking skills and improve fluency, grammar, and vocabulary usage. By implementing these strategies, international students can improve their essay writing abilities and produce high-quality work that meets the standards of academic writing.

Furthermore, taking advantage of language resources such as language exchange programs, language tutors, and language labs can also be extremely beneficial in overcoming language barriers. With dedication and hard work, international students can overcome their language challenges and achieve academic success.

Tips for effective proofreading and editing to catch errors and improve language quality

Proofreading and editing are crucial steps in the writing process that can improve the quality of language usage, catch errors, and enhance clarity. Here are some tips for effective proofreading and editing :

Take a break before proofreading - stepping away from your writing for a while can help you see it with fresh eyes and better identify errors.

Read out loud - this technique can help you catch grammar mistakes, awkward phrasing, and other errors that may not be immediately apparent when reading silently.

Focus on one aspect at a time - instead of trying to catch all errors at once, focus on specific aspects such as grammar, punctuation, or flow during each round of proofreading and editing.

Use spelling and grammar check tools - while not foolproof, these tools can be helpful in identifying basic errors.

Have someone else read your work - a fresh set of eyes can catch mistakes that you might have missed.

By taking the time to thoroughly proofread and edit your writing, you can improve the quality of your language usage and ensure that your work is clear, concise, and error-free.

Importance of reading widely in your field

Reading extensively in your field is crucial for improving comprehension and expanding vocabulary. It exposes you to various writing styles, terminology, and ideas that can enhance your understanding and communication skills. This knowledge helps you develop a broader perspective and generate nuanced arguments in your writing.

Additionally, reading widely expands your vocabulary by introducing new terms and concepts, allowing for more precise language when discussing complex ideas. It also keeps you up-to-date with the latest developments in your field, which is essential for professionals who need to remain current with their knowledge and skills. Overall, reading widely in your field is vital for professional development to improve writing skills, increase topic understanding, and stay informed about the latest trends.

Collaborating with a native speaker or hiring an editor

Hiring a native speaker or professional editor can improve your essay writing. A native speaker offers valuable feedback on grammar, phrasing, and cultural nuances. An editor will ensure polished and error-free work by suggesting alternative wording or sentence structures and checking for errors. Collaborating with an expert can help you learn new writing strategies and enhance your skills. It's a smart investment in enhancing the quality of your work and becoming a better writer.

Addressing cultural differences in essay writing

Being mindful of cultural differences is crucial in academic writing to ensure your work is well-received. It's important to consider variations in tone and structure that may exist across cultures or regions. Researching cultural norms can be helpful, as can seeking feedback from native speakers or specialists. Remaining flexible and intentional in your writing style can make your work more accessible and effective for a global audience.

Academic integrity

Plagiarism is a serious offense in essay writing, and it's important to take the necessary steps to avoid it. Plagiarism can occur when you use someone else's ideas, words, or work without giving them proper credit.

To avoid plagiarism , always make sure to properly cite your sources and give credit to the original author. This can involve including in-text citations or footnotes in your paper, as well as a comprehensive reference list at the end of your work.

It's important to understand the specific citation style used by your institution or field of study, such as APA or MLA. Familiarize yourself with the specific guidelines and rules for citing sources in that style, including how to format the citation and what information needs to be included.

Additionally, it's important to use your own words and ideas when writing, rather than simply copying and pasting from other sources. If you do use a direct quote or paraphrase someone else's work, make sure to properly cite it and give credit where credit is due.

Overcoming writer's block in a second language

Overcoming writer's block can be a challenge, especially when writing in a second language. However, there are several strategies you can use to help break through the barrier and get your words flowing again.

Firstly, try brainstorming or freewriting. Just start writing down any ideas that come to mind, without worrying about grammar or structure. This can help you get your creative juices flowing and generate new ideas.

Another strategy is to take a break and do something else for a while. Go for a walk, listen to music, or engage in another creative activity. Sometimes stepping away from your writing and giving your brain a break can help you come back to it with a fresh perspective and renewed energy.

You can also try writing in short bursts. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and write as much as you can during that time. This can help overcome the feeling of being overwhelmed by the task at hand and make the writing process feel more manageable.

Finally, don't be afraid to ask for help. Reach out to friends, language exchange partners or a tutor for support and feedback on your writing. Having someone else's perspective and guidance can be invaluable in overcoming writer's block and improving your writing skills. Remember, practice makes perfect, so keep writing and don't give up!

The benefits of overcoming language barriers

Overcoming language barriers in college essay writing can significantly benefit your grades and career opportunities. By improving your writing skills in a second language, you can effectively communicate complex ideas and demonstrate your understanding of the subject matter.

In terms of grades, overcoming language barriers can help ensure that you are accurately conveying your knowledge and expertise to your professors. This can result in higher marks and a better overall academic experience.

Moreover, improving your writing skills in a second language can open up new career opportunities. In today's global economy, bilingualism is increasingly valued by employers. Strong writing skills in multiple languages can make you a valuable asset in fields such as international business, journalism, and academia.

Additionally, overcoming language barriers can boost your confidence and self-esteem. The ability to express yourself effectively in multiple languages can help you feel more comfortable and competent in academic and professional settings.

In short, overcoming language barriers in academic writing is a worthwhile pursuit that can lead to improved grades, expanded career opportunities, and increased confidence. Don't let language barriers hold you back - take steps to improve your writing skills today!

" Overcoming language barriers is crucial for success in the competitive world of academic writing. With the right support and resources, anyone can improve their skills and achieve their goals. " - states Hlib Nikolenko, CEO of Writers Per Hour.

Bottom Line

In conclusion, if you're looking to break down the language barrier in academic writing, don't fret! With a little elbow grease and some determination, you can overcome any linguistic hurdle. Remember, as Confucius once said, "The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." So start chipping away at those language barriers and watch your academic success soar!

At Writers Per Hour, we understand the importance of overcoming language barriers in academic writing. Our team of experienced writers can provide you with the support and resources you need to improve your skills and achieve your goals. Whether you need help with a specific assignment or want to develop better writing habits overall, our services are tailored to meet your individual needs.

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Artículos

Language barriers to effective communication

Barreras del lenguaje para una comunicación efectiva

Utopía y Praxis Latinoamericana , vol. 24 , núm. Esp.6 , pp. 64-77 , 2019

Universidad del Zulia

Recepción: 17 Septiembre 2019

Aprobación: 12 Noviembre 2019

Abstract: Globalization and communication technology are bringing the world closer together in a global village, including language barriers. The things that prevent us from understanding each other's constitute a common challenge to individuals, groups, international companies, governments, nations, and the whole world. This qualitative study aimed at exploring the factors that cause language barriers, their types, and their impact on effective communication and our life as well as ways to make people aware of the importance of overcoming them. The study concluded that language or semantic barriers arise from different subjects such as meanings and uses of words, symbols, images, gestures, languages and dialects.

Keywords: Communication, Language Barriers, Semantic Barriers, Understanding.

Resumen: La globalización y la tecnología de la comunicación están uniendo al mundo en una aldea global, incluyendo barreras del idioma. Las cosas que nos impiden entendernos constituyen un desafío común para las personas, los grupos, las compañías internacionales, los gobiernos, las naciones y el mundo entero. Este estudio cualitativo tuvo como objetivo explorar los factores que causan las barreras del idioma, sus tipos y su impacto en la comunicación efectiva y nuestra vida, así como las formas de sensibilizar a las personas sobre la importancia de superarlas. El estudio concluyó que el lenguaje o las barreras semánticas surgen de diferentes temas, como significados y usos de palabras, símbolos, imágenes, gestos, idiomas y dialectos.

Palabras clave: barreras del lenguaje, barreras semánticas, comprensión, comunicación.

1.INTRODUCTION

Human communication is a social interaction process. It is an essential part of our daily life. It is a process of creating, exchanging, sharing ideas, information, opinions, facts, feelings, and experiences between a sender and a receiver. Communication is fundamental to the existence and survival of individuals, groups, societies, and nations. Language is the most common tool of communication. It plays a vital role in helping people build a bridge of relationships. At the same time, language acts as a destroyer of bridges of human relations because it separates people from each other. Language continues to remain a barrier to convey our messages to people in the globalization and communication era. Language barriers are a common challenge in international business, aviation and social settings. They affect our daily life.

Language barriers are the root causes of many problems or obstacles in health care, aviation, maritime,business, and education. For example, (a)Effective communication between healthcare providers, patients, and families is critical for providing safe and quality healthcare. The results of a Canadian study about the negative impact of language barriers on quality of care and patient safety: Patients and interpreters described experiences where language barriers contributed to more inferior patient assessment, misdiagnosis, delayed treatment, incomplete understanding of patient condition, risks of medication errors and complications and prescribed treatment (Bowen: 2015). In the second example, Aviation researchers emphasize that over 60% of aircraft incidents are caused by human error (Sexton & Helmreich: 2000, pp.63-68).

The failure of crews to communicate effectively is one common type of error. According to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASAS) of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), over70% of the first 28,000 reports received were found to be related communication issues (Drury et al.: 2005). Therefore, ineffective communication is a global threat to aviation safety. The third example, increased globalization is forcing a growing number of business managers and employees to interact across linguistic boundaries (Lauring: 2008, pp.343-361). A German study titled "language Barriers in Different Forms of International Assignments" has connected language barriers to a series of organizational behavior phenomena. The results showed that language barriers have effects on the multinational corporation as follows: effects on employees' emotions, social identity formation, trust formation, power relations (Tenzer & Schuster: 2017, pp.63-100). The fourth example, the findings of a study about the impact of language barriers on the customers of English as a Second Language, suggests that language barriers generate negative emotional and cognitive responses and prevent the customers from taking specific actions such as seeking necessary information or complaining about a service failure. (Meuter et al.: 2015, p.371).

