Mis dos voces (Image credit: Rayon Verde)
Imagine this: you go out to a fast-food restaurant and order a burger. While you wait for your order to be filled, you anxiously hope that the server will get your order right and that the food in the bag will be exactly what you wanted. Sometimes, that is what happens, and you feel a great sense of accomplishment and gratitude. Other times, you get the extra hot sauce that burns your tongue and the chicken that your child refuses to eat. When that happens, you experience a sense of shame and guilt. Not even for a second do you entertain the thought of returning the incorrect order and asking for a substitute.
Sounds strange? Well, this is not someone with an anxiety disorder or a social phobia but an immigrant who does not (yet) speak the language of their new country (well). It is the story of one of the three Colombian and Mexican immigrant women in Canada featured in Mis Dos Voces (My Two Voices).
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Reading this article, I wanted first to point out that I loved how the metaphors welcomed me. These allowed me to vividly picture the title of the article itself and be just fascinated with how the author creatively had these thoughts and ideas interconnected. Well, I can relate to this article as I, myself, am learning another language, particularly Spanish. I try to learn new Spanish words and terms daily via the Duolingo mobile app, and my persistence in doing so is indeed evident because of three things. First, as a bilingual speaker of both English and Filipino, I wanted a third language through which I could communicate fluently and effectively. Moreover, given that I already took up Basic Spanish during my first three years in college, I see it as a waste if this is something I would not ultimately pursue. Second, I am actually applying for a language assistance program in Spain; hence, it is evident that I should be well aware of the language they speak in the country. In order to survive and enjoy my stay in an unfamiliar place, it is best if I know how to converse in their prominently used language. Third and last, I want to elevate my appreciation for the language. It seems that I have already understood enough about the languages I grew up with, and now, I have this eagerness to learn perhaps another language or two to deepen further my knowledge of the languages, most specifically their similarities and differences and the ways I could handle such in various occasions. I agree that speaking a language that is new to you tends to be overwhelming and sometimes agitating. The learning process will never be ideal, and that is more than okay.
Thanks, Angela! Good on you for pursuing your linguistic passions! Just keep in mind that the situation of the immigrant language learner is very different from the foreign language learner … the more proficient in the language you are prior to arrival, the fewer barriers you will hopefully encounter.
At the time my family went to the United States, my father was the only person who spoke English and he was the interpreter for my mother, my brother and me. At the time, I was still young and going to school without knowing English was not a huge stress. When I got better in English, I was oftentimes interpreting for her during the day. Whether it was going to the shop or taking care of things at the bank, I accompanied her and it was the natural thing to do. On the other hand, I thought about Mom’s point of view as she went to the US. As written in the article, my mom must have had a difficult time too; I remember going to the bank for example, I would try to interpret for her but Mom stilled seemed quite nervous. Now that I am around mom’s age when she moved to the States, it hits me in a different way. How would I have felt to move to a new country, not being fluent in the language and having to take care of the family in a unfamiliar place? I am not sure if I could do that if I were in the same situation and am all the more grateful.
Thanks, Chocomilk! The sacrifices made by families so that their children can have a better life are truly remarkable. Also great example of the resilience of children.
Migrant acculturation in America is a little studied and poorly understood phenomenon. Even Major League Baseball franchises worth billions of dollars are often reticent to provide language assistance beyond elementary English classes to their Latino players. One particularly striking case is that of former Cleveland pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who ate Domino’s pizza every day for 90 days in his first MLB spring training, simply because he lacked the language skills to order anything else. That Carlos was left to shoulder the burden of adapting to a new language and culture alone is almost unfathomable, especially considering the substantial human capital investment that each player constitutes on behalf of the ballclub; it would therefore be of no benefit to the team *not* to offer support.
Some research suggests at the efficacy of two-way acculturative support in MLB clubhouses. Rather than treating “Anglo” players as the default that Latinos must adapt to, providing acculturative resources (such as Spanish courses) to Anglo players so that they may better understand their Latino teammates may improve job satisfaction and overall general wellbeing of Latino migrant players.
More on this here: https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1961&context=utk_gradthes
OMG – eating Domino’s Pizza for 90 days!!! How did he even remain fit enough to play?!
This story was especially relatable for me as I also have ever experienced a language barrier while adapting to the new environment in Australia. When I first came to Australia, I couldn’t speak English at all. So even ordering at a restaurant used to feel so difficult to me. I think the only way to overcome the language barrier is constant exposure to English-speaking environments. In fact, my English has started to improve faster than ever since I got a job working with native speakers instead of working in a Korean store.
Good to hear that, Kate! Glad your English is improving rapidly.
A friend relayed a story of requesting toasts from his disability support worker one day. He asked for 2 pieces of toasts with jam and butter and received jam on 1 and butter on the other when what he really wanted was jam and butter on the same piece for both. Even though the lady was fluent in English, there was still a cultural barrier because she had never encountered this request before. What I take for granted is new to someone else. This shows when in doubt , ask, because people are more forgiving when you seek to clarify than when you make mistakes.
Thanks, Thao! That’s the strangest example – one should never take anything for granted; I agree that it’s best to clarify as much as possible but it would never have occurred to me (or your friend, apparently) that this request could be misinterpreted …
Thank you for sharing, this article really resonated with me a lot. As I just arrived in Australia a couple of weeks ago, I need to buy a lot of things. So, things like the ordering of burgers you mentioned in the article happened to me too. Since I had been in the UK for half a year before, I was completely comfortable with everyday conversations like shopping and so on. So, I never thought I would get stuck with Australian slang and traffic. I remember something that happened last week when my friend and I were out shopping, and a shop assistant suddenly asked us “Do you guys use facey?” during the introduction and my friend and I panicked. The atmosphere became awkward, and I guessed that “facey” might mean washcloths. So, I answered “Yes…?”. Then found the conversations after that just got weirder and weirder. After I left the shop, I googled it and found out that by “facey” she might meant “Face book”. Australia has many cultures including slang, which I will experience more of in the next two years. I hope that I can integrate into Australia quickly.
