The language barrier is a difficulty that everyone who learns a foreign language faces sooner or later. Today we will understand the causes of this phenomenon and, of course, tell you how to overcome it.

What is a language barrier?

First, let's understand the terminology. The language barrier occurs, as a rule, when the student is in language environment, in the case of English - among English-speaking people. You can face this problem even with a high. You can have excellent grammar skills, experience writing serious essays, and read Conan Doyle in the original, but come to an inexplicable stupor when you need to speak English. At the same time, the status and role of the interlocutor in your life do not play a role: you can encounter a language barrier even in an informal setting.

Causes of the language barrier

The language barrier has two causal aspects: linguistic and psychological.

Linguistic aspect language barrier associated with the use theoretical knowledge on practice. Your head stores information about grammar and vocabulary, but the mechanism for activating the right memory cells in specific situation not adjusted yet. You can perform perfectly complex exercises to agree on times, however reach a dead end in an attempt to order a drink in a pub. An important role here is played by the difficulties with the perception of the speech of carriers in real time. Even if you not only completed listening tasks in class, but also watched films and even listened to the news in the original, then communication with the same bartender will be complicated by many unusual factors, for example, the speaker’s accent, tone and manner of his speech, mood, in the end finally, the rattling of glasses in the background.

Psychological aspect language barrier is a reflection of our internal fears and self-doubt. The very atypical situation of communication with a foreigner in not mother tongue makes a person feel uncomfortable. We are afraid to make a mistake, to seem stupid, and we also feel embarrassed in front of the speaker for our own speech: low tempo, pronunciation, wrong stresses - all this confuses us. We are afraid of not understanding the interlocutor, and our worst nightmare is to remain misunderstood and start talking again. As a result, we feel like that dog: he understands everything, but he cannot say.

How to deal with the language barrier?

Who is warned is armed. Do not think that you are an exception and be prepared to face the language barrier. The reasons described above will give you an understanding of the essence of the problem, which means that you will no longer be so scared.

Rehearse in advance. Before entering an English-speaking environment, practice everyday situations. Speak typical dialogues on the topics “get directions”, “make an order in a cafe”, “check in at a hotel”. Practice should be precisely oral: this way you will definitely bring the right phrases and wording into "register", and if necessary, remember them automatically. Prepare for predictable circumstances, and then the unforeseen will be easier to deal with.

Allow yourself to be wrong. Remember, you are not on an exam. No one will evaluate you, and by and large, nothing depends on whether you express yourself correctly or not. Only those who do nothing do not make mistakes.

Feel free to speak. Imperfect knowledge of a foreign language is no reason to be ashamed. Yes, now your grammar is not perfect, your pronunciation is lame, but this is a mandatory step on the way to more high level. The same applies to the accent: this is not a mistake, but just a feature of your speech. Your mistakes and stumbles will certainly be treated favorably, and most likely, they will not pay attention to them at all. The interlocutor is more likely to pay tribute to your enthusiasm, show responsiveness and will help you in the process of conversation.

Repeat and ask again if needed. Do not put an end to the situation if something went wrong. Repeat your words loudly and clearly if you were not heard, or reformulate your thoughts if you were not understood. When the interlocutor speaks too quickly, do not be embarrassed and ask him to speak more slowly - such requests are always treated with understanding.

Seize the moment and appreciate it. Remember that communication in the environment is a unique experience. Opportunities to speak with native speakers in a foreign language are rare and invaluable. Knowledge gained as a result personal experience, will give a much more powerful result than textbook theory.

Get out of your comfort zone. Challenge yourself to practice even more. Instead of silently poking at a menu item in a coffee shop, try ordering verbally. Use the navigator less and learn the way from passers-by more often. Initiate as many communications as possible, because the practice of communication is your main task.

With the need to overcome the language barrier faced by anyone who wants to speak English confidently. You can only deal with this problem in an English-speaking environment, when you have immediate motivation receivable necessary information. - most effective method deepen your knowledge and immediately put it into practice. Many have already overcome the language barrier while studying abroad. Try it too!

One of the most common problems arising in the way of learning a foreign language is the language barrier. Sooner or later, most people who study English face this problem. In this article, we'll show you how to deal with it!

What is a language barrier or fear of communication?