The fifth example, language barriers, lack of communication, and miscommunication onboard merchant vessels is the primary cause of accidents at sea every year. During 1990 there were four Canadian pilotage incidents where ineffective communication between the Pilot and the Master had severe consequences. (a) In July 1990, the Enerchem Fusion ran ground, due to problems in confirming the Master's intentions of taking over the conduct of the vessel from the pilot. The vessel was carrying 8,000 tons of petroleum products, and although a severe pollution incident was avoided, the vessel was declared a constructive total loss. (b) Similar problems in communication intentions between The Master and the Pilot resulted in the grounding of the Lake Anima, a Norwegian chemical tanker. (c) During 1191 two further incidents resulted from a failure in the communication of intentions between a Master and a Pilot. The Irving Nordick grounded in the St. Lawrence River suffering structural damage. The lack of adequate information exchange between a Master and Pilot were contributing to an accident. The Yugoslavian Malfnska also ran ground because although both Pilot and Master had calculated the vessel's position, neither had consulted with the other, and the master did not know the pilot's intention. (Granek et al.: 2013, pp.e129-e135) There is an overwhelming international consensus on the negative impact of language barriers on our lives.

Figure 1. Global obstacles to communication (AIM Strategies Virtual Team Trends Report.2013-05-28)

Communication has numerous definitions (Marume et al.: 2016, pp.26-32):

1. Sharing: of meanings, ideas, opinions, facts, feelings, experiences, information between a sender and a receiver.
2. Meeting of Minds: mutual understanding or agreement between the sender and the receiver oncommon issues. Communication occurs only when the message hasbeen understood, and understanding occurs in the mind of the receiver. So we should speak to people according to their level of understanding to get our message across to them.
3. Understanding: effective communications happened when the receiver understood the message.
4. Getting feedback: feedback or response is critical to ensure that an accurate understanding of the message has occurred. A simple definition of communication is that the process of exchanging ideas, feelings, opinions, facts, information, and experiences between the sender and a receiver verbally (spoken, written and nonverbally, sign-language, and body language.) through a channel of communication. To understand the human communication process, one must understand how people relate to each other.

Communication takes two forms:

A-Verbal Communication: the exchange of ideas, thoughts, feelings, opinions, and experiences through spoken or written words.B-Non-Verbal Communication: the exchange of ideas, thoughts, emotions, opinions, feelings, and experiences through sign language and body language (facial expression, eye-contact, voice, hand movement, posture).

The Communication Process is composed of the model or map of the communication process that shows the relationships between the elements or components of the communication process.

Figure 2. Presents the communication process, and how does communication take place?

The steps or elements or components of the communication process:

1. Sender (Source): The initiator of communication and the originator of a message. He is responsible for being sure the message is accurately received and understood.
2. Encoding: a process in which the ideas to be conveyed are translated into a code or set of symbolsor some other format of expression.
3. Message: the idea, information, opinion, fact, feeling, etc. It is the heart of the communication process. It can be a Spoken, written word, sign language, and body language.
4. Channel: the medium used to convey the message to the receiver. The media of communicationinclude radio, newspaper, telephone, TV, and internet.
5. Decoding: is the process of translating the message into a language that can be understood by the receiver.
6. Receiver: The receiver is the individual or individuals to whom the message is directed. (Listener, reader, and viewer).

Feedback is a must to ensure that messages have been understood and received and helps the sender and the receiver obtain mutual understanding.

8. Effect: the sender communicates in order to influence the receiver's knowledge attitudes and practice or actions (KAP).

The environment or circumstances in which communication takes place. How does the communication process happen?

The sender has an intention or idea or feeling and meaning that exists in his mind. He encoded them into a message.

The sender transmits his message through the right channel to the receiver.

The receiver gets the message, decodes and interprets it based on his understanding of the meaning of the language and reacts or responds by sending feedback (new message) to the sender. Thus, he becomes a sender.

The original sender now becomes a receiver and reacts to the response of the sender (receiver).Based on the results of the communication process, the change may happen in the knowledge, attitude, and behavior (action) of the receiver. Communication is an interactive process; its effectiveness is judged by how closely the receivers' understanding matches the sender's intention.

It is a communication between two or more persons in which the intended message is appropriately encoded, delivered through an appropriate channel, received and adequately decoded and understood by the receiver or receivers. (Effective Communication) It is a two-way process. It is crucial for communicating successfully with others. It enables people to build and maintain relationships and accomplish goals, jobs, and tasks.

The primary characteristics are as follows (Jureddi & Brahmaiah: 2016, pp.114-115).

1. -Using language that is appropriate to others' level of understanding.
2. making sure others receive the information or knowledge.
3. Developing relationships with others.
4. Talking with others in a way that facilitates openness and honesty.
5. Completeness of the message.
6. Clarity of the message.
7. Integrity of the message.
8. Conciseness of the message.
9. Consideration of physical setting and the recipient.
10. Courtesy to be maintained.
11. Correctness of the Message.

Merely speaking, effective communication is the process of sending the right message to the right receiver through the right channel at the right time and place with the right feedback.

Barriers to Effective Communication are obstacles or problems that breakdown the communicationprocess because they prevent the flow of information between a sender and a receiver. There are numerous barriers to communication, and these may occur at any stage in the communication process. They can be classified into the following categories: mechanical, physical, psychological, social, noise, religious, cultural, and language barriers.

Figure 3. Barriers to effective communication as described

Language is the most powerful tool of communication. Its function includes the: communication of ideas, thoughts, opinion and emotional expression, social interaction, using the power of sound, g recording facts, expression of identity. However, at the same time, a common barrier to effective communication. Language or semantic barriers arise when many words have more than one meaning, and a sender and a receiver try to communicate in a language, which themselves do not understand properly. So, communication is not always successful. There may be some faults or obstacles in the communication system, which may prevent the message from reaching the intended receiver or its destination. Language barriers are generally arising in five areas: the way a message is originated and sent by a sender, environmental interruptions, and the way it is received and understood by a receiver. Language barriers are significant because they are often an impediment to building relationships with others. They can cause misunderstandings that lead to conflict, frustration, offense, violence, hurt feelings, and wasting time, effort, money, and lives of the people.

Summary, language barriers are semantic problems that arise during the process of encoding and/ordecoding the message into words and ideas, respectively. They are one of the main barriers that limit effective communication. They are the most common communication barriers which cause misunderstandings and misinterpretations between people. They indicate difficulties that two people, who do not share a common language, face when they are trying to communicate with each other. They can also refer to the complete absence of communication between the two people who speak different languages.

The study aimed at exploring and understanding the factors, which create language barriers in a real-life, identify the nature of communication, critically examine the impact of language barriers on effective communication, our way of exchanging messages, making people, groups, governments and nations aware of the importance of overcoming them and making recommendation based on the study results for improving the effectiveness of communication.

The study focuses on the importance of language or semantic barriers to communication, their types,causes, impact on our lives, and how to deal with them effectively in order to get our messages across.

Research says that effective communication is difficult to achieve. In today's globalized world, effective communication is essential to building relationships between people by using verbal and non-verbal language as a tool of communication. Nevertheless, language can act as a bridge in communication with people, and a barrier (wall) which prevents people from exchanging simple, clear, and accurate messages. In thecommunication era, language barriers divide and separate us by creating misunderstandings, misinformation, distortion, fatal errors, frustration disasters, conflict, and violence among people globally. Language barriers waste our efforts, time, and money. This study aims at identifying language barriers, their types, and discusses their impact on human communication and ways of overcoming them.

The study focuses only on language barriers to verbal communication.

This qualitative study presents research aiming to explore factors, which cause language barriers in real life, give examples about the effectiveness of language barriers on communication, and discuss shown to reduce or overcome the language barrier of communication.

Research Questions:

1: What is the definition of communication?

2: What is the impact of language barriers on the communication process?

3: What are the barriers to effective communication?

5: What are the root causes of communication failure?

7: How can we overcome language barriers?

The Root Causes of Language Barriers:

The difference in Language: is the most obvious barrier to communication as two people speaking two different languages cannot communicate with each other. For example, an American goes to Egypt. He does not understand Arabic, and most people in Egypt do not understand English. So, when an American speaks, communication is worthless as the Egyptians do not understand it.

The Accent:

The use of words or phrases of people belonging to different places or regions may differ in meanings, interpretations even if their language is the same, which may lead to various kinds of conflicts and disasters? For example, in 1977, the deadliest air disaster happened in the Canary Islands. Two 747 jets, one Pan AM, one KLM collided on the runway at Tenerife airport, killing 583 travelers. Language played a significant role in the disaster. The co-pilot of a KLM radioed the control tower in a heavy Dutch accent " we are now at takeoff. " air traffic controllers interpreted the message that to mean the plane was ready to go but stopped short of the runway. However, the KLM plane had started its take-off run and rammed into a PAN AM on the same fog-laden runway. The tower did not understand the message and told KLM to stand bye. Investigations showed that the primary language of the crew of KLM was Dutch, the air controllers' primary language was Portuguese. All were speaking English, but they used English as a second language that contributed to a lack of communication or misunderstanding between them. After reviews of cockpit recorder transcriptions determined that KLM pilot's use of non-standard phraseology during the critical moments leading up to the accident contributed to disaster (Lee: 2003).

Poorly Misunderstood Language messages can confuse:

Miscommunication between the air traffic controllers and pilots is a safety threat globally. Although English is the international language of aviation, even when the pilots and air traffic controllers both speak English fluently, there are failures in the ways they hear it. For example, in November 1996, the pilot of Saudi Arabia Airlines Boeing 747 misunderstood an air traffic controllers' directive to descend and instead climbed, colliding with Kazakhstan National Airways cargo plane near Delhi, India killing 349 travelers (Cheng: 2015). It wasprimarily blamed on a language barrier, involving pilots whose first language is not English. To avoid such a lack of understanding, which caused a fatal disaster, the pilot of the Saudi plane should have asked the controller to repeat the instructions for the second time, until understood.

Misusing Words:

Sometimes the sender misuses words, which may distort the message and lead to misunderstanding distorts the message. The sender should be accurate and familiar to both the sender and the receiver to avoid misunderstanding. For Example, The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) editorial guideline regarding reporting terrorism states:

We must report acts of terror quickly, accurately, fully and responsibly. Terrorism is a difficult and emotive subject with significant political overtones, and care is required in the use of language that carries value judgments. We try to avoid the use of the term "terrorist" without attribution. When we do use the term, we should strive to do so with consistency in the stories we report across all our services and in a way that does not undermine our reputation for objectivity and accuracy. The word "terrorist" itself can be a barrier rather than an aid to understanding. We should convey to our audience the full consequences of the act by describing what happened. We should use words which specifically describe the perpetrator such as "bomber", "attacker", "gunman", "kidnapper", "insurgent", and “militant". We should not adopt other people's language as our own; our responsibility is to remain objective and report in ways that enable our audiences to make their own assessments about who is doing what to whom (Li et al.: 2010, pp.385-391).