Thanks, Chloe! I just learned something new – never knew that people use “facey” for “Facebook” … no wonder the washcloth interpretation would have taken you in a weird direction …
I believe language and communication barriers are no stranger to all international students, and of course, I am of no exception. Upon arrival, I thought preparing myself educationally is enough, but in fact, being equipped socially and culturally is equally important.
I remember being taken back by the question ‘Hi, how are you?’ from the cashier in my first shopping experience. As I have never encountered this situation before, I decided to remain silent. However, when receiving the next question, I was totally dumbfounded. ‘Cash or card?’, as simple as that, but I could not catch a single word. I felt like an incompetent loser who even could not carry on a proper conversation. The nervous and worried feelings lingered for weeks after the incident. Then, the tension kept mounting when I was exposed to the Australian accent and the speed of locals’ speech. To get the hang of the common Australian slangs and common phrases such as ‘No worries’, ‘All good’, I have to practise a lot. It is not only the phrases themselves, but also the intonation, the talking speed… that require attention.
I have learned to feel grateful for those experiences. The first way to bridge any barriers, I believe, is to have a positive attitude. Since all incidents are unpredictable, so we should be well-prepared mentally in dealing with what is yet to come. Secondly, breaking down root causes and shortcomings and targeting them can contribute greatly to solving the issue.
Thanks, Quynh! “Cash or card?” is such a good example. It’s so simple and yet, as you say, can leave you feeling like a loser … I appreciate your positive attitude. Way to go!
This topic is very interesting. Language is the most essential element of our daily lives. In order to live well in a country, the process of mastering the language of that country is essential. Otherwise, you may sometimes try to order food you want to eat, but you may have made a mistake, or you may not be able to laugh because you do not know the humor or culture of the people of the country.
In fact, I’ve experienced a similar experience. When I was a college student, I went to America for language training, and I visited the movie theater with my relative. At that time, everyone in the audience laughed after the male protagonist said his lines. But I didn’t understand the language (a joke), so I was just looking at the screen. At that time, I felt left out, and I felt the need for language learning. There were many times when it was difficult to order a cup of coffee at a cafe. When I pronounced it in Korean English, a clerk looked confused. Sometimes, I got a different menu.
Like this, language is sometimes a link to conversation, but sometimes it’s a huge obstacle.
Thanks, Hana! Humor can be very culture-specific and getting a joke depends on so many things; and making jokes in a second language is the pinnacle of achievement 😉
Language barrier is always a big issue among foreigners no matter what countries they have come from. My simple experience is also in an instant burger shop, and my problem was even though I could read the menu on the board, each meal was very complex and to read those, it took some for me. So, I also hold the queue and the clerk seemed a little anxious. Another experience was in a market and the label of a sandwich’s fillings were also difficult to read and choose. Therefore, I didn’t buy a sandwich and rather bought a cup noodle of Korean brand. The clerk didn’t say anything to me, but I couldn’t ask because the culture was different from Korea since I arrived there, I could notice that they feel bothersome to explain unlike in my country. This can’t be an example which I have bridged language barrier, but I just accepted cultural difference and not to let clerks bothersome.
When I remember my experience, living as an immigrant would be too hard for them, I think. Therefore, their children sometimes play a role of language bridge as I know.
Thanks, SunKyung! It’s interesting how language proficiency even constrains our food choices …
I had a friend who had been a such a situation when he first moved to England as an international student. I remember calling him through messenger years ago when it was popular back in 2009. I have noticed the decrease in his weight in the first two months. He was young and didn’t know how to cook too. My friend used to live on peanut butter and bread not because he couldn’t afford eating in a restaurant, but because of the language barrier. The anxiety that comes in these situations when you have to interact with people is extremely high. Intimidated by people, the poor kid lost third of his weight. Luckily, my experience in studying abroad is completely different. I had the chance to learn the enough amount of language that would make me survive.
OMG, what a horror story! Learning how to cook is a greater life skill than language learning!
I can highly relate to this as my father still till today feels so embarrassed and intimidated with the people around him when he speaks in English. My father came from Turkiye in the year 1997. However, since then he still struggles speaking in English. For example, when I was graduating year 6 and he tried to say ‘congratulations’, he stopped half way pronouncing it because it was a difficult word for him. He felt so embarrassed and ashamed of himself that he smiled through the pain. I was so upset for him because he felt that way.
Ever since then, he’s been trying to improve his English more and as his children we have been helping him through his English pronunciations all the time. So proud of him!
Hats off to your dad, Sinem! Raising a family is an achievement no matter what and doing so in a country where you don’t speak the language is an incredible achievement! Glad you are proud of him because sometimes the children of immigrant parents are ashamed of their parents’ language, and that’s a terrible and sad thing when that happens.
Thank you very much Ingrid! I really appreciate it. Means a lot! 🙂
Yes i totally agree with you, i have seen many kids who are ashamed of their parents because they are immigrants.
Thanks for sharing this interesting story. I think this could happen to many people and I was one of them too. I just moved to Sydney two months and I haven’t been using English for 5 months. Even though I was studying in the university where English was taught but due to COVID- 19, it forced me to study online, thus my environment was unable to fully communicate with English. When I arrived in Australia I was quite shocked that people here spoke so fast but I got used to it over time. Recently, I was working part-time in a convenience store and I was very excited and nervous to take customer orders because when they order a drink it will have different types of milk that they want, some customers speak so fast and it makes me couldn’t hear them clearly, if I lucky they will be happy to repeat the order again but if not when a customer who is in a hurry or easily irritated, it makes me got complaints from customers as well. Sometimes it makes me sad and anxious, but I think it was a great experience that made me understand the language better.
Thanks, R! Welcome to Sydney! I hope you settle in well. Settling in a new country is tough and takes time. I hope you only have nice customers at work. But don’t let the irritable, rude, and angry ones ruin your confidence, or even your day!