Imagine this situation: you start learning English at school, then continue at the institute, maybe in courses or even on your own. And now you know the rules, you have a big vocabulary, read, translate and write letters. It would seem that everything is going well, you speak the language well, but then you realize that you are completely unable to express your thoughts in a conversation. This problem is the language barrier or fear of communication: the inability of a person, knowing the language at a certain level, communicate on it.

Reasons for the language barrier:

• Absence speaking practice and difficulty understanding English.
  Basically, when learning a language, we are taught first of all grammar, reading and writing, forgetting that we learn a language in order to speak it.
• Fear of making a mistake in conversation and lack of confidence in their knowledge.
  A person is guided by the principle: if I do not say anything, then I will not make a mistake.
• Shyness in dealing with people.
  For some people who have little contact even with their surroundings (family, colleagues), it is difficult to communicate in Russian.

7 tips to help you overcome the language barrier:

1. Start talking in English

it the most efficient way! Talk, talk and talk again. Think about how you learned to swim. At first you felt uncomfortable, swam only near the shore, afraid to swim into the depths. But the more you practiced, the freer you felt in the water. And soon all your fears passed, and nothing prevented you from swimming as far as you want.

The same will happen with your communication skill. The more you have speaking practice the more confident you will feel. It is better not to start with native speakers. Try to start practicing with those for whom English is also not their native language. This will help relieve stress and fear.

2. Stop being afraid of mistakes

The main thing to understand: all people make mistakes, and there is nothing wrong with that. Only those who do nothing do not make mistakes. If you allow yourself to make mistakes, you will improve your English communication skills much faster.

3. Relax and smile

Chat in in a positive way. After all, a smile is universal remedy, which will help you in any dialogue. Show goodwill, and the interlocutor will only be happy to help you, even if you make a mistake when trying to formulate your request.

4. Don't be shy

Do not be afraid to admit that you do not understand the interlocutor well enough, do not hesitate to ask again or ask him to speak more slowly. Of course, he will begin to express himself more simply, because it is also important for him to be understood. In the end, your interlocutor is the same person as you, and also often worries and thinks about how to say his thought so that it is understood.

5. Read aloud

Read books, articles, magazines on English language exactly aloud: learn words and expressions - repeat them in full voice. Such an exercise will help you get used to the pronunciation of these words and not be afraid to do it already in a dialogue with the interlocutor.

6. Use your knowledge

Use what you already know every day. Remember that the sooner you start practicing English communication, the better. No need to get hung up on a thorough study of grammar and rules. It is enough to learn some words and phrases and start using them, learning along the way. additional words. By the way, you can subscribe to our newsletters in the form after the article. There we send 1 word and 1 expression once a week. Learn and immediately apply in life!

7. Get rid of the fear of looking stupid

In most cases, our interlocutors think about our English better than we do. Many often underestimate themselves. So why not cast aside those unnecessary fears?

Remember - all your fears can be overcome. The main thing is to start communicating in English!

How did you overcome your fears of speaking a foreign language?

Often, having studied English, it would seem, in all its manifestations and complexities, having passed all kinds of tests and knowing exactly your intermediate(intermediate) level, you suddenly encounter some kind of obstacle that can greatly interfere with you. It seems that everything is clear in the book: you read and translate texts freely, after a little thought, you make sentences yourself, you have a basic vocabulary. But as soon as you break out in life somewhere beyond your habitual life and find yourself, for example, at customs, at an airport, a foreign hotel, as if it paralyzes you, and you cannot even remember elementary words. This means one thing - you are faced with a language barrier. The language barrier

Taking the language barrier is a victory over yourself

This often happens when moving from theory to practice with almost every second beginner. But in many respects this problem is far-fetched and has psychological nature. That is, in other words, the language barrier is a "chimera" generated by our imagination and our fears. She dissipates like nightmare when you walk towards her. Yes, yes, to make sure that there is actually no monster at the bottom of the lake, you need to put on scuba gear and boldly dive to the bottom of this very lake.

Also, the answer to the question of how to overcome the language barrier in English will turn out to be tritely simple - you need to start speaking this language, albeit in a broken one, albeit incorrectly, without thinking that they will not understand you or start laughing. And when you are convinced that your first dialogue turned out well and that you managed, even if not without the help of gestures, to convey to the interlocutor what you wanted, then your barrier will crumble into thousands of fragile fragments.
Therefore, the first thing you should do is to kill the fear and insecurity in yourself.