To avoid misunderstanding and get his message across, the sender should use accurate and familiar words to the receiver.

Using Abusive Words:

No one can bear rude language. For example, (a) In the Arab society calling a person "you pig" means "you are dirty" is an offending word. (b) The administration of- the Arab Bank based in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan- started establishing branches in the Palestinian occupied West Bank, but it was faced with a big language barrier that prevented it from using the word "Client “because it means" Traitor" or "spy" for the Palestinians the one who cooperates with the Israeli security. So, it used an alternative word "The beneficiary of the services”. The use of rude words or expressions will provoke negative emotions. (c), When Russian President Vladimir Putin met British prime-minister Tony Blair in St. Petersburg in 2000, he spoke about Chechens’ insulting attitude to Russians and illustrated this by an abusive slogan in Russian in a Chechen military camp:

Above us is Allah" and" under us goats" Blair was obviously puzzled as he could not see anything very insulting in translation. But the Russian word for "goat" is very rude when it is used about people. Blair could not see the insult because, as Chechens live in the mountains, above them is "Allah" and under them are mountain goats (Ter-Minasova: 2008, pp.297-342).

It sounds rather poetic than insulting. The sender should avoid rude words or expressions because they may hurt the feelings of the receiver and provoke emotions.Using Jargon:

They are overcomplicated technical terms or unfamiliar words or abbreviations used by professionals like doctors, engineers, pilots, scientists to enhance communication by simplifying a particular concept to the receivers. For example: (a) in the computer jargon, 'to burn a "CD" means "to copy the data on a CD". To a common man, the word 'burn' may have a very different connotation.

(b)Grammar and spelling: Language barriers may arise when the sender makes errors in grammar and spelling. These mistakes can create communication problems in written communication. For example, aperson makes a mistake of typing "done"," don" " buy" "bye" "meet" " meat" "Lead" "lead" "red" "Read". They are understood by their context or pronunciation. The spelling and grammar checker of the computer does not label it as wrong as "don " is also a correct word. But the word can change the whole meaning of the sentence or make the sentence not understandable. To avoid such mistake, the sender must use dictionary to verify spelling, use spell-checker computer to ensure that spelling is correct or ask someone to proofread your writing(c) The 300-word language of aviation which consists of 300 words and terminology is a combination of professional jargon and plain English. It was created to avoid pilots and air controllers mishearing and misunderstanding each other and avoid potentially fatal accidents taking place. e.g. “roger" This means "message received and understood", "Wilco ": An abbreviation of "will comply", it means the pilot has received the message and will comply." Affirm", means "yes", and pronounced "AY-firm". (Lunenburg: 2010, pp.1-10) So, the sender should avoid using jargon and unfamiliar words or terms because they lead to misunderstanding and confusion and accidents. Following several such air traffic accidents. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) suggested English should be the international language of aviation, and that pilots and air traffic controllers - must have basic knowledge of it and take exams (Fischer et al.: 1996).

Using Slang Words:

Informal words and phrases used in communication that often exclude specific groups. Avoid idiomatic expressions or slang. American English is full of idioms. An idiom is a distinctive, often colorful expression whose meaning cannot be understood. From the combined meaning of its individual words, for example, the phrase “to kill two birds with one stone.” Slangs leads to the misunderstanding of the message. The sender must not use slang in order to reduce misunderstanding.

Using Impolite Words:

Usage of rude or slang language can impede all the efforts of communicating verbally. Communicating in a foreign country can be confusing if no one speaks your language or any other language that you know. Similarly, it can be frustrating not to understand the meaning of certain words that the locals use. Even when they try to speak English, you may find some of the things they say impolite. For example, the Thais often use the common word "farang" when they speak to western people. This word may sound negative to Westerners. It makes them feel looked down upon and angry because Guava in Thai is called "farang ". The same word is also used for white people." Farang" is a Thai form of the Arabic word"Ifranji", which means white travelers, so Thais call white people" farang" regardless of their nationality and social status. To a Thai person, the word" Farang "does not have any negative connotations. (Wiener & Rivera: 2004, pp.93-101) The sender should not use words and expressions that belittle or hurt the feelings of others.

Misinterpretation of Words:

Semantic problems often arise because of the gap between the meaning as intended by the sender and that as understood by the receiver. This happens when the receiver does not assign the same meaning to the word as the sender had intended. Words can express a variety of meanings depending upon their, i.e., in the context in which they are used nature. For example, the word 'yellow' when used as an adjective can have multiple connotations depending upon its usage. ‘Yellow’, besides being a primary color, also stands for ‘freshness’, ‘beauty’, ‘sickness’, ‘decay’, " yellow cow for Jews" means "holy cow “and" yellow traffic light " means "caution"." Yellow race" means "Mongolians”, “Yellow emperor”. "Emperor of China". Hence, the receiver is free to interpret it in any of these ways based on his imagination, educational background, and experience. But for communication to be perfect, it is essential that the receiver must assign to it the same meaning which the sender had in his mind while encoding the message. Therefore, there is always a possibility of misinterpretation of the messages. Mostly, such problems arise when the sender does not use simple and clear words that can convey the exact meaning to the receiver.

Choice of Wrong Words:

A single word has different meanings for different persons. If both the sender and the receiver choose different meanings for the same word, then it causes a semantic barrier. Improper words may result in unclear or distorted messages and create a bad impression. For example, In Arabic Culture, the word" redman"(communist) or a" man dressed in red "or a "man with a red face". Or a" bloody man". So, if people do not understand the words, they cannot understand the message. The sender should choose his words carefully in order to bridge gaps, build relations, and create understanding.

Using Ambiguous or Vague Words or Phrases:

They are not clearly or explicitly stated or expressed. Ambiguity arises when the sender and the receiver of the message assume different meanings to the same words, phrases, and sentences or use different words to convey the same meaning. A sender often assumes that the receiver can understand the meaning of these words, phrases, and sentences as he does. For example, The Israelis misinterpreted the text of the UN resolution 242 article (i)" Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied (the West Bank and Gaza) in the recent conflict.

"That calls for the total withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Palestine lands occupied in1967. The Israeliargument is that the withdrawal phrase in the Resolution was not meant to refer to a total withdrawal, because there is no word "all" or "the" before "territories" in the withdrawal phase. (Taylor et al.: 2013, p.35) The wording of the withdrawal phrase is vague or ambiguous, so it was misinterpreted by Israel because it was not clearly or explicitly stated. But anyway, it must be placed in the context of the rest of the resolution that calls for a total withdrawal of the Israeli Army from the Palestinian occupied lands in 1967. (b) Vague Phrases, such as: "It will be there as usual." or "The same as last time." The phrase" as soon as possible" could mean a couple of minutes or hours to the sender and a day or two for the receiver. (c) The word "Pope " is vague because there are two Popes for the Christians: Pope for the Western World and a Pope for Coptic Christians people in Egypt in the East. To avoid such misunderstanding, the sender should use clear, precise language, stating exactly times and locations and names. Choosing ambiguous words or terms to convey your message will lead the receiver to confusion and misunderstanding. You can avoid any ambiguity by repeating the term or using alternatives. Ambiguous communication means open to many different interpretations.

Language Barriers in the Same Langue:

A language barrier can appear when the sender and the receiver do speak the same language. People speaking the same language can have difficulty understanding each other if they are from different regions of the same country. Dialectical and accents differences, the use of slang and regional colloquialisms can create numerous problems that may lead to misunderstanding and gaps in communication. For example, an incident described as a type of the risks of not speaking the same language, the crew of a Lot Polish Airline Boeing 737 struggled to communicate with British air traffic controllers after their electronic flight displays went blank in instrument meteorological conditions following a departure from London Heathrow Airport. The Polish pilots are unable to communicate their problems to the British air controller. (Werfelman: 2008, p.3) Another example, the use of slang makes communication ineffective, such as the use of the word "grass" to describe marijuana in America can act as a barrier for the people who do not know the slang meaning.

Religious Language Differences:

Language barriers generally result from the lack of understanding between the followers of the three religions. For example, an American Christian, an American Jew, and an American Muslim all worship one God, but they have different names for God. "God" for Christians,” Elohim or Yahweh" for a Jew, and "Allah" for a Muslim. Each one of them has a different concept for God. The sender should use dialogue to communicate with the receiver in order to overcome misunderstanding.

Regional Dialects:

People speak the same language, but dialectical differences can create misunderstanding and gaps in communication because the meanings, implications, and interpretations of words are different. For example, India uses over. Major languages, each spoken in one particular region and each language has a number of dialects and regional variations which might not always be mutually understandable. (Narayan: 2013, pp.236-Another example, although Arabs speak a common language (Arabic), some of them might have difficultyunderstanding the meaning of the message and the feedback. This might also be a cause of obstacles in communication. Americans think Asians have an accent, and Asians think Americans.

No clear speech:

People who speak soft or in a small voice or heavy tongue or unclear words cannot be understood. The sender might be saying something, whereas the receiver might understand something. Though speaking common language, people might have difficulty understanding the meaning of the message and the feedback. This might also be a cause of obstacles in communication. For example, God delivered the message to Moses and asked him to preach it to Pharaoh first then to the Egyptians, but he could not get his message across because he was suffering from problem in his tongue that prevents him from speaking well. So, he asked God to cure his tongue." Moses said: " O my Lord, expand me my breast, ease my task for me, and remove the impediment from my speech, so they may understand what I say (Abdullah YA, p.370). Then he asked God to appoint his brother Aaron a mouthpiece (spokesperson) for him to be able to communicate his message effectively. " And my brother Aaron–he is more eloquent in speech than I. So, send him with me as a helper, to confirm (and strengthen) me, for I fear that they may accuse me of falsehood." (Ibid, p.22-473).