As I migrated from India. Sometime ago, I arrived in Sydney with insufficient knowledge of English and here I faced various language barriers. I have faced many situations in my life where I realized that I should have more good command on English. As per my own experience, once I visited The Bavarian restaurant in Miranda. The menu included distinct sorts of international cuisines, which made me confused because they were written in English and it was difficult to understand. Being alone at that time it was arduous task for me to chose the particular dish. Then, I had to Google those words and after that I came across them. I think that in the future, I will face many conditions when I will get to learn many new words by interacting with natives. I hope, I would be perfect in English language in upcoming years. I recommend to new comers, they should learn English language before migrating.
Thanks, Dass! Good recommendation but, unfortunately, not always practical. As many have commented, learning English in the classroom is quite different from having to use it to live one’s life through it. Good luck settling in – I’m sure your English will be perfect in time 😊
I have had a few experiences where language became a barrier for me and made me feel inferior and scared in those situations. One of the incidents happened a few months back when I decided to get a haircut and as no other shop was open, I entered into this only barbershop that was open at that time and it turned out that the barber spoke minimal English. I described him the haircut that I wanted, but after 10 minutes I realized that he was going the wrong way and I stopped him and tried to explain him what I wanted. But, instead of listening to me, he started debating with me that my instructions were not clear enough. And it was difficult for me to understand what he was saying because his English was unclear. In that moment, I felt really anxious because no other shop was open at that time, I was in the middle of a haircut and he was the only one who I depended on entirely. I had never felt this bad but luckily he cut my hair the right way after a heated debate. I believe that in a multilingual world, there has to be at least one common language for all.
Having a misunderstanding with someone holding a razor to your head sounds scary. Glad you got away with a stylish haircut! 😉
I had a similar experience. I took my students to summer vacation camp in San Francisco ten years ago. The flight attendant asked me what kind of drink I would like, and I asked for a coke, but she couldn’t understand and said, “Pardon?”. I was so ashamed, and I got red. To the worse, my students were sitting next to me. I was an English teacher who couldn’t order a coke properly.
Instead of ordering coke again, I asked for Sprite, and sadly, I also ordered Sprite on my flight back to Korea.
After that, I realized I had a problem with my pronunciation of “o,” so I practiced.
I still have been facing a language barrier since I came to Australia.
What has changed from 10 years ago is that I don’t feel guilty much compared with that time( I cannot say I don’t feel ashamed at all). If a conversation doesn’t work well, I can ask the interlocutor to repeat or explain it slowly in simple words. If I find my wrong pronunciation, all I need to do is practice and not feel ashamed.
Thanks, Logan! Your story breaks my heart. I understand how embarrassing and shameful it feels to “fail” in front of students. But it’s also uncalled for. A misunderstanding is not a moral failing. I think the only way to overcome such unwarranted shame is to actually let go of the idea that communication is perfect and whenever something goes wrong it’s the fault of the language learner. Misunderstandings are normal – everyone has a misunderstanding even with the people closest to them, like parents and siblings. The difference is that with people who speak the same language we hold both parties equally responsible for the misunderstanding … why do we find it so hard to see that the same is true when one party to the misunderstanding is a second language speaker of English?
Thank you for the text, it was very relatable.
Partially, I can relate to the insecurity of complaining something, try to express yourself to others, and just the daily living in English.
I come from Finland and my English is good but still I feel like I cannot express myself orally for example, at the university. However, the experience I’m going to tell you is really my child’s experience. She speaks and understands only Finnish, and after we moved to Australia, I enrolled her into a childcare centre one day a week. When I recently had a talk with the educator, she told me that at first, they used a lot of Google translator and visuals like gestures and pictures, and now after two months they are only speaking English and somehow, she understands the instructions. In the first week my daughter told me, that why no one understands me. After a few weeks, her attitude changed a lot, and now she is happily playing with others and speaking mostly Finnish, but with gestures and some English phrases. Still, sometimes you can see the difficulty from her eyes of being the person who cannot be herself fully.
Thanks, Em! Luckily for your daughter, children are much better language learners than adults 🙂 … just make sure she maintains her Finnish and doesn’t fall victim to a submersion education.
You can read more about submersion education in the “Education” chapter in my book Linguistic Diversity and Social Justice.
Thank you for sharing this interesting article, this article reminded me when i migrated to Australia long time ago and my english was not very good to communicate and to interact with others so i struggled a lot at the beginning especially that my second language is French and my third language is English. However, i knew the basics but i still did not know anything about the culture how to travel from one place to another and i was not driving back then. One of the very emotional and hard time i had when i moved here is we really did not know about the high UV radiation in Australia and how it is close to the ozone hole which can damage the skin and cause skin cancer for people. unfortunately my mother was one of the victims of skin cancer and had it only after three months of living in this country as we used to enjoy the sun a lot and she never put sunscreen or anything to protect herself, when the doctor called her she didn’t understand what the doctor said the only word she understood was skin “cancer” and she started panicking and crying, luckily i was with her and i understood but i had a very difficult time to understand what was really the type of the cancer and since then i decided to be and interpreter and to help people struggling with English as it is really difficult to move to another country and to not speak the language. Therefore, i think being a bilingual is good as it is beneficial and gives people a lot of power to communicate with different cultures and to have the chance to help others as well.
Thanks, Koki! How to protect oneself from the sun in Australia is a good example where migrants have an information need that is different from people who have been raised here. Water safety is maybe an even more striking example and drowning accidents among migrants are much higher than among the native-born. So, there is a societal obligation to make water-safely information (and maybe swimming lessons?) widely available to newcomers. I hope we can become better at that as a society!
Hope your mum is ok and has recovered!
Thank you for the interesting article. I feel empathetic towards immigrants. The burger story reminds me of my bank experience. Upon my arrival in Australia, I needed to open a bank account. Before visiting the bank, I had to look up English phrases about banking, such as account opening and depositing. When the staff inquired about my first name, I responded with my surname due to my extreme nervousness. However, everything went smoothly when the staff were enthusiastic and friendly. They were great “teachers” who assisted me in learning how to interact in the bank.