The reason for the language barrier is our own fears

To kill your fears, you need to understand their causes.

1. First reason. Are you afraid to make grammatical errors: After all, English is very difficult! Wait... Who told you that? Let's debunk this myth.
   • Look how many permanent unchangeable endings there are in English - all case declensions occur mainly due to prepositions. In this sense, the Russian language is a "Persian letter" for a foreigner. Of course, the preposition in English must be chosen wisely, but their meanings are not difficult to remember. For example:
     by the book- by books e
     with the book - from books oh
     without the book - no books and
   • But English has a strict word order in sentences, you might object. Yes, but is it so difficult to learn it if you know this scheme, which is valid for most English sentences:
     In affirmative:

     Subject + auxiliary tense verb + predicate (main semantic verb) + addition + circumstance

     AT interrogative sentence question word(if any) and auxiliary moved to the beginning of the sentence.
     Learn to think in English in the same sequence, and then the translation of thoughts into words will occur intuitively quickly

   • Well, how do you actually figure out which auxiliary or semantic verb to use, because in English, who counted 12, and who and as many as 16 tenses? Such a number can scare even experienced connoisseurs.
     But don't get scared. For free communication it is actually enough for you to know all the times of the groups Simple and Perfect, as well as Present Continuous , which is actually 7 times. Why the advantage to the Perfect group, and not Continuous? I remind you again - if it is more important for you to talk about the duration than about the perfect or imperfect action, that is, if you do not see the difference between "I did" and "I did", but it is very important for you to tell how you choked for three hours in queues at the sale, then learn first of all Continuous
2. The second and no less terrible reason is the thought, how not to lose face, because the interlocutor knows English probably better, he has lived here for a long time and works in a job where fools will not be hired.
   And here you are wrong! There are far fewer true English speakers abroad than you might think if you are also going to France or the Czech Republic, Thailand or Turkey. You are much more likely to meet there - and among the staff, and among tourists, and among the indigenous people - people for whom English is international language communication, but not native, and therefore they will speak it far from impeccably. Your "broken" and their perfectly get along.
3. And the third reason for your fear is the constant feeling of lack of words, a kind of verbal "oxygen" starvation.
   Here, too, it would be useful to remind you that base words it doesn't take much to communicate, only 850, and you may be underestimating your vocabulary.

Ways to overcome the language barrier

Overcoming the language barrier Let's briefly summarize the tips on how to overcome the language barrier.

1. Destroy fear in yourself, speak and communicate boldly, do not be afraid to look ridiculous.
2. Create and maintain an environment for communication, break out of the usual circle often and travel more
3. Make sure you know English and that it is not difficult by repeating grammar rules
4. Expand your vocabulary if it seems small to you:
   if you learn 20 words every day, then in a month and a half you will master all Basic English

A little pre-workout never hurts

Work through situations in advance by rehearsing possible options conversations. I offer some of them.

For example, you are going on an excursion to one of European countries. You may experience the following situations.

The situation at the airport and the plane

Tell me please, when will departure of next flight to Paris have been? — Please tell me when the next flight to Paris leaves?
How do I go to the registration? — How do I get registered?
How much is one ticket? — How much is one ticket?
Can you sell two tickets near to each other? - Can you sell two tickets next to each other?
When will the registration be finished? — When does registration end?
Don't you know how much we have to fly? — You don't know how much more we have to fly?
Can you let me your seat near the window? “Could you give me your seat by the window?”
Sorry, I feel bad can you help me? — I'm sorry, I feel bad, could you help me?
Have I time to go to the end of the cabin before boarding of the plane? — I will have time to go to the back of the cabin before the plane lands?

The situation on the street, in urban public transport

Tell me please, how can I go to the bus stop Revolution Square? — Please tell me how can I get to bus stop Revolution square?
Will I go to the hotel on the Boulevard of Roses, if I have gone in this direction? — Will I be able to walk to the hotel on Boulevard des Roses if I walk in this direction?
Drive me, please, to the hotel Esther. — Please take me to the Esther Hotel
How much do I owe you? — How much do I owe you?