Using taboo words:

Some people may find it difficult to express their emotions or ideas, and some topics may be completely 'off-limits' or taboo. Taboo topics maybe politics, religion, sexuality and sex, racism and any opinion that may be seen as unpopular.

Faulty Translation of Words:

A translator is a person who makes a written transfer of a message between two languages. Effective translations must be done with accuracy, clarity, and impartiality. For example, the literal translation of Kentucky Fried Chechen: KFC's slogan" Finger-lick in' good" in Chinese is "Eat your fingers off." (Cho et al.: 2007, pp.309-329) The lack of sufficient knowledge in a language can cause misunderstandings, which may lead to big losses in money, effort, time, and potential customers internationally. To solve this problem, companies should hire competent translators in the language and culture of the customers. But for communication to be perfect, it is essential that the receiver must assign to it the same meaning which the sender had in his mind while encoding the message. Therefore, there is always a possibility of misinterpretation of the messages. Mostly, such problems arise when the sender does not use simple and clear words that can convey the exact meaning to the receiver.

How to Overcome Language Barriers?

Language barriers prevent people from sharing their ideas, thoughts, and feelings, experience, information, and expectations, give feedback or communicate effectively. Here are some of the main solutions to reduce or eliminate them (Drury & Ma: 2002):

Choose familiar words and language to the receiver to avoid miscommunication.

Avoid using vague, ambiguous, or confusing words, terms, jargon, and phrases, idiomatic expressions, or slang.

Avoid using difficult words, complex sentences, unnecessary information. Use short, simplesentences.

Check meanings. When communicating across cultures, never assume that the other person has understood.

Think in terms of your receiver.

Use your receiver's language.

Keep your message simple to promote effective communication.

Use simple, clear, accurate, and correct and familiar language.

Avoid slang or use of culturally or technically specific expressions or terminology.

Select your words carefully. Choose simple words, phrases, and short sentences.

Use language appropriate to the level of understanding of the receiver.

Use familiar language to the receivers.

Ask for clarification.

Frequently check for understanding by asking for feedback.

Politely ask for clarification and avoid any assumptions.

Avoid idioms, technical terms or jargon.

Use plain language where possible.

Hire qualified interpreters and translators.

Hire bilingual employees.

Use repetition because people need to hear things more than once to understand and remember it.

Use verbal and non-verbal messages appropriately.

Be respectful: Language barriers can be frustrating. They require patience, understanding, and consciousness.

Used visual methods of communication to explain complicated concepts such as pictures, diagrams,photos, graphics, charts to help the receiver understand what the sender is trying to convey. "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Individual linguistic ability is important to train your people.

4.CONCLUSION

Communication is the process of exchanging ideas, feeling, information, knowledge, facts, opinions, and emotions between a sender and a receiver. Effective communication is sending the right message to the right receiver at the right time via the right channel in order to change the receiver's knowledge, attitude, and behavior. Language barriers are things that prevent people from understanding each other. They are a common challenge to individuals, groups, international companies, governments, nations, and the whole world. The study concluded that language barriers are factors that block or significantly distort effective communication. They arise from different meanings and uses of words, symbols, images, gesture, languages, dialects, accents, linguistic ability, technical terminology or jargon, volume of voice, ambiguous words, mispronunciation of words, faulty translation, wrong interpretation of messages, misunderstanding of messages, complicated messages and different individual linguistic ability of the sender and the receiver, poorly understood and poorly explained words and messages.

Language barriers can create problems of miscommunication such as misunderstanding, misinterpretation of messages, distorted messages, misinformation, confusion, mistrust, uncertainty, frustration, weak and wrong feedback, aviation and marine accidents and disasters, deaths, tension, conflict, violence among people. They can Leads to Factors that hindering effective communication. The best strategy to promote effective communication and get messages across is to bridge the language barriers by: using simple, clear, concrete, accurate, familiar and meaningful words, avoiding grammatical and spelling mistakes, giving and receiving feedback, hiring bilingual workers and qualified and licensed translators, minimizing the use of jargons, avoiding ambiguous words, regional dialect and, confirming understanding, using translation machines, avoiding shouting and sarcasm and mimicry, explaining confusing messages to people. The future of individuals, groups, societies, and nations depends mostly on their ability to communicate effectively with others in a globalization and communication era.

Recommendation: Based on the above findings, we recommend the following:

More studies on language barriers and their effect on customers.

IBRAHIM AHMAD ABUARQOUB : Ibrahim Ahmad is a full professor of Mass Communication, Faculty of Arts, Social Work Department - Jordan University, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He has a Ph.D. in Mass communication from Northwestern University of Illinois -USA in 1988, A master's degree in Linguistics from State University of New York in 1983. His research interest is Human Communication, Mass Communication, Psychological Warfare, Communication Campaigns, Crisis Communication, and Media Campaigns.

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Published: 08 July 2021

Ten tips for overcoming language barriers in science

Tatsuya Amano ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6576-3410 1 , 2 ,
Clarissa Rios Rojas ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6544-4663 3 ,
Yap Boum II 4 ,
Margarita Calvo ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-3349-9189 5 , 6 &
Biswapriya B. Misra 7

Nature Human Behaviour volume 5 , pages 1119–1122 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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Science in culture

Language barriers have serious consequences in science, causing inequality for under-represented communities, making non-English-language knowledge inaccessible, and impeding the uptake of science by decision-makers. Here we provide a practical checklist as a starting point for tackling this overlooked issue.

Language barriers are a multifaceted problem that has major consequences in science. Just as one would in many other situations, any scientist or user of science can face difficulties in conducting and communicating science when it involves a language other than their mother tongue. It has often been perceived as the ‘English’ barrier encountered specifically by non-native speakers of English due to their own lack of linguistic capabilities. It certainly does, often quite severely, affect educational and career opportunities for non-native English speakers 1 , 2 , who constitute 95% of the global population. We often leave the task of overcoming the language (i.e., English) barrier almost entirely to the non-native English-speaking scientific community and ultimately to individuals trying to overcome the barrier through their own efforts and investments. However, tackling language barriers is clearly an urgent task for the entire scientific community if we are to address the existing inequality in academia.

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Ramírez-Castañeda, V. Disadvantages in preparing and publishing scientific papers caused by the dominance of the English language in science: the case of Colombian researchers in biological sciences. PLoS ONE 15 , e0238372 (2020).

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Acknowledgements

We thank the eLife Ambassador program for bringing the authors together to discuss this important topic. Thanks also to W. J. Sutherland for his invaluable feedback on an earlier draft and M. Amano for all the support. T.A. is supported by the Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT180100354) and the University of Queensland strategic funding.

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Amano, T., Rios Rojas, C., Boum II, Y. et al. Ten tips for overcoming language barriers in science. Nat Hum Behav 5 , 1119–1122 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01137-1

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Language Barrier: Understanding its Impact, Challenges, and Strategies for Effective Communication

Introduction:.

A language barrier refers to the difficulty or inability to communicate effectively due to differences in language and linguistic abilities between individuals. Language barriers can occur in various settings, including healthcare, education, business, and social interactions. This comprehensive article aims to provide an understanding of language barriers, exploring their impact, challenges they pose, and strategies to overcome them for effective communication and meaningful interactions.

Impact of Language Barriers:

Language barriers can have significant implications for individuals and communities:

Limited access to information: Language barriers can restrict individuals from accessing important information, services, and resources, leading to disparities in education, healthcare, and employment opportunities.
Miscommunication and misunderstandings: Ineffective communication due to language barriers can result in misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and misdiagnoses, leading to errors, conflicts, or suboptimal outcomes.
Social isolation and exclusion: Language barriers can contribute to social isolation, as individuals may struggle to participate fully in social, cultural, and community activities.
Reduced trust and confidence: Inability to communicate fluently in a shared language can lead to decreased trust, confidence, and satisfaction in interpersonal interactions and professional relationships.

Challenges of Language Barriers:

Language barriers present several challenges to effective communication:

Linguistic differences: Different languages have unique grammar, vocabulary, and syntax, making it challenging to convey messages accurately and understand nuances.
Cultural differences: Language is closely intertwined with culture, and understanding cultural contexts and norms is essential for effective communication.
Non-verbal communication: Language barriers can hinder the interpretation and understanding of non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, and gestures, which are important for conveying meaning.
Limited resources and support: In certain contexts, resources and support for translation, interpretation, or language assistance may be limited, further exacerbating language barriers.

Strategies for Effective Communication:

Overcoming language barriers requires proactive strategies and approaches:

Professional interpreters: Utilize trained interpreters or translators proficient in both languages to ensure accurate and culturally sensitive communication.
Use of technology: Employ language translation tools, mobile applications, or video conferencing services that offer real-time translation capabilities.
Simple and clear language: Use plain language, avoid jargon or technical terms, and break down complex information into simpler concepts to enhance comprehension.
Visual aids and gestures: Incorporate visual aids, diagrams, pictures, or gestures to supplement verbal communication and facilitate understanding.
Cultural competence: Develop cultural competence by learning about and respecting cultural norms, practices, and customs to foster better cross-cultural communication.
Patience and active listening: Demonstrate patience, active listening, and empathy when communicating with individuals who have limited language proficiency, allowing for clarification and understanding.

Community and Policy Considerations:

Addressing language barriers requires a collective effort and policy considerations:

Language support services: Ensure the availability of language support services, such as interpreters, translators, or bilingual staff, in public institutions, healthcare facilities, and service-oriented organizations.
Education and awareness: Promote cultural competency training, language access policies, and awareness campaigns to foster inclusive and equitable communication practices.
Collaboration and partnerships: Encourage collaboration between diverse communities, organizations, and language service providers to develop sustainable solutions and improve language access.

Conclusion:

Language barriers can significantly impact effective communication and meaningful interactions. Understanding the challenges they pose and employing strategies to overcome them are crucial for fostering inclusive environments, providing equitable access to services, and building stronger connections across linguistic and cultural divides. By prioritizing effective communication, we can bridge language barriers and promote understanding, respect, and inclusivity in our increasingly diverse societies.

Hashtags: #LanguageBarrier #EffectiveCommunication #CulturalCompetence #LanguageAccess

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How to Deal with People’s Language Barriers Essay

Since there are hundreds of languages, it is not rare to come across people with difficulties in speaking your native language during travel, trade, or while carrying out other daily duties. However, in spite of language barriers, it is not impossible to communicate effectively.