I believe that it is initially difficult for immigrants to practise the language while also adapting to the new culture. Closing the language gap may require significant practise and exposure to native speakers. Their journey will be facilitated if they meet a kind and gentle “teacher.” However, meeting people willing to sympathise with our communication issues is not always easy.
Thanks, Kat! You are right about the importance of teachers. Of course, we can’t expect every bank teller to also serve as language teacher but we should consider how to set up a system of providing guides, mentors, sponsors – whatever you call it – to newcomers. It’s ridiculous and inefficient that each and every new migrant, new international student, even backpacker, needs to figure out how to open a bank account in Australia for themselves. As a society, we should provide systematic help so that everyone can get off to a good start.
Thank you for sharing the story, which reminds me of my working experience here.
I got my job as a salesman after two weeks of coming to Australia. I was confident in my English proficiency and believed I could deal with customers’ questions. Unfortunately, I did confront the language barrier. There were some terms about finance that I could not understand. When customers asked about “paying by months” or “payment plan,” I was confused and had to ask my manager for help. Being not clear about all this information gives me incredibility to customers. Another time was when some Australian customers asked about the product information, but I couldn’t understand their accent. It ended up that they lost their patience with repeating their questions.
The second time was when I was in a role of a receptionist. A customer returned to the hotel and complimented the restaurant that my colleague recommended. However, I misheard that it was “noisy”. It turned out that she said “noice”. I was ashamed and anxious and felt our conversation was ineffective.
Through reading your story and reflecting on my own experiences, I have gained a greater awareness of the challenges experienced by language learners and the contact between language and culture.
Thanks, Miumiu, for sharing your experience. The “noice” problem is an Australian classic 😉 … I think it’s important for language learners not to take all the blame and embarrassment on themselves; it takes two to tango, and interlocutors have a responsibility for successful communication, too.
I totally feel the article is like my experience! I’ve been in Sydney since 2019. It was COVID-19, and I was living with my Korean cousin’s family. For these reasons, even though I was learning English online at a language school, there were few opportunities to speak English. When the restriction was lifted, I was faced with a crisis of communication barriers. The reality of English use was significantly different from what was learned via Zoom. When I communicated with locals in restaurants, apparel shops, and cafes, they used totally different expressions, slang, and pronunciations than I learned. For instance, they use ‘How ya goin?’ instead of ‘How are you?’, ‘No worries’ instead of ‘you’re welcome’, and ‘Barbie’ instead of ‘Barbeque’. This made me afraid of talking and asking questions with locals at any place because I did not want to get embarrassed and nervous and to look like an influent Asian girl. However, my niece introduced me to a realistic Australian community by taking me shopping, having dinner with local neighbours, and joining a local exercise club. I learned more about the locals’ language and culture as a result of this exposition, and I enjoyed communicating with them.
I believe that communication starts with understanding the local culture and language because it represents their identity and life. Learning and using their native language in real life is an effective method to overcome communication barriers.
Glad you have your niece to help you! It’s exactly what most migrants need: a person that provides them with a way in …
I can see myself in the burger-ordering situation when I first started my job as a waiter in Australia. When I moved to Sydney to study, I was full of confidence in my English, especially with my listening skill. I believe I could do well when choosing a casual job like wait staff. However, when I started taking orders from the customers, I also experienced a nervous feeling because I was afraid of taking the wrong orders. More specifically, Australian restaurants can modify their dishes based on customers’ demands or health problems like gluten-free, vegetarian or lactose-free. It will affect the restaurant and the customer if I do not get it right. As a result, I always tried to check with the customers as often as possible to ensure I was not wrong. Fortunately, all the customers I met were extremely nice and patient when I asked them for confirmation. Moreover, my co-workers and the managers supported me immensely in the beginning. Now, even though I am familiar with my mission as wait staff, sometimes I still feel nervous when I have to take orders from customers here.
Thanks, Emma! I also worked in hospitality as an undergraduate student in the UK, and I sympathize. Having said that, it’s a great job for language practice 😉 Keep up the good work and I hope all your customers will always be nice and patient!
Since moving to Australia for my study, I have encountered numerous situations like the burger-ordering one mentioned in your article.
When I flew to Sydney, I met a Vietnamese lady who wanted to visit Sydney, but she didn’t know English. At the security gate in Sydney airport, when the security asked her about her belongings, she couldn’t understand. The guard tried to use body language in vain. They kept her until it was my turn, and I realized the situation. To break down the communication barrier, I translated for them, thus helping the lady to get through the gate.
I also confronted the communication barrier once. It happened on the day I called a bank clerk to update information. However, not only did the bank clerk talk extremely fast in Indian accent, but the phone signal was also bad. Consequently, I couldn’t catch up with her, thus asking her to repeat several times. I even misunderstood, giving her some information she didn’t need because I panicked. After a while, she asked me about my first language so that she could provide me with an interpreter. It was embarrassing since I never thought I would need an interpreter (as I studied Translation and Interpreting back in my Vietnamese university). Nevertheless, it has been an intriguing experience since I set foot in Australia.
Thanks, BJYX_sengarun! As I just said in response to Ying’s comment, embarrassment seems to be the lot of the adult language learner. The clerk probably meant well but we really need to find better and more inclusive ways to communicate in a diverse society.
Thank you for sharing this interesting article with us, it reminds me of my embarrassing first bus ride in Australia. I was 17 years old that year, and just a few days after arriving in Australia. I took the bus back to my homestay by myself. Since I don’t understand the Australian life culture, I didn’t know that the bus would stop by pressing the red stop button before arriving at the station. This caused me to sit a long way from my destination before I realized I was lost. Due to my cowardice, I hesitated for a long time before plucking up the courage to ask the driver. The driver told me that I have to get off the bus and transfer to the bus on the opposite side, so I got off the bus in a deserted place, it was already dark, there was no one on the road, and I could not read the signs on the platform, which made me feel very scared and anxious. I can only ask my homestay for help, hesitating the language barrier, it is difficult for me to describe my specific location, which makes me very anxious, and finally I took a picture of the bus stop sign and sent it to them, and then I succeeded in getting me back home.
