People speaking different regional languages is one of the most blatant examples of a language barrier. Another type of language barrier is dialects. Dialectical variances can cause misconceptions and communication gaps despite technically speaking the same language. India, for instance, has over 720 dialects and over 22 major languages written in 13 distinct scripts. That opens the door to many language misunderstandings due to foreign languages used.
An example of poor communication caused by a foreign language being a barrier can be seen in the following scenario. The delegation that knows English as a second language welcomes guest delegations from the United States. For non-English speakers, this is a stressful event where they have to rehearse and prepare their speeches. Unfortunately, the delegation did not have enough time to hire a translator, so they translated their speeches into English and printed them. As the meeting began, everything went well, as the non-English-speaking delegation read their speeches, but when the delegation from the United States began asking questions, the host team became confused and struggled to formulate their responses in real-time.
Hence, the situation presents an example of a communication breakdown due to the foreign language barrier. The barrier has manifested itself in the stage of encoding the information and forming cohesive responses in real-time by the host delegation. Additional factors include psychological factors associated with performance anxiety of both teams and cultural context, where the English-speaking team was expecting the other delegation to understand English as a global language.
The communication could be improved if the delegations tried to communicate in written form so there is more time and tools to encode and decode the information. In addition, the non-English team could hire a translator to help them during a meeting with English-speaking partners.
Reference
Shibata, M. (2021). Japanese L2 English Learners’ Positions in Miscommunication: Who Is Responsible for Failures?. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 1-17.