The situation in the hotel

Hello, I reserved a room at your hotel on March 28. Can I take it? - Hello. I booked a room at your hotel on March 28th. Can I borrow it?
Do you have free room? — Do you have a free room?
Can I order a dinner in my room? — Can I have dinner in my room?
Please bring me two bottles of fruit drinks in my room at 8:00 pm — Please bring me two bottles of fruit drink to my room at 8 pm
I want to visit the Louvre tomorrow. Don't you have a guide book or can you explain to me how can I find it? - I want to visit the Louvre tomorrow. Do you have a guide or can you tell me how to find it??

Probably, all of us have at least once been in situations where it was not possible to convey our thoughts to the interlocutor. “It’s like we speak different languages,” you might think, although you communicated in your native language.

But what if you can't speak German fluently? There is uncertainty about own forces, embarrassment, all the words are suddenly forgotten, and you are involuntarily lost. This phenomenon is called the language barrier. How to fight him?

It may seem strange, but the reason for the emergence of a language barrier should be sought not in the level of your knowledge of the German language, but in the ability to communicate.

Someone likes to be the center of attention, someone prefers to remain silent even in a noisy company. Some people find it easier to send text messages, while others spend hours on the phone. Such features are not very noticeable in Everyday life, but may cause some difficulties in communicating with the Germans.

Do not forget that communication includes not only oral speech, but also gestures with facial expressions. A sociable person easily uses these tools, compensating for a lack of knowledge, and a shy person can not only become silent in the middle of a conversation, but also get negative experience communication in German.

Children overcome the language barrier more easily. They like to learn new things, make friends, and they perceive learning German as a game. Children are not afraid to ask again, they know how to be attentive and, most importantly, they are not afraid to make a mistake.

In contrast, adults perceive their own mistakes much more painfully. We prefer not to ask again, so as not to seem stupid, and we approach the study of the German language with all the seriousness that we are capable of.

Because of this, it can be difficult for adults to start learning German, and when meeting a German, there is a feeling of insecurity in their abilities.

Our Skype German teachers work to reduce the communication and language barrier in every lesson, provoking the student to use their knowledge not only in writing assignments, but also in oral speech.

Communication barrier and how to deal with it

At active use There are four communication barriers in the German language. Let's consider them in more detail.

barrier of understanding - Difficulty understanding German speech by ear. May appear partially when the listener does not understand individual words or phrases, but intuitively captures the essence; or completely, when the meaning of everything heard escapes.

The barrier of understanding most often arises in the initial stages, when German speech seems foreign to the ear. However, this problem does not bypass students with a good level of language.

To overcome the barrier of understanding, attention should be paid to listening: listening to German songs and radio or TV shows. The speech of each person is individual and unique, therefore, the more you listen, the easier it is to perceive by ear.

speaking barrier - that's what we mean when we talk about the language barrier. This feature may appear on initial stage learning German when the speaker does not have enough knowledge to express his thought, or when good level possessions German when some external or internal factors interfere with free speech.

At the initial stage, the speaking barrier can serve as a motivation for further study, but when the speaker has sufficient vocabulary and grammar, but communication does not occur at the proper level, some psychological problems may arise.

The first thing to remember is that no one will consider you stupid if they hear that you made a mistake. It is impossible to speak German immediately and without mistakes. Try to express yourself in short sentences, communicate slowly.

Speak clearly all the words, do not be afraid to correct yourself. If you forgot a word, try to replace it with a synonym or explain the meaning of this word in a few sentences.

Exchange students often ask their new German-speaking friends to correct them if they hear a mistake. This approach will not only make it easier to perceive a conversation in German, but will also help even the most shy to speak.

If you do not have the opportunity to talk with a native speaker, try to practice speaking as much as possible in your German lessons via Skype. If you add watching films in German to this, you will not only be able to freely express your thoughts, but also begin to think in this language.

It occurs when a student begins to encounter phenomena and concepts that are not in their native language. Fortunately, when studying European languages(German in particular) cultural barrier appears extremely rarely.

However, it can occur when directly exposed to a foreign environment. To avoid falling into awkward situations, one should devote time to studying the life, traditions, worldview of the Germans. You can get acquainted with all this on our online lessons on Skype, because regional studies - obligatory part learning German.