Effectual communication is a talent that can be learned. The steps for getting your points across can easily be understood by individuals who have self-confidence and understanding of the basics (Janzen 21).

When you meet a person with difficulties in speaking your language, first, try communicating using other languages. Many people are multi lingual. You may come across a person in the US, for instance, who cannot speak Korean, but if both of you can speak English, you can talk with much ease. Concurrently, read the body language closely and try to understand the intentions of the person.

Use gestures to express universally acceptable concepts. You can smile to show that you have good intentions. This is an effective method of breaking the ice, which according to Lee, helps to make communication easy.

After making communication easy, it is advisable to use the language of the listener to say, “I don’t speak much of that language.” Do not fear to use signs. In case of further difficulties, draw pictures on a note pad if possible (Lee).

At the same time, exercise patient and pronounce words properly to find out if the other party understands the basic vocabularies. Avoid using exaggerated pronunciations, as it may result to more confusion. Nevertheless, be attentive to learn if you need to articulate certain words as your listener does (Lee). It is highly commendable to choose this method if the suitable accent is dissimilar from the non- native accent.

Additionally, it is commendable to avoid turning up the volume thinking that it would enhance communication. Further, avoid hiding your mouth since the other party will be interested in studying your mouth as you utter each word. It is also improper to use baby talk or improper language.

It can puzzle the non-native speaker and send the wrong notion regarding your level of proficiency. Moreover, avoid using running words together. This is because listeners often face the challenge of determining the last part and the beginning of words. It is, therefore, necessary to give a pause between words to help them understand the words without struggling (Caputo et al. 13).

The listener may indicate that he/she is still struggling to communicate with you, and in this case, opt for simple words instead of complex ones. The simpler the word is, the enhanced the probability that the listener will appreciate it. For example, opt for the word big instead of enormous or make instead of manufacture.

Note that sometimes, the ‘complex’ words are easier to understand than the ‘simpler’ ones (Caputo et al. 13). For example, Romance language speakers find certain ‘complex’ English words easy to understand since they are rooted in Latin.

When communicating with Somalia people, one should use the complex Swahili words since they are rooted in Arabic. After identifying your listeners’ native language, you will encounter little difficulty deciding whether to use the simple or complex words.

Your choice of verb phrases is also important. Use verb phrases whose meanings are easy to understand and do not pronounce as the listener’s language. Lee says that it is advisable to use simple phrases instead of the confusing verb phrases. “Look out” sounds almost the same as “look for.”

Using any of the verbs is not helpful to the listener. Therefore, instead of opting for “look for” it is better to opt for ‘search for’. Moreover, instead of saying ‘look out’, it is best to say ‘be careful’.

Further, is better to avoid using filler and colloquialisms. Words such as ‘um…’, ‘yeah’, and’ totally’ do not help in making communication easy. You should avoid these words.

Non-native speakers, particularly those with poorer levels of proficiency, commonly suppose that fillers are vocabularies that they do not have in their native languages. Colloquialism is equally difficult to understand. Some of them are not easy to look up for in most dictionaries since they are not universal y accepted items of language.

Patience is special virtue that may make communicating with non-native speakers. This is because you may be asked a number of times to repeat something. When asked, repeat it as you said it the initial moment because it is possible that your listener did not hear you.

However, if your listener still demonstrates difficulty in understanding, modify a few important words in the sentence, as they could have encountered problems in understanding some of the words. When repeating a sentence, repeat the entire sentence and not simply certain few words. Handling this is time consuming, but it is essential in eliminating confusion (Janzen 20).

You should put in mind that your dialect may be different from what the listener learnt in school, and therefore while paraphrasing, try using other similar words that you might have known.

In addition, use long forms of words. It is difficult for non- native speakers to determine the difference between short and long forms of words. Be explicit. You should say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ but not “Uh-huh” or “Uh-uh.” The words are confusing since they are not in grammar books.

Outstandingly, for communication to be effective, both parties should understand each other. Therefore, listening is very important. Listen and refrain from making up your mind while the other party is still talking. Keep patience until the other person is done. This will help you to give useful information based on the information he/she have provided.

At the same time, you should be conscious that certain customs have diverse norms concerning matters such as touching, personal space, and eye contact. The awareness will help you to tell whether an individual is trying to offend or not. Someone standing far away or not maintaining eye contact due to obedience to his/her cultural norms is not offending.

On the other hand, a person who behaves in the same manner but has sufficient justification may be trying to offend. You should device better strategies to improve your communication. Remember to be relaxed and have satisfactory control of your communication (Caputo et al. 13).

Conclusively, dealing with people who do not speak your language is challenging, but one can learn the apposite communication basics and overcome the barriers.

Patience and showing emotional attachment are important elements for making communication with such persons effective. An effective communicator should put into practice all the basic steps. However, apart from putting the steps into practice, he/she should exercise creativity and innovativeness.

Works Cited

Caputo, John S., Jo Palosaari, Kenneth Pickering, and John Nicholas. Effective communication . Twickenham, Eng.: Dramatic Lines, 2003. Print.

Janzen, Joy. “Teaching English language learners in the content areas.” Review of Educational Research 78.4 (2008): 1010-1038.

Lee, Peter. “How to Communicate with Non-Native Speakers of English | CultureLink International.” CultureLink International . N.p., 1 Jan. 2009. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2019, June 7). How to Deal with People’s Language Barriers. https://ivypanda.com/essays/how-to-deal-with-peoples-language-barriers/

"How to Deal with People’s Language Barriers." IvyPanda , 7 June 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/how-to-deal-with-peoples-language-barriers/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'How to Deal with People’s Language Barriers'. 7 June.

IvyPanda . 2019. "How to Deal with People’s Language Barriers." June 7, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/how-to-deal-with-peoples-language-barriers/.

1. IvyPanda . "How to Deal with People’s Language Barriers." June 7, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/how-to-deal-with-peoples-language-barriers/.

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IvyPanda . "How to Deal with People’s Language Barriers." June 7, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/how-to-deal-with-peoples-language-barriers/.

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Language Barriers: International Students, Essay Example

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Introduction

The importance of post-secondary education is illuminated by the vast increase of knowledge-based global economies (Gunderson, Odo and D’Silva). In other words, due to improved demands and skills in the modern workplace, a high school diploma is no longer a sufficient means to obtain gainful employment. In addition to this fact, American schools demonstrate increased cultural and ethnic diversity due to changing immigration trends(Gunderson, Odo and D’Silva). This paper will examine the language barriers that foreign students in American schools have to overcome in order to graduate successfully and enter the American labor force.

Asians are the largest group of foreign born nationals to move to America. In addition, experts predict that by 2031, 25 percent of all Americans will have been born in another country (Gunderson, Odo and D’Silva). It is also a known fact that English is the primary language spoken within American borders. It is therefore crucial that most people who seek employment in this country should be fluent in English.

Most immigrants arrive in the country with enough knowledge about the English language to successfully hail a cab, or order a cup of coffee. Very few, however, are proficient enough in English to walk into a well-paying job. That is why many enroll in some type of schooling; depending on their age. Constantinides (1992) found that most international students are often top academic performers in their home countries; however, English proficiency remains problematic for them. This is true, mostly because of the manner in which English is taught in foreign countries. For instance, many Asian countries, such as china, teach English through writing form, rather than through speaking form (Kuo). This means that although Asian students understand the language, they are not taught how to properly converse in it. In other words, they understand the mechanics of English, but not the soul behind it. The more important result of this factor is that many international students have difficulty understanding English lectures, jokes, slang, or accents and therefore are reluctant to participate in class (Wan).

All American universities require that international students meet the minimum language proficiency. Although the majority of international students understand English, very few are proficient in speaking the language. As such, English deficiency has been cited as the primary academic obstacle for many international students; specifically for Asian students. A 1993 study found that nearly a quarter of all dissertations in the science and engineering department were rewritten by faculty members (Kuo). Furthermore, students from Asia, the Middle East, and Africa linked their academic difficulties to the fact that they struggled with class discussions, taking notes, and giving oral reports. More than 60 percent of all Middle Eastern students said they would render improved academic outcomes if they had more time during tests and if professors would offer more explanations while students were working on tests. In addition, more than 40 percent of Middle Eastern students said their academic performance would improve if they were allowed to have lecture notes handy during test-taking (Tan). A 1994 study found that international students, who experience the aforementioned difficulties, are more likely to not complete their degrees. Also, international students who have difficulties with English are more likely to have disparate professional development and have a harder time with job placements (Kuo).

Another factor that affects the academic success of international students, particularly in post-secondary education settings, is instructional methods. A typical American college classroom centers on class participation (Gunderson, Odo and D’Silva). However, African, Asian, and Middle Eastern students may find this to be an additional stress. Classroom instruction styles in these countries differ greatly from American instruction styles. Students from these countries are taught to be reserved and quiet in the classroom; they take notes while the professors lecture. American classrooms promote student participation and some professors even allow students to eat and drink in the classroom. Understandably, this is a major adjustment for international students who attend American colleges and universities. Wan (2001), states that many international students are discouraged from interrupting a professor during a lecture, even if just to ask for clarification, because it is considered disrespectful or insulting. Furthermore, most professors in other countries dress in formal attire when attending class and many expect their students to do the same. By contrast, many American professors adopt more informal instruction methods. For instance, American professors are more likely to sit on a desk, or walk through the classroom during a lecture. As such, American professors exhibit a more interactive and flexible classroom environment, thereby fostering a more creative learning atmosphere. International students often find this type of instruction to be unstructured and discombobulating.