I am very grateful for the counseling teacher who helped underage international students when I was studying the foundation course. I have a half-hour conversation with that teacher every week. No matter if there is any difficulty in study or life, he will patiently help me , which has greatly helped my study abroad life and made me feel less anxious about language barriers and cultural challenges.
Thank you, Ying, for sharing! You describe quite well how language barriers are not just about language but can create shame, embarrassment, anxiety, and other negative emotions. For young people who are away from home, it’s extra hard, and glad you had that counselor to look after you.
Funny story: when I was an exchange student in the UK, I once needed to buy anti-fungal cream for my foot. In German, the word for “fungus” and “mushroom” is the same, and so I went up to the pharmacy counter and stated that I needed medication because “I have a mushroom between my toes.” The pharmacist – who clearly understood what I wanted – laughed so hard and informed his colleagues of the hilarious request. I still remember how embarrassed and humiliated I felt – but you know what? Today it’s a funny anecdote to share with my students 😉
Thanks for the article. As some already commented, I can also totally relate to the immigrants in the article. It recalls all the embarrassing moments that I went through while traveling abroad as well.
Regarding this article, I’d like to reflect on how immigrant parents live in Korea based on my experience as an elementary school teacher. Over the past decades, the influx of immigrants into South Korea has been rapidly increasing. Accordingly, the number of children with multi-cultural backgrounds hits a record high every year. However, the participation of the parents in school is significantly low. Sometimes, they hesitate to apply for the session of parents’ counseling or participate in school events. In addition, Oftentimes, they are excluded from getting informed about school announcements since all the updates are provided in Korea. It inevitably leads to giving limited access to better education for their children.
Like the article says, it is INCREDIBLY difficult to learn a new language after becoming an adult. So it surely takes courage for them to see themselves as an active member of society. As a way of supporting and encouraging them, the government has been implementing a variety of policies such as providing language programs, education sessions for immigrant parents, or interpreting services for school events. However, I think we should find more ways to reach out to them. Like one of the mottos from NGO institutes says, “No one leaves behind”.
Thanks, Gamja, for sharing about migrant parents in Korea! I totally agree that, as a society, we need to become more creative in ensuring the inclusion of all; and as individuals, sometimes we just need to be kind and try and be patient and helpful when it is in our power to do so.
Thanks for your article about MIS DOS VOCES film.
I totally agree that it is a significant challenge for someone who live in the country which uses the language that they are learning. As a learner of English, I could understand how difficult to live in Sydney in the first time. English in the real life in Sydney is different from English in course books such as slang, accent, pronunciation, vocabularies and speed. I have immersed myself mostly in American or Canadian English which are considered easier for English learners in my country, when I had a conversation with the Australian, I just understood about 50% of the information which I received, not to mention the conversation with people from other cultures with other speed and accents.
I have the similar experience with the “burger” situation. When I went to a coffee shop, the owner ask me what kind of ice do I want to put in my latte. I could not understand what he said, that made him slightly impatient. Fortunately, my friend helped me to solve the problem.
Do you have a link or a way to watch this interesting film?
Thanks, Brownie! Unfortunately, I’m not aware of an open link to the full film but you can watch the trailer at
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Impatience is such a common reaction to adult second language speakers. Normally, speaker and listener share the communicative burden and each contributes equally to achieve understanding. But, as soon as a second language speaker is involved, it sometimes feels as if the normal rules of conversation are suspended and the second language speaker is supposed to carry the communicative burden alone …
Immense thank you Ingrid as your text is still feelings of thousands of immigrants people all around the world including me as I am still afraid of going to restaurants and bar order something, and having food not because I do not understand or speak fluently but there is certain kind of fear of not being able to be understood well and match their level of confidence but the situation of me regarding adapting language is improving yet still there is an struggle. Sometimes these sense of fear create decreasement in confidence and demotivated situation which hinders presenting you and expressing yourself to the mass.
it’s been a month being here and eventually the fear is still there which I suppose will need bit more period to be vanished which is why i am trying to be assimilating as much as possible but it is not as easy as you order something in your native language.
Good luck, Jenisha! Being in your first month in Australia can be tough on so many fronts, and I hope your path will be smooth and soon you will look back at this time as one that made you stronger 🙂
Thank you for sharing a fascinating article! I totally agree that learning a new language as an adult is really difficult.
To be honest, I myself also had such an experience. I started learning Japanese five years ago. At first, I struggled a lot because it was completely a new and strange language to me. I was pretty shocked when realizing that there are three different alphabets in Japanese, including Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. It took me around half of a month to remember Hiragana and Katakana. I also found it difficult to read aloud short paragraphs in Japanese in the first year of learning this language. Although I tried to study hard, my Japanese could not improve a lot. I still remembered how nervous I was in speaking lessons. To improve my Japanese, I attended an exchange program in Japan, but that was also the time I was really in a panic. At that time, I was in N5 level in Japanese. When I was in Japan, I went to one of the best ramen restaurants by myself and was very excited to order in Japanese for the first time in my life. However, everything did not go smoothly as I had expected. The conversation did not follow what I had already learned in the textbook, so I did not know how to answer. Then I realized that we could not always bring sample conversation in our textbook to reality. Luckily, the chef could speak a little bit of English; therefore, we combined both Japanese and English in the conversation. I also wanted to order a sunny side-up egg, but I did not have enough vocabulary to describe it in Japanese and when I described it fully in English, the chef could not understand because of his limited English. Then I decided to use Google Translate and it helped me to have a perfect order. I called it the magic of technology.
Thanks to this article and from my real experience, I could understand more about how difficult it is for adult immigrants to learn a foreign language and be exposed to another culture in an unfamiliar country at the same time.