The school barrier is a kind of “residue” that could remain after learning German at school or at language courses. Negative attitude to the subject often makes it difficult to quickly master the language in adulthood, when, for example, it becomes necessary to learn German and go abroad.

Such sediment also interferes when it enters a German-speaking environment; a person involuntarily, almost subconsciously, rejects the language.

In order to cope with the school barrier, you should be clearly aware that now you are learning German not because it is written in school curriculum, and by own will. There is no longer a class where your mistakes will be exposed to the public, and there are no grades for which parents can scold.

Our highly qualified teachers apply individual approach to each student, thanks to which German lessons via Skype are easy and relaxed.

It doesn't matter if you are a "mathematician" by ability or a "humanist". Learn, practice, surround yourself with German, and no barriers will come between you and freehold language.

The language barrier

The language barrier- a phrase used in figurative meaning and denoting the difficulties in communication of people associated with the belonging of speakers to different language groups.

As a rule, we are talking about a language barrier if the communicator has difficulty in explaining his position or the listener has difficulty in understanding the position of the communicator. From this point of view, the barrier of speaking and the barrier of understanding another person are distinguished separately.

Language barrier and communication

As a rule, communication between people who speak different languages ​​is difficult. This is due to the problem of time and effort to master foreign language. Therefore, people who travel a lot around the world often face a language barrier.

Overcoming the language barrier

Work on overcoming the language barrier takes place when we are talking about prolonged communication with a person or group of people. For example, when forming personal or business relations with a communicator who is a native speaker of another language, or when long stay in a group of native speakers of a foreign language.

In this case, it is possible to learn the language to overcome the language barrier or to involve a third party in communication - an interpreter.

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See what "Language barrier" is in other dictionaries:

the language barrier Dictionary linguistic terms T.V. Foal

The language barrier- 1) Ignorance or poor knowledge of the language of the collective, which prevents the individual from realizing his intentions, making contact with members of the linguistic community. 2) Psychological setting individual, associated with low self-esteem of someone else's knowledge ... ... General linguistics. Sociolinguistics: Dictionary-Reference

The language barrier- 1. Ignorance or insufficient knowledge of the language of the collective, which prevents the individual from making contact with its members, from realizing their intentions. 2. The psychological attitude of the individual, based on low self-esteem of their knowledge ... ...

The language barrier- - a situation where ignorance of a foreign language serves as an obstacle to mutual understanding, to obtaining the necessary information. Compare: “Why did they (Japanese) come?” "And who knows?" "You would ask." “How can I ask him? It’s all the same for us to talk to him, like a pig with ... ... Language contacts: concise dictionary

barrier- a m. barriere f. 1. dipl. Lands annexed to the state for safety from attack neighboring countries; in general, the territory lying between two states and separating them. Sl. 18. Mutually for that, they promised France the Netherlands ... ... Historical dictionary gallicisms of the Russian language

barrier- a, m. 1) A low barrier that prevents passage, passage. Install barriers in front of the repaired section of the road. The militia ran to the Sempleyarov's box, curious people climbed the barrier, hellish outbursts of laughter were heard... (Bulgakov). Synonyms: ... ... Popular dictionary of the Russian language

Language discomfort- Awareness of the inappropriate use of this idiom. At the heart of Ya.d. There may be reasons of both subjective and objective nature. So, Ya.d. may be caused by low self-esteem of the speaker, who believes that he is not good enough ... ... Dictionary of sociolinguistic terms

- (French barriere outpost). 1) gates in fortresses. 2) in arenas and circuses, a fence, a log, a pole through which a horse jumps. 3) a sign that fighters reach in a duel. 4) railing, grating. Dictionary foreign words included in the ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

BARRIER, husband. 1. An obstacle (type of wall, crossbar) placed on the way (during jumps, running). Take b. (get over it). 2. Fence, fence. B. lodges, balconies. 3. trans. An obstacle, an obstacle to something. River natural b. for… … Dictionary Ozhegov

BUT; m. [French. barriere]. 1. An obstacle (partition, bar, etc.) on the way during sports (running, racing, etc.). Hurdling. jump over b. The horse took the hurdles one by one. 2. A low fence separating which ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

• Speak English. Speech simulator, Matveev, Sergey Alexandrovich. To start speaking English, you just need to step over the language barrier and start communicating. This will help you this manual. With this book, you will be able to...