In order for international students to improve their academic performance, it is crucial that they adapt to American teaching styles. Adapting to American instruction methods require international students to become better problem solvers and more seasoned critical thinkers (World in Conversation). Becoming a better problem solver includes finding ways to enhance a student’s academic experience. For instance, Kuo (2011) posits that many international students exhibit poor academic performance because they are not pleased with the courses they are taking. As mentioned earlier, many international students hail from cultures where it is considered impolite to interrupt or ask too many questions. All college or university students in American schools are assigned an academic advisor. The role of such an advisor is to suggest courses that coincide with the student’s major, and then to help the student to enroll in the appropriate classes. Oftentimes many of the suggested courses have several derivatives, therefore allowing the student to choose which one they prefer. For instance, a certain major may require that a student take an art elective. The advisor may suggest sculpting, but the student may prefer painting. In the case of an international student, the student may simply accept the suggested course without much rebuttal. However, enrolling in this course may further harm the student’s academic performance because he or she is uninterested in what the class has to offer. Problem solving skills urges the student to communicate his or her displeasure and change the course. Kuo (2011) found that Asian students are least likely of all international students to add or drop courses. However, the author argues that adapting behaviors to coincide with American academic institutions will prove beneficial to these students.

As mentioned before, international students often have difficulty with the oral aspect of the English language. As such, they find it hard to understand jokes, or idioms, or even accents. As a matter of fact, Wan (2001) suggests that many international students have difficulty understanding American lectures because the professors speak too fast and have varying accents. Study participants had the following remarks when asked why they could not sufficiently understand the lectures:

“Don’t understand whatteacher says,”

“Difficult to understand theirtalking,especially terms and phrases,”

“Some professors spoketoofastandit washardtokeepfollowinghim/her,”

“The accent of some of the professors was a challengefor me.I haddifficulties understandingthem,”and

“Coping with the southern accent.” (Wan).

It is no mystery that language is one of the most important mediums of communication. This is especially true when traveling or emigrating to another country. International students who come to America are not always properly prepared for the various language challenges they will face. Although international students are almost always taught English in their home countries, the manner in which they are taught are not always effective. The result is that many international students arrive on American soil, unable to properly express themselves. The inability to express oneself, or even participate in common-day occurrences, such as shopping or bargaining, has a blatant adverse effect on a person’s self-esteem (Gunderson, Odo and D’Silva). Researchers found that international graduate students often come from well-to-do families or occupations. However, their inability to effectively express themselves in English somehow reduces their social standings. In addition, many international graduate students stated that they feel American students consider them unintelligent because they have difficulty expressing their thoughts or feelings in English (Gunderson, Odo and D’Silva). However, Kuo (2001) warns that poor English skills are not indicative of low intelligence.

Unfortunately, immigration regulations feed the perpetual cycle of not learning proper English. In the wake of 9/11, international students are required to be enrolled in at least nine credit hours at all times, in order to maintain their immigration status. In addition, international students are not allowed to work more than 20 hours weekly (on campus) during an active semester. Under these regulations international students have very little opportunities to blend into the American culture. Granted, students are in school to obtain a degree, but international students have very little opportunity to socialize with Americans. In other words, it remains a difficult task for international students to improve their English language skills. Gunderson, Odo and D’Silva (2012) cite proficiency in English as a key component to post-graduate employment. It is therefore crucial that international students are afforded opportunities to improve their English skills.

Evidence presented in this paper suggests that international students should be better prepared for attending American colleges and universities. The academic performance of international students does not always reflect their academic potential. Many international students are intelligent and wiling to learn, but are held back by their insufficient English skills. Researchers found the most compelling reason for this to be the manner in which international students are taught to speak the English language. Asian, Middle Eastern, and African students are taught how to write English, but are very rarely properly educated on how to speak it. The result is that many have great difficulty understanding lectures. In order for international students to become more proficient in English, they have to be afforded opportunities to improve their skills in American schools. In other words, since their home countries are not overly effective in preparing its nationals to speak English, American colleges and universities should design programs to help international students overcome their language barriers. Doing so will generate higher graduation numbers and subsequently a more powerful American labor force.

Works Cited

Gunderson, Lee, Dennis Murphy Odo and Reginald D’Silva. “High School May Not Be Enough: An Investigation of Asian Students’ Eligibility for Post-secondary Education.” Canadian Journal of Education (2012): 249-267. Document.

Kuo, Ya-Hui. “Language Challenges Faced by International Graduate Students in the United States.” Journal for International Students (2011): 38-42. Document.

Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue: Across Culture . Ed. Sheena Gillespie and Robert Becker. Vol. 6th Edition. New York: Pearson, 2005. Book.

Wan, G. ” The learning experience of Chinese students in American universities: A cross-cultural perspective.” College Student Journal (2001): 28. Document.

World in Conversation. What reasons make multiculturalism positive in the U.S? 29 March 2011. Web. 31 October 2012.

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Strategies for overcoming language barriers in research

Allison squires.

1 Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, New York City, New York

2 School of Medicine, New York University, New York City, New York

Tina Sadarangani

Simon jones.

3 Population Health, School of Medicine, New York University, New York City, New York

AS, TS and SJ: Made substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data. AS, TS and SJ: Involved in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content. AS, TS and SJ: Given final approval of the version to be published. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. AS, TS and SJ: Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

This paper seeks to describe best practices for conducting cross-language research with individuals who have a language barrier.

Discussion paper.

Data Sources

Research methods papers addressing cross-language research issues published between 2000–2017.

Implications for Nursing

Rigorous cross-language research involves the appropriate use of interpreters during the research process, systematic planning for how to address the language barrier between participant and researcher and the use of reliably and validly translated survey instruments (when applicable). Biases rooted in those who enter data into “big data” systems may influence data quality and analytic approaches in large observational studies focused on linking patient language preference to health outcomes.

Cross-language research methods can help ensure that those individuals with language barriers have their voices contributing to the evidence informing healthcare practice and policies that shape health services implementation and financing. Understanding the inherent conscious and unconscious biases of those conducting research with this population and how this may emerge in research studies is also an important part of producing rigorous, reliable, and valid cross-language research.

This study synthesized methodological recommendations for cross-language research studies with the goal to improve the quality of future research and expand the evidence-base for clinical practice.
Clear methodological recommendations were generated that can improve research rigor and quality of cross-language qualitative and quantitative studies.
The recommendations generated here have the potential to have an impact on the health and well-being of migrants around the world.

1. INTRODUCTION

Global migration has reached unprecedented levels in human history in the twenty-first century, with 3.3% of the world’s population having migrated internationally and 740 million people have migrated in their own countries ( International Organization for Migration, 2017 ). Medical tourism is also on the rise and language concordance is not always a guarantee between nurses and their patients in those cases ( Kanchanachitra et al., 2011 ; Reitig & Squires, 2015 ). For nurses and other healthcare researchers, migration creates a common challenge for healthcare research: language barriers.

Individuals with language barriers present new opportunities and challenges for researchers seeking to strengthen the evidence-base for clinical nursing practice and education around the world. Research with this population is also critical for understanding health outcomes, how individuals who have moved countries access (or the barriers to) health services and developing and testing effective strategies for health literacy promotion to name a few. Research will also help ensure that individuals with language barriers do not face discrimination in their health systems and subsequently develop costly health disparities.

It is surprising, however, how many researchers do not minimize the threats to research rigor posed by language barriers with their subjects. Patient and health services focused research on language barriers has historically been lacking and limited to a small group of researchers globally, even as incentives for such research have appeared in many countries ( Schwei et al., 2016 ). In the case of nursing, the literature has focused more on researching the language skills (or lack thereof) of internationally educated nurses rather than their patients ( Allan & Westwood, 2016 ; Müller, 2016 ). A cursory search of PubMed and CINAHL reveal that publications linked to nurses about language barriers since the year 2000 number, after removal of duplicates, only 280 of 303. Approximately one third of those are practice-based papers not involving research, editorials, or opinions—the lowest level of the evidence-based practice pyramid. Whilst there may be more publications, inappropriate use of key words may keep many hidden from systematic searches.

In this discussion paper, we draw from an international, interdisciplinary body of research that has explored and successfully addressed methodological challenges of qualitative and quantitative research involving language barriers in health care, known as cross-language research methods. We seek to highlight the key methodological implications of doing research involving language barriers by drawing from methodological developments in the literature since the year 2000 through 20,217—a period representing unprecedented growth in scientific studies and cross-language methodological developments. Both qualitative and quantitative methodological implications are reviewed from selected studies.

2. BACKGROUND

This section provides an overview of two key areas associated with cross-language research in nursing: language barriers and interpreter types. It aims to provide the reader with a basic conceptual understanding of core linguistic principles involved with addressing language barriers in research.

2.1. Language barriers in nursing and health care

Language barriers have been part of nursing practice since the formal inception of the profession in the nineteenth century when Nightingale was caring for soldiers from across Europe during the Crimean War. In the twenty-first century with global migration rates at record levels, language barriers present multiple challenges for health systems delivery ( Bloemraad & Sheares, 2017 ; Czaika & de Haas, 2013 ).

Research is needed to devise the best, context specific strategies for meeting the needs of patients with language barriers. Conducting research in a patient’s preferred language offers the best opportunity to truly capture reliable and valid results representative of their experiences. A preferred language is the person’s “language of the heart”, the one that they want to speak when they feel at their most vulnerable. The conduct of research when a language barrier is involved has two aspects. First, understanding linguistic competency and literacy of participants and planning the study around those factors. The second aspect focuses on addressing the language of health care and research itself, known as language for specific purposes (LSP).

First, to be able to communicate effectively with another person individuals need to have what linguists call discourse competence in a language. That means they can have a conversation with someone relatively easily and do not have to stop and look up words or phrases ( Danesi, 1996 ; Savignon, 1997 ; Squires, 2008 ). For example, immigrant children may have this level of language competence, but they usually lack a more sophisticated understanding of the language since most of the time, they do not receive formal education in their parents’ language. They will not have the vocabulary to speak “health care” either. They are known as “heritage” speakers of a language ( Montrul, 2010 ).

Health care, as we know, is its own language and fits the criteria of a language for a specific purpose ( Hull, 2016 ). LSP is the vernacular of the discipline. The professions all have their own language as do the different realms of the social sciences. When students study to become members of the discipline or profession, part of their socialization is learning the language. Therefore, effective communication with LSP depends on the person’s ability to translate not only the disciplinary vernacular, but also the standard language ( Hull, 2016 ).