Thanks, Dung! It’s great you found that patient chef – it just takes one person who cares and makes an effort to smooth the path of the language learner, and to give you pleasant memories (you faced a hurdle, you overcame it) instead of bitter memories (you faced a hurdle, no one cared enough to help, you failed) …
Thanks for sharing this interesting article. I guess the article relates to every person who migrates to another country and explain the struggle we go through till we learn the new language and be able to adjust to the new changes and life that we are starting. For me one of the hardest things I faced when I came back to live in Australia was the language barrier and trying to adapt to my new life. It was very hard I felt lost not understanding what is happening arround me so I decided to go to ESL school to learn English. The struggle was not only learning but also getting to know how to get to school. It was a mission catching the bus. I remember I used to ignore all the drivers questions and just give him $5 note this way he will take what he want and give me the change this way I didn’t have to ask him how much it cost to get to school. It was a daily stressful journey to meet the bus driver and to make sure I’m on the right bus. Luckily I met a friend at school who speaks Arabic and she was my life saver till I learnt my way there at by that time my English improved abit and I was able to have self confidence to communicate with people. I guess being in such situation is very stressful and after reading the article I know how non English speakers migrants feel and the anxiety they go through daily. Luckily now they can use interpreting services but the issue is how competent the interpreter is. This is another situation I faced with my mother when the service provider refused my interpretation because as he said it’s against the law and decided to get an interpreter over the phone. I did not understand the interpreters Arabic because she use different dialect neither her English because it was bad enough that I had to complain that my mum was lost in the middle of the conversation and the interpretation was unsuccessful. Overall being able to be bilingual is a great achievement and a big advantage for people and hopefully we can maintain both languages and pass it to the new generation.
Thanks, Lily, for sharing! It’s true that overcoming these initial hurdles makes us stronger but it’s also true that it shouldn’t be that hard.
The interpreting example is fascinating, too – there are so many misconceptions about intercultural communication out there; employing an adult family member as mediator is not against the law, of course …
Thank you, Ingrid, I can totally relate with the persona’s story as an immigrant myself. Arriving in Sydney at the age of 15 as an international student with broken English, I can still remember how I got lost on the bus one night due to language barriers. That was one day after school, I spent an afternoon at my local friends near Frenches Forest. On my way home, I got on the bus that had the number my friend told me and expected it to take me home. But after a while I started to worry because the places past by were not familiar at all, and it took much longer than I expected. I couldn’t use the map anymore because both my phone and my laptop were dead. So, I had to seek help from the driver when the bus stopped. I asked for direction but all I understood from him was ‘back off’. I got off the bus and took on another one that drove me to a completely strange beach area, and this time I was too scared to speak to the driver. Finally, I had to walk up to strangers and ask for help. I got home that night, 3 hours late. This is nothing compared to the stories of the two women who had issues with immigration detention. But it was scary enough for me to remember until now. I wish we had a more inclusive and empathetic environment that allows immigrants to feel safe while picking up the new language.
Thanks, Rebma! Getting lost can be terrifying even if you speak the language and know the city, and doubly so for a young person in a new country. I agree that we all have a responsibility to ensure newcomers feel safe and are supported to adapt to their new environment!
Stories from immigrants like these women in MIS DOS VOCES is not something I get to hear every day – thanks for introducing the documentary.
Nine years ago, as an exchange student in Korea, I faced the challenge of learning Korean and adapting to life where it is mainly spoken. I was confident in English, but by no means would that help much in daily life. My only preparation before arrival is some knowledge of reading Hangul and few phrases gained from Korean dramas and songs. There were a lot of communication barriers. Although Korean is my third foreign language to learn, the struggle this time was real – the greater fear of making mistakes and causing offense, especially in a language with complex honorifics.
Fortunately, I picked it up fast enough, thanks to the advantage of being a language major and prior foreign language learning experiences. Also, the university offered free Korean classes and assigned “buddies” for exchange students, which was a great support.
Overall, that year in Korea made me realise that there are still places where English is not sufficient to get by, and since then I embrace any language learning opportunity that I have.
Thanks, Justin, for sharing this encouraging story of language learning success!
Ingrid, I feel enlightened reading your works, ocean thanks! Language barriers create fear, loneliness, and a sense of displacement. Speaking a language (English, Vietnamese, etc) that is spoken by most people is a way how speakers can survive, it is a means to communicate what their problems are (to friends, to strangers, to the state). Further, speaking a major language in a region is the fundamental thing that makes people feel included in society.
This piece also reminds me of tragic suicidal cases that I read last semester from your book “Intercultural Communication, A Critical Introduction” in Dr. Loy’s class. Let me just write these stories down for others to read.
Suleiman Dialo is an asylum seeker from Guinea, West Africa. He was sent to Newcastle, UK. He spoke his native tongue, Fula, his French was poor, and his English was not enough either. It must be hard to learn a language as an adult. This situation was worsened by the fact that he couldn’t find any Fula speakers in England, and unfortunately, he was not able to write and read. Linguistically isolation has caused loneliness and fear. He committed suicide while waiting for deportation, a few years after the rejection of his asylum. Another case is the suicide of four members of a Korean family. The family decided to split up due to the hope that their daughters can get an education in an English-speaking country. The mother and two daughters moved to NZ and the father stayed in Korea to run his business. Their dream turned into tragedy after the father bankrupt, and they all committed suicide.
This first case is driven by language isolation and the second one is by the standard ideology in which English is often viewed as a profitable language. It means that having no knowledge of a language or wanting to learn a language affects people’s life tremendously. Thus, people (we) should learn how to see people as multilinguist/bilingualist/language learner, not as a target language deficit.
