Language Barriers to Communication

The Importance of Language

Oxford Languages defines language as:

"The principal method of human communication, consisting of words used in a structured and conventional way and conveyed by speech, writing, or gesture."

The word also has a secondary meaning: the system of communication used in a particular country or countries. However, the primary meaning is very much focused on 'the main way that people communicate'.

It follows that some of the most serious and important barriers to communication are associated with language.

Identifying Language Barriers to Communication

What types of language barrier may occur to communication? There are several, including:

Lack of a common language

When we talk about a 'language barrier', we often mean the lack of a common language.

When two people do not share a language, it is considerably harder to communicate at all, never mind effectively. Pointing and smiling works quite well in a shop, but it can only go so far if you want to talk about complex or intangible things such as business arrangements, or the potential for a romantic relationship.

Communication is not impossible without a common language, but it can be quite a lot harder. That said, sometimes this can actually make building a relationship easier, although it does depend on the people involved (see box).

Case study: When language difficulties become a benefit

Julia and Kenji met in his home country, Japan, where Julia was teaching English as a second language. They got engaged within a few months of their meeting. When Julia's teaching contract ended and she had to return to the UK, Kenji went with her and they started planning their wedding.

Friends and family expressed concerns about their plans. After all, neither spoke the other's language fluently. How would they manage disagreements? However, Julia just laughed.

"It works for us," she said. "Whenever we have an argument, we just put it down to language difficulties. That way it's nobody's fault and we can move on."
Different levels of linguistic or language ability

Linguistic ability is the skill you have in using language.

Children, for example, have lower levels of linguistic ability than (most) adults. People who have had a stroke or have a language disorder may also have lower levels of linguistic ability.

As anyone with small children will know, they do not always understand what adults are saying. The same applies to anyone with a lower level of linguistic ability.

When there is a big gap in linguistic ability, the person with the higher level may consciously have to choose simpler words, or use less complex sentences, to ensure that they are understood. This means that it can be harder to communicate more complex ideas and concepts when there is a difference in linguistic level.

The same is likely to apply when people are using a language that both speak, but where one is more fluent than the other, and especially if one is a native speaker and the other is not. Misunderstandings can easily arise under these circumstances, especially if care is not taken to avoid idioms or slang terms.

You can find out more about language disorders in our page Speech and Language Disorders, and you may also be interested in our pages on some specific language disorders like aphasia and developmental language disorder.
The use of jargon or specialist language

Jargon is defined as special words or phrases that are commonly used in or by a particular profession or group.

Companies often develop their own jargon, but it also applies across whole professions.

Jargon may be extremely helpful to those within the group when communicating. It provides useful shortcuts for concepts that they often discuss or use. However, it may also have little or no meaning to anyone outside the group, making it much harder to communicate between professional groups, or beyond the group.

If care is not taken in the use of jargon, specialist papers or conversations may be nearly incomprehensible to those not 'in the know'.

Just as lack of a common language can present a barrier to effective communication, the use of specialist language or jargon can therefore hinder the effective transmission of messages, especially to people outside the specialist group or profession. Similarly, the use of abbreviations, especially non-standard ones, can make technical or specialist papers hard for non-specialists to understand.
Accents and other regional variations

Accents are differences in how words are pronounced in different places.

They often affect vowel sounds in particular, and therefore change how words sound. Understanding accents is often difficult for those not familiar with that accent. It can be especially difficult for non-native speakers of a language, and this in turn can impose a language barrier to communication.
Poor word choice

Sometimes language barriers can arise simply from poor word choice by a speaker or writer. There are two aspects of this.

First, fewer and simpler words are generally easier to understand.

The skill of talking or writing simply is often undervalued, with schools encouraging children to use 'more interesting' words. However, in business or other work-related settings, especially multicultural ones, simplicity is often better.

Second, some words are ambiguous in their meaning.

That is, they mean different things in different places or contexts. This might be a geographical variation, or a slang term, or simply a change in context.

For example, affect can be either a verb, meaning 'have an effect on', or a noun meaning, in psychology, 'an experience of feeling or emotion'.

Chips in the US are what is known as 'crisps' in the UK. However, the word chips also has a meaning in the UK—and describes US 'French fries' or 'fries'.

Overcoming Language Barriers to Communication

There are several different techniques that will help you to overcome language barriers to communication. These include:

Know your audience

Or rather, consider your audience in deciding both what to say and how to say it.

This applies to both spoken and written communication.

Think about their level of knowledge of the subject, and also of the language in which you are communicating—and then choose your words and sentence structures accordingly. This will ensure that you match your words to their understanding—and will improve the effectiveness of your communication.

It is also worth considering whether there is anything about your audience or about the medium or location that might make communication harder.

In particular, are there any other barriers to communication that might apply, such as physical barriers? For example, if you are speaking via a video link, you may need to talk more slowly and clearly, and take account of any time lag when waiting for responses.

For more about this, see our page Know Your Audience.

Simplify, simplify, simplify

As a general rule, it is better to speak and write simply, especially if you are communicating with a multi-national audience.

Focus on shorter sentences and simpler structures, with fewer sub-clauses. If you are writing, try to avoid any sentences longer than two lines, and use the active voice rather than the passive. Avoid idioms and other figurative language. Instead, focus on using words that are shorter and less complex.

Oddly enough, this may actually take you longer to prepare.

It is often harder to simplify what you want to say, and make sure that there is no ambiguity.

There is more about this in our pages on Effective Speaking,Using Plain English and Writing Concisely.

Use translators or interpreters if necessary

It may be better to enlist a good interpreter or translator rather than try to 'muddle through'.

Especially in business, clarity is everything. Having an interpreting service also gives you more time to think, particularly if you actually understand some of the other language being spoken. It can therefore be helpful for both sides of a negotiation, although it may break up the conversation.

Multinational companies can also help by encouraging employees to learn more than one language. This is particularly useful for expats, who are often brought into new countries as managers.

Use visual aids to support communication

Pictures can go a long way to make your meaning clearer.

This is why many instruction booklets no longer contain words, but instead use pictures to show their meaning. At work, in a multicultural setting, pictorial warning signs can be literal life-savers. Pictograms can also be helpful visual aids in papers or presentations, to support understanding. Again, it may take longer to prepare visual aids, but it can also hugely improve the quality of the communication.

Take your time

Communication will be slower where there is a language barrier.

The best thing that you can do is simply to accept that, and build in more time.

This will ensure that you have time to repeat information, check understanding—both yours and theirs—and deal with any questions from either side. It will also allow you to revisit concepts if there is any misunderstanding, or find alternative ways to communicate.

Importantly, building in more time will ensure that nobody gets impatient about the pace of communication.

Use grammar and spelling tools to avoid ambiguity

Good spelling and grammar, and accurate punctuation, are helpful for delivering clarity in your communication.

One way to supplement your own knowledge is to use the grammar and spelling tools associated with word processing or email software. These are not entirely ideal, even when supplemented with artificial intelligence.

However, they can be useful in identifying sentences that may be ambiguous.

You don't have to use their suggestions—but you might want to use another word or phrase instead.

A Final Thought

Language barriers are not easy to overcome, and certainly not at speed.

However, there are ways and means to manage them, and to get either past or over them. The key is to remain respectful of each other in your communication, and recognise that everyone is doing their best.

Continue to:
Understanding Hearing Loss and Deafness
Cultural Barriers to Communication