We see “failures” of translating LSP with patients who speak our own language when we cannot improve their health literacy. In the case of language translation issues between patients and providers, for example, miscommunication related to translation increases the patient’s risk for hospital readmission, adverse events, and delays in care, to name a few ( De Gagne, Oh, So, & Kim, 2014 ; Dowsey, Broadhead, Stoney, & Choong, 2009 ; Durstenfeld, Ogedegbe, Katz, Park, & Blecker, 2016 ; Karliner, Kim, Meltzer, & Auerbach, 2010 ; Whittal & Lippke, 2016 ). Therefore, the same threats mistranslation poses to patients’ health and well-being will threaten the rigor of research studies involving translation.

2.2. An overview of types of healthcare interpreters and their potential research roles

Interpreters are an important part of mitigating threats to rigor in research. There is a difference, however, between an interpreter and a translator. An Interpreter is a person who conducts “live” interpretation between two people. A Translator is someone who translates text-based documents between the source language and the target language ( Squires, 2008 ; Temple, 2002 ). Qualified interpreters and translators will have had their language skills formally evaluated by an independent source ( Hull, 2016 ). The next sections focus on the roles of interpreters in research with roles of translators discussed specifically in the section focused on research implementation.

To begin, in the case of interpreters, they will play an important role in research data collection and potentially, analysis. Any interpreter contributing to a study ideally will have some experience facilitating research implementation, but that is not always possible ( Squires, 2008 ). There are five types of interpreters or services that can be used in research, each with pros and cons and budgetary implications.

The first type of interpreter we will discuss is the Dual Role Interpreter. This is usually a healthcare provider who has had their language proficiency formally evaluated by an independent source. They may have grown up speaking the language and continued studying it as they progressed in their education or alternatively, learned the language through intensive study or living and working abroad. In many countries, it is common for healthcare providers to speak multiple languages, especially when there are several official languages in a country. Again, it is important to remember that their level of language proficiency for healthcare language may vary.

The advantage of the dual role interpreter (especially if they also have research training) is that their contributions to the study will be informed by their experiences working with patients with language barriers. There is the potential for a more nuanced understanding of experiences or the challenges of measurement with specific populations with language barriers. A dual role interpreter, however, may bring their own set of biases into how results are interpreted from the study because of their experiences. This aspect of interpreter identity, even in quantitative studies, should be factored into study design and discussed in the limitations.

An in-person interpreter is an individual who has received specialized training. In health care, they have learned healthcare vocabulary as part of their training so they can effectively translate health care’s language—a definite advantage for study implementation. For research purposes, these interpreters are the best option if the study will involve communicating complex healthcare information to a study participant, such as might occur in randomized controlled trials.

In-person interpreters in research can also have no healthcare experience, which can provide an advantage for researchers who seek to minimize bias in participant responses in studies involving the patient experience. Like any healthcare worker, healthcare interpreters may have their own biases from interactions with healthcare providers, navigating systems issues and memorable patient interactions. Even though they may try to stay objective, the risk for them inserting bias into the findings increases if this threat to rigor is not managed well.

Technology-based interpreting is the kind that most clinicians are familiar with and it comes in the form of telephone or video-based interpreting services. When research funds are limited, using this service—especially if it is already part of the institution’s resources—can offer the most cost-effective option for conducting research. A threat to rigor from this type of interpreting is that the technology- based interpreting industry is largely unregulated globally and relies on companies to conduct their own internal quality checks of interpreter performance.

Finally, two other ways of bridging language barriers could threaten the rigor of research findings: Online translation services and family members. Online translation services have not yet developed the ability to effectively translate health care’s language. While they can seem like a good way to translate, for example, transcripts in qualitative research, many translation errors will happen—especially with patient interviews because they may often use obscure slang words from their particular dialect that the computer will mistranslate. A qualified translator will still be needed to check the translation, which could still take just as much time as if they did it themselves.

Family members may or may not make for effective interpreters for a research study. Just like during a healthcare encounter where sensitive or culturally taboo topics may emerge; the family member may influence the translation and information provided. Unless the study design includes the family member in it, using independent interpreters presents the best mediating option for threats to rigor from translation by family members. Nonetheless, with the participant’s consent, a family member could help enhance data quality by either improving its precision (in the case of a survey) or helping the participant to remember important experiential details (in the case of qualitative research).

3. DATA SOURCES

Cross-language research refers to research studies where a language barrier is present and data collection must involve the use of interpreters at some stage during the research process ( Croot et al., 2011 ; Squires, 2009 ; Squires et al., 2013 ). A critical factor of crosslanguage research, regardless of methodological approach, is that it must be completed in teams ( Chapple & Ziebland, 2018 ; Esposito, 2001 ; Im et al., 2017 ; Paulus, Jackson, & Davidson, 2017 ; Shordike et al., 2010 ; Stanley & Slattery, 2003 ). Cross-language research cannot be rigorous unless a team was involved because the interpretation of the data would be subject to the individual biases of a single researcher and are likely to be less representative of the population of interest. The team will include the researcher, coinvestigators, project managers and very importantly, interpreters. The following recommendations were drawn from 73 methods articles addressing some dimension of cross-language qualitative or quantitative research published between 2000 and 2017.

4. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH DESIGN

When the target population for a research study has a language barrier, careful planning is required. In this section, we offer considerations for the design of qualitative and quantitative studies where language barriers are an issue that could threaten the rigor of a study.

4.1. Qualitative research considerations

Cross-language qualitative research has grown extensively since the year 2000. Methods have evolved and several common methodological considerations emerged. Importantly, cross-language researchers uniformly agree that translation poses a threat to the trustworthiness of qualitative data ( Court & Abbas, 2013 ; Esposito, 2001 ; Im et al., 2017 ; Jones & Boyle, 2011 ; Larkin, Dierckx de Casterlé, & Schotsmans, 2007 ; MacKenzie, 2015 ; Temple, 2002 , 2005 ; Temple & Young, 2004 ; Wong & Poon, 2010 ; Xian, 2008 ). Squires (2009) developed criteria from a systematic review of cross-language studies for evaluating how researchers managed translation and then Croot et al. (2011) tested the criteria. The latter concluded that the criteria offered researchers useful direction both with study design and critical appraisal of existing studies, albeit with several caveats related to resources dictating interpreter usage.

Another point of consensus in cross-language research is that interpreter identity matters, with pros and cons for each choice made. Interpreters with translation work experience are uniformly recommended for cross-language studies to minimize the threats to trustworthiness of results posed by translation. The use of students, undergraduate or graduate, for interpreting may create good research socialization opportunities, but could also affect data quality due to their inexperience with both research and translation ( Lincoln, González y González, & Aroztegui Massera, 2016 ).

Interpreter timing during data collection also matters and well-planned studies account for this factor during study design ( Im et al., 2016 ; Santos, Black, & Sandelowski, 2014 ). Timing is rooted in the role design of the interpreter in the study. Researchers may find Role Theory useful in interpreter role design when planning a study ( Lynch, 2007 ; Morgeson, Delaney-Klinger, & Hemingway, 2005 ). For example, a functionalist role for an interpreter means the expectation of the interpreter is to adhere to their essential function: interpretation and translation. This would be defined as the “correct behaviours” that functionalist role theory emphasizes. Timing would be limited to the interview data collection point, transcription (if that is part of their role) and translation of the transcript.

An interpreter in an interactionist role, however, offers flexible boundaries to the interpreter that are less proscribed ( Lynch, 2007 ). Interactionist contributions of the interpreter would include not only interpretation and translation of the data, but also contributions to data analysis ( Squires, 2008 ). An interactionist role also allows the interpreter to integrate their role as a cultural broker between the parties, thereby contributing potential explanations to themes and categories that have emerged in the analysis or by providing culturally appropriate names for them.

Finally, transcription quality is always a critical part of any qualitative research study and this is where translators will help mitigate threats to rigor ( Poland, 1995 ; Tilley, 2003 ). Transcriptions are the final point of interpreter-mediated vulnerability in a research study because the quality of translation will affect the entire data analysis process. Clark, Birkhead, Fernandez, and Egger (2017) offer useful recommendations for quality checking the transcription and translation process. These include two independent checks on translation, hiring professional transcription services, achieving consensus around the translation of culturally unique words and slang phrases with the minimal goal of achieving semantic equivalence and the aspirational goal of conceptual equivalence.

4.2. Quantitative research considerations

Language barriers or patient language preferences can affect any kind of quantitative study. Most observational studies (e.g., cross-sectional, cohort, case control, etc.) and randomized control trials may involve the use of some survey design and methodological consensus has emerged around what constitutes rigorous survey instrument translation. “Big Data”, being newer, means that we do not fully understand where language preference and language barriers manifest themselves in patient outcomes in large datasets. Nonetheless, there are still salient points for discussion even in the early stages of the science.

4.2.1. Survey instruments and translation

There are many instruments with existing reliable and valid translations, or so it may appear. When making the method choice to use an existing translation, researchers should first research the history of the instrument to determine: (a) when it was developed; (b) how it was psychometrically evaluated in its original language; and (d) when and how the translation was completed. Flaws in the process tied with the original instrument translation process will not produce reliable and valid results in the translation. There is also the possibility that factor structures and other psychometric measures may change across cultures and contexts ( Brzyski, Kózka, Squires, & Brzostek, 2016 ; Choi et al., 2009 ; Mallinckrodt & Wang, 2004 ; Yu, Lee, & Woo, 2004 ). Sometimes these changes are not significant, but the researcher must differentiate when they are or are not using the appropriate methods. Just because it has been published does not mean it is a good quality translation. A translator is critical to help evaluate the quality of the survey’s translation during this phase of study planning. Some surveys, like the Maslach Burnout Inventory, have professional translations that are available, protected by copyright and may require a fee for their use in research studies ( Squires et al., 2014 ). Failure to appropriately use this kind of survey translation may place the researcher at risk for copyright violations.

Survey instrument translation appropriateness with specific populations is also affected by nativity and dialects—both of which are associated with social risk factors influencing health outcomes ( National Academies of Sciences Engineering & Medicine, 2017 ). Many countries have multiple official languages where citizens will speak all of them or at least one or two with a high level of proficiency. They may not read or write in the other languages.