“Ocean thanks” – what a lovely phrase! It made me happy to read it 🙂 … glad you found something useful in Intercultural Communication – if we are a kinder and more understanding towards outsiders, the book has achieved something …
Thank you for sharing this article. This reminds me of my first time in Austria. I was 15 and had been learning German for a few months, so my proficiency was somewhere around the A2 level. I was staying in Vienna for a few weeks with some relatives and decided to go around the city on the train alone. It was a great experience up until I fell asleep and ended up somewhere on the other side of the city. I can still remember the anxiety I felt, as I did not know how to check the route map of the train system, and my phone had no data so I could not use Google maps or call anyone. After some time, I decided to come up to a station staff member and ask for directions. It was a short conversation but I kept stuttering and hesitated to find the right words that in the end, we switched to English instead.
Funnily enough, the same thing happened to me when I first moved to Sydney in 2019. I was trying to go to Macquarie Uni Station but I ended up in Macquarie Fields (Opal is a lifesaver, to be honest). This time, however, there was none of the anxiety and stress that I had felt in Vienna. I just came up to someone and asked how to get to my destination. That conversation took less than 30 seconds, while the former took me over 5 minutes.
The thing about this is, I had been learning German for a few months before my trip to Austria, so I at least knew what to expect, and I also had English as a backup language. Therefore, I completely sympathize and understand that learning a second language is incredibly difficult, especially when you’re living in an environment that speaks a different language.
Thanks, Bob! Your story reminds me how I got lost during my first time in England, on a school exchange. I was 11 years old and somehow wandered off from my group. When I realised I was lost, I couldn’t immediately work up the courage to ask someone and so got lost even further … my problem was not only how to ask for directions in English but, and maybe even more so, to decide who was a “safe stranger” to approach in a foreign country … really terrifying; but we’ve both lived to tell the tale and add these anecdotes to our store of stories about language and culture contact 😉
When I went to Germany in 2010, I literally do not know a single word of German. I went to an international university located in Germany and the study language was English. I could live without knowing a single word of German on campus. However, it’s Germany. So, every time I went outside of campus to places like markets and banks, I needed to speak German. At least I should be able to ask “können sie Englisch sprechen?” Back then, that simple sentence did not come out of my mouth.
Learning a new language as an adult was not easy at all. I totally agree with the sentence in the article, “learning a new language as an adult immigrant is incredibly difficult.” Even though I was not an immigrant, I realized that learning new languages as an adult is extremely tricky.
While learning German, many people helped me out, but especially, my German roommate, who became one of my best friends from the university, cheered me a lot. I tried to speak at least a few sentences in German every day and whenever she took me to her family, I tried to understand their German without her interpreting for me.
Thanks, Ella! Just one support person is enough – glad you found that friend in Germany!
Thank you for sharing an interesting article with us. English is my second language, so I can imagine how people who are not familiar with the local language feel in the burger situation.
I am now an English teacher in Japan, and communication barriers happened to my colleague from New Zealand and students. When he started to work, he could hardly speak Japanese, and thus he was struggling to express his feelings. However, as soon as he began to play kendo with them, he established a mutual relationship. They got to know each other well through playing kendo, which does not require verbal communication much. I also often saw students having small talks with the teacher. From this experience, I realized communication barriers can happen from ignorance and they can be bridged through non-verbal activities.
According to Nippon Hoso Kyokai, about 40 percent of Japanese people disagree that foreign people live in their areas because they might disturb the peace. One of the reasons why they think this way is that about 98 percent of people living in Japan are Japanese and they have never communicated with foreign people. Even though Japan needs to accept more immigrants and bilingual education, it will take a long time (this is similar to Korea as Yoonie points out).
Activities that do not require language much such as sports can help communication barriers between local people and immigrants be bridged, and I believe people will be gradually able to understand each other.
Thanks, Japanda! Agree that engaging in joint activities is such an important way to break down barriers; but sometimes it can be hard to even get into a joint activity …
I had never had a moment in my life that was so threatening like MIS DOS VOCES due to language barrier, but communication barriers have been an issue for me since my first contact with Australia. When I first arrived in Australia, my spoken English was rather structured like what I learned from the textbooks. As I started to communicate with the locals, I learned about the varieties of expressions that are more lively and natural, that was when my English became more authentic. My part-time job experience allowed me to be exposed to a realistic environment, so I started to understand more about the value of the local people and I knew how to respond appropriately.
I believe language is culturally specific, even English speakers themselves have their own regional expressions that represent their local culture. It seems to me that understanding the norms and social behaviour of a certain group of people helps me understand more about the language. As quote from Flora Lewis,
“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things.”
I would love to embrace this everyday challenge, overcome it and be amazed.
Thanks, XM! Misunderstandings don’t have to be life-threatening to be instructive. Sometimes, they can actually be amusing. Together with some colleagues, I’m currently working on a book project about the intercultural communication experiences of migrants to Australia and there are many misunderstandings, big and small; and people do embrace their everyday challenges and overcome them 🙂
Back in 2018, when I was undertaking a graduate program in translating and interpreting at MQ, I once offered a Chinese-English interpreting service to a community. I remember that I was interpreting for the community director and an elderly Chinese gentleman. The elderly man was in his very old age, approximately in his late 80s or early 90s. Before the interpreting, I was informed by the director that the elderly man had been living alone most of the time in the community for a year and had been left by his son due to work. He should have had a routine medical check-up last week but did not come out of his house for a few days. Up until that point, the situation I had learnt about this man sounded pathetic and really struck me.
During the interpreting, the elderly man produced a lot of broken Chinese utterances and expressed in an unsteady manner. I did not intentionally correct the errors he made in speaking Chinese to help “smooth out” the conversation, but rather to maintain a neutral stance to genuinely reflect the true condition and limitations the man might have physically and socially. In this case, neither did I choose to add, delete, or alter the information the elderly man conveyed, nor did I act as an emotional intermediary between the man and the director. Because once an interpreter tries to emotionally provide some forms of support, the interpreting activity becomes an act of one-way communication, which deviates from interpreting as a tool for intercultural communication and cultural mediation.
