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Language Barrier

Language Barrier – How To Overcome It

If you’ve started dating an Asian girl recently, you might find yourself getting a little frustrated by the language barrier. In some instances, she might speak very little English, which makes it incredibly difficult to get to know her. Even if she knows English reasonably well, it’s likely that the language barrier will have an impact on your relationship. Here are five things to bear in mind about a language barrier when starting a relationship with an Asian girl.

 

Be patient

 When you don’t have the same first language as your girlfriend, you need to be patient with her and be understanding if miscommunications happen. Put yourself in her shoes and try and imagine having to communicate in her language, and this will help you understand how difficult it would be. As long as you’re patient, you can clear up any misunderstandings and you’ll be able to get to know her slowly.

 

Be willing to learn her language

 Even if you don’t have intentions of becoming fluent in her language, particularly at the start of your relationship, showing a willingness to learn some basic phrases in her mother tongue will show that you respect her culture and you’re serious about the relationship. Start with greetings and other common everyday discourse, and she will really appreciate the effort.

 

Don’t correct every little mistake that she makes

 Unless she has explicitly asked you to do so, don’t correct every little mistake that she makes when speaking English. It can ruin the flow of your conversation and it can be demoralising for her. If she’s asked you to correct her when she makes mistakes, focus on the big ones, don’t get caught up in the little things that can be ironed out when she improves as your relationship progresses.

 

Talk about miscommunications

 If you speak a different language to your girlfriend, you’re going to experience miscommunications on more than one occasion. You might think she has been particularly short about something, or even inadvertently said something that you deem offensive. The important thing to remember is that she probably didn’t intend to upset you, and you should be open and talk to her about any miscommunications. Don’t hold a grudge about something she probably didn’t mean to say in the first place.

 

Offer your time to help her improve her English

 If you’ve agreed that you want to communicate mainly in English, offer your time to help your girlfriend improve her language skills. Even if it’s only for a couple of hours every week, dedicate some time to go over some things that she wants to improve upon and offer to teach her new words and helpful phrases. Even if she prefers to learn English on her own, offering to help shows that you care and want to help her progress.

 

Although language barriers can be difficult to overcome, they don’t need to define your relationship. Just remember to be patient and willing to learn, and you will overcome the differences in language soon enough.

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