Examples of this phenomenon come from every part of the world. In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is common for people to speak their tribal language (which may or may not be written), the language of their former colonizers and other languages common to the economic engine of the country ( Levin, 2006 ). Latin America has 448 indigenous languages spoken there, aside from Spanish, Portuguese, or French. China has the unifying scholarly language of Mandarin, with Cantonese the second most spoken language in the country. Yet each village and region in China can have a sub-dialect that only people from those regions understand ( Aroian, Wu, & Tran, 2005 ; Chidarikire, Cross, Skinner, & Cleary, 2018 ). Former Soviet Union States may still speak Russian but most have reasserted their country’s language as the primary language ( Shpilko, 2006 ). The languages of India and Pakistan remain numerous as well ( Abdelrahim et al., 2017 ). In the Middle East, Arabic is much like Spanish where the version of the language is specific to the country of origin of the person speaking it. Academic Arabic could be read by any educated person, but dialect specificity is important for accurate translation ( Al-Amer, Ramjan, Glew, Darwish, & Salamonson, 2016 ). For survey research, this means that a translation of a survey may not work well if it does not match the participant’s nativity—especially when measuring symptoms, coping strategies and other health related phenomenon where slang and linguistic variation by country become measurement factors.

Nonetheless, consensus has emerged in several areas around appropriate strategies for ensuring the most reliable, valid and culturally appropriate translation of a survey instrument. Flaherty et al. (1988) were one of the first groups to set early criteria for evaluating instrument translations. Their criteria include researchers taking steps during the translation process to ensure conceptual, semantic, technical, content, and construct equivalence. In time, it has also become clear that forward and backward translation alone are insufficient to ensure reliable and valid translations because that process alone cannot meet the five measures of equivalence ( Maneesriwongul & Dixon, 2004 ; Perneger, Leplège, & Etter, 1999 ; Squires et al., 2013 ). Systematic approaches to survey instrument translation, therefore, offer the best option to ensure reliable, valid, and culturally representative translations. Most of these approaches offer some combination of content validity indexing ( Brzostek et al., 2015 ; Liu, Squires, & You, 2011 ; Squires et al., 2012 , 2013 , 2014 ), cognitive interviewing ( Benitez & Padilla, 2014 ; Benitez, Padilla, van de Vijver, & Cuevas, 2018 ; Park, Sha, & Willis, 2016 ; Reeve et al., 2011 ), and interpreter timing ( Cha, Kim, & Erlen, 2007 ; Erkut, 2010 ; Johnson, 2006 ; Sidani, Guruge, Miranda, Ford-Gilboe, & Varcoe, 2010 ; Weeks, Swerissen, & Belfrage, 2007 ; Xian, 2008 ; Yu et al., 2004 ). Finally, conducting pre-data collection evaluations of the survey instrument with the migrant population will not only help determine if they understand the questions being asked in the instrument, but if the wording and literacy level is appropriate for the local population being studied.

4.2.2. Big data, patient language preference, and large dataset observational studies

Whilst there is a huge attraction to use big data to analyse health related issues tied to patient language preference, bigger does not always mean better ( Cohen et al., 2015 ; O’Halloran, Tan, Pham, Bateman, & Vande Moere, 2018 ). In addition to the many known problems that come with working with large datasets in health care, isolating language barrier related relationships and effects have their own challenges in observational studies. First, data generated from administrative files is not collected with the rigor and consistency that aligns with research practices. It requires multiple people and multiple incentives to get it right. Consequently, organizations that do not place a value on capturing patient language preference will likely have poor data to work with as capturing patient language preference data reflects organizational values for caring for migrants.

A logical leap from this issue then would be the use of missing data management techniques. Patient language preference data are often missing, thus presenting unique challenges for data analysis that are often reflective of biases and potentially, prejudices of who entered the data. Thus, missing language preference data are unlikely to be missing at random. For example, research from the UK shows that it is common to have missing race/ethnicity classifications of “white” ( Tippu et al., 2017 ). That missing data, with no language preference recorded, would leave out whites who do not speak English yet still comprise a substantial portion of the migrant population in the country. Other datasets might reflect similar patterns.

Another issue affecting large datasets where researchers want to consider language preference is that there are no standards for recording it in health care in terms of naming languages in EHRs. For example, organizations may have a language preference option of “Chinese”, when in fact there is no such language. Mandarin is the official language of China and Cantonese is a widely spoken dialect in the country that uses the same alphabet. As previously mentioned, China has multiple dialects—some just at the village level —and those are rarely considered for language preference. For older patients who may migrated in the twentieth century, their village dialect may represent the language of their heart.

Lastly, when trying to use large datasets to compare the impact of language preference on patient outcomes, how demographics are measured and have changed over time become important methodological considerations. In societies that were largely linguistically homogenous before the population changed, these differences present unique challenges for healthcare research. Longitudinal studies, therefore, become critical for studying the impact of changes in language preferences of populations over time and how these impact health outcomes and any resulting disparities.

4.3. Budgeting for interpretation and translation

Interpreting and translation can add significant costs to a research study. Costs are determined based on (a) the language being translated; (b) the source and target languages for translation; and (c) the extent of interpreter involvement in the research process.

Straightforward translation of survey instruments or transcription and translation of qualitative interviews have costs dictated by the time involved and the country where the researchers are seeking services. Many professional translation companies contract with translators in other countries to ensure the best quality translation and in some cases, this can save on costs. Country specific translations also ensure that the slang words or other country specific vernacular receives the correct interpretation. Professional translation services, however, are the most expensive.

The alternative is to hire research team members who speak the same language as the target population of the study. This can involve hiring research assistants on a part- or full-time basis and the total costs of their participation will depend on the country’s labour laws or organization’s employment requirements. Funding for the study may limit how long interpreters can be involved with it unless they can contribute to other parts of the study besides data collection. If researchers do want their language concordant staff to remain part of the entire study, they should budget funds to support their involvement for the duration. Depending on the funding source, this may or may not contribute significantly to the study’s total costs.

5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Research will play a critical role in helping health systems, workers and patients determine the most effective ways to bridge language barriers between patients, providers and systems in ways that optimize health and system outcomes. Improved research rigor in studies involving language barriers in health care are also needed to create evidence-based policies at the organizational, local, national, and international levels.

All recommendations are made mindful of the possibility that any researcher or member of their team could be subject to ethnocentric assumptions in their work and thus, should operate from a place of being conscious of their own biases when implementing and interpreting studies involving language barriers. Using cross-language research methods to generate better, more rigorous evidence specific to the experiences of people with language barriers is critical for strengthening health care’s evidence base that informs clinical practice and policy.

Acknowledgments

Funding information This paper was informed by research funded by the United States’ Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, R01HS23593.

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Essay on Communication Barriers

Students are often asked to write an essay on Communication Barriers in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Communication Barriers

What are communication barriers.

Communication barriers are like walls that stop people from sharing ideas clearly. Imagine trying to talk to someone through a thick glass wall. Just like the wall makes it hard to hear, these barriers make understanding each other difficult.

Types of Barriers

There are many types of barriers. Language differences, loud noises, and even our emotions can be barriers. If you speak English and your friend speaks Spanish, language is a barrier. If you’re trying to talk at a noisy party, sound is a barrier.

Overcoming Barriers

To break down these walls, we need to be patient and try different ways to share our thoughts. Maybe we can use pictures or learn a few words in another language. It’s all about finding a way to connect.

250 Words Essay on Communication Barriers

Communication is when people exchange thoughts, messages, or information. Sometimes, this process doesn’t work well because of barriers. Communication barriers are like walls that stop messages from being understood correctly.

Types of Communication Barriers

First, there are language barriers. When people don’t speak the same language or use very different words, they might not understand each other. Next, there are physical barriers. This can be as simple as a bad phone connection or being too far away to hear.

Emotional and Cultural Walls

Feelings can also be a barrier. If someone is angry or sad, they might not listen well or speak clearly. Culture can be a wall too. People from different places might have their own ways of talking or understanding things, which can lead to confusion.

To break down these walls, we can learn other languages or find better ways to connect, like video calls instead of just voice calls. We should also pay attention to our feelings and try to be clear when we talk or write. Understanding other cultures can help a lot, too.

In summary, communication barriers are like obstacles that make it hard to share messages. They can be because of language, distance, emotions, or culture. By knowing about these barriers, we can try to fix them and talk to each other better.

500 Words Essay on Communication Barriers

Communication is like a bridge between people. It lets us share ideas, feelings, and information. But sometimes, this bridge can have problems, called communication barriers. These barriers make it hard to send and understand messages clearly. Imagine trying to talk to someone with a wall between you. That’s what these barriers are like. They can be caused by many things, such as language differences, loud noises, or even our emotions.

There are several types of barriers that can mess up communication. First, there are physical barriers. These are real, like walls, or distance between people. If you’re trying to talk to a friend across a noisy playground, it’s tough to hear each other.

Next, there are language barriers. When people don’t speak the same language or use very difficult words, it’s like they’re speaking a code that the other person can’t crack.

Another type is emotional barriers. If someone is feeling sad, angry, or scared, it can be hard for them to listen or explain their thoughts well.

Cultural barriers are also important. People from different places can have different ways of talking and understanding things. This can lead to confusion if they don’t know about each other’s customs.

Why Do These Barriers Matter?

Communication barriers are a big deal because they can cause misunderstandings. If you’re playing a game and you can’t understand the rules because they’re explained in a confusing way, you won’t be able to play properly. In real life, this can lead to arguments, mistakes, or people feeling bad because they think they’re not being listened to.

Overcoming Communication Barriers

So, what can we do about these barriers? To start, we can try to be clear when we talk or write. Using simple words and short sentences can help a lot. Also, paying attention to the person you’re talking to is important. Look at their face and body to see if they understand you.

If there’s noise, try to find a quieter place to talk. If you’re dealing with language barriers, pictures or hand signs can help. And if emotions are high, taking a break to calm down before talking can make things easier.

Communication barriers can be tricky, but knowing about them is the first step to breaking them down. By being patient, clear, and kind, we can get better at sharing our thoughts and understanding others. Just like fixing a bridge, it takes work to fix communication, but it’s worth it to connect with friends and family. With practice, we can all become super communicators, even when barriers pop up.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Essay on Communication
Essay on Communication And Globalization
Essay on Communicable Diseases

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

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