It was a tough time during the interpreting and communicating for the three of us, but it went smoothly eventually as the director realised and understood the elderly man’s unpleasant condition and decided to provide additional community assistance. And I was glad that I assisted them by remaining true to my role as an interpreter.
Thank you, Ste, for this detailed account and also for being of assistance to that gentleman. There is a lot of loneliness among the elderly, and maybe even more so among migrants. Interpreters can only do so much …
The interpreters’ role in the life of a migrant might be definite. The grey zone covering ethics, grade of involvement and the disjunctive positioning that they may face ranging from supporting a fellow community member to undermining the legal framework is indeed an interesting topic for further research. As one of my classmates in the T&I program stated, it would be interesting to determine the line between sympathy and empathy whilst performing community interpreting.
“Mis dos voces” seems a great empowerment initiative, since it does not constitute a chain migration system where people sharing the same language and values will shield women, but they are given tools and support to interact with government and community, gaining independence, awareness and protection from abuse; besides being themselves and portraying their complexity, which is something uncommon when in front of a linguistic barrier.
Thanks, Jhonny! Agree that in real life the role of language mediators – from formal interpreters to informal language helpers – is much more complex than T&I programs sometimes allow … I enjoyed “Mis dos voces” very much. If you’d like to take a peek, there is a trailer at
I have witnessed a strange situation in a healthcare setting, where a doctor was trying to explain the diagnosis of a developmental language disorder to the parents of a child. The multidisciplinary team also had an interpreter included in the situation because the parents were not fluent in Finnish or English. The language or perhaps also cultural barrier did not occur between the doctor and the parents but between the doctor and the interpreter.
The conflict between the doctor and the interpreter started when the doctor heard the interpreter use the word “invalid” multiple times while translating the speech. Either the native language of the family did not have the exact corresponding word to describe the developmental disorder, or the interpreter was unfamiliar with the vocabulary needed. The doctor got upset because she disagreed with the term since she thought the word “invalid” was not right to describe the situation and experienced the term as degrading. The healthcare team ended up changing the interpreter to solve the problem because neither the doctor nor the interpreter was willing to let go of their opinion about appropriate terminology.
Thank you, Milla! How fascinating that the doctor would think they are an expert on a language they are not familiar with – the “monolingual mindset” or some other (linguistic) superiority complex in action.
Can I ask which language was involved? As it so happens, in German, the word “Invalide” means “disabled person” and “Invalidenrente” is “disability pension”). Sounds like English “invalid” but has a different meaning … and, btw, such words that sound similar in different languages but have different meaning are called “false friends” 🙂
Hi Ingrid! Thank you for your comment!
Like said, the situation was very strange. I understood that the doctor had good intensions behind questioning the term, but like you said, who is she to tell what terms are adequate in a language unfamiliar to her.
Unfortunately I don’t remember what language was on issue. If I remember correctly, the family was originally from Northern Africa, but that does not really help to determine the language hahah.
This is an interesting article showcasing a very importat movement. In New York, there also is a similar trend. Some primary schools are to provide bilingual education to immigrant families. The idea is that the second language should not be used only at home, but should be more actively learned at school. This is because of the outcomes of recent studies stating that the learning ability of children exposed to bilingualism is greater than that of children who grew up hearing only one language.
In fact, Korea is in a similar situation to the United States and Australia. Many immigrants are coming from Southeast Asian countries. I think that bilingual education should be seriously considered to adequately educate those children of immigrants. However, in Korea, which is sensitive to education, I think it will take a long time for the argument to be received as people would oppose to spending limited budget on bilingual education.
Thank you, Yoonie! Bilingual education is undoubtedly important but I’m wondering which part of the article made you think about bilingual education?
Hello Ingrid, I just wanted to share a different approach of seeing a second language. Other than framing only English as a primary language, the new initiative in US schools see the significant power of Second language. That way the parents in the immigrant families can be regarded as an important asset in education, not as a life-time learner of English. I also think this kind of initiative can help reform people’s stereotype towards language and ethniticy: people seem to widely believe that second-language speakers should work harder to adapt into the country they are living in. In fact, I believe the country should also acknowledge their contribution and employ policies that can help them play an important role in society.
Thanks, Yoonie! Couldn’t agree more but, sadly, valorization alone does not bridge language barriers … you might also like reading this article:
Piller, Ingrid. (2022). Language Barriers to Social Participation. Language on the Move. https://www.languageonthemove.com/language-barriers-to-social-participation/
I liked how the correlations between equitable social inclusion and linguistic ability were emphasised in the story. It was similar to my different experiences while living in Australia.
I lived in Australia for the first time as a teenager to experience its culture for 2 weeks. At the same time, I was very self-conscious about my speech intelligibility, grammar and word choices while communicating with the host family or ordering food in a restaurant. Most of the time I realised that my use of English was not competent enough to hold a longer conversation with other native speakers. I was therefore excluded from deep conversations or small talks.
When I studied abroad and lived in Australia again for another 6 years. I believe the only way to get the sense of belonging is courage and bravery. I forced myself to interact with more native speakers in order to overcome the fear of making mistakes. Overtime, I was able to at least make close friends within the country and was invited to many other social events.
With my different experiences of living in Australia throughout different life periods, I think social acceptance is actually a continuum depending on your linguistic ability. The more you speak the language, the more respect you earn from locals.
Thank you, Sharkie! I like your metaphor of inclusion as a continuum! All of us experience inclusion in some contexts and exclusion in others, and this shifts over time. And in some contexts we can speak a language with courage and bravery, and in others we cannot …
I couldn’t agree more! Just the thought of ordering food at any fast-food restaurant in an entirely new country, adding that I am yet to be familiarized with the language they speak, is something I am afraid to experience. Personally, if I ever get the wrong order, I wouldn’t ask the server to change it just because the food in the bag isn’t exactly what I wanted. But having said that, I believe that this kind of experience of getting the wrong order is a good thing since this will help me build a certain amount of Confidence the next time I order food. If I ever commit a mistake while ordering food, I would definitely learn and move from it.