Winter 2020 Issue One

LIFEHACKS

Learning to Overcome

Language

Barriers Story by Mary Park | Design & Illustration by Sara Roach

No hablo Español. 日本語を話せません. Je ne parle pas français. What do these sentences have in common? They illustrate language barriers; when two or more people are unable to communicate with each other. When you travel to a country where you don’t know the language, everyday tasks like ordering food or asking for directions can become tough. At least you’ll be back home after a short trip. But what if you had to live and study there for weeks or even years? Current international students and University English as a Second Language (UESL) professors were interviewed to learn about the individual struggles of a diverse population on the CWU campus.

Kotone Iwasaki When Kotone Iwasaki, sophomore Hospitality major, first arrived in September 2019 from Osaka, Japan, she found it difficult to understand any English. “First time when I was [asked] ‘how are you?’ I couldn’t respond, I just [said] yes or no,” Iwasaki says. “I didn’t have confidence to speak.” Iwasaki recalls that learning English in class and spending time with her new American friends helped her gain confidence in her language skills. “They speak slowly for me and especially my Campus Friend explains each word, each vocabulary I can’t understand,” Iwasaki explains. “She thinks it’s necessary to explain slang to foreigners so I appreciate her.” The most difficult part about learning English for Iwasaki is the pronunciation and trying to understand common slang words and expressions like ‘What’s up?’ Despite the language barrier, she says she felt a connection to American students over common interests like food, music and hobbies. “I think [the] most important thing is to communicate with people, to try to understand … to break language barriers,” Iwasaki explains. “If we can’t speak same language, we can share feelings, emotions with gestures [and] body language.” Kazuki Mizuno Kazuki Mizuno, a sophomore Sociology major from Japan, says he is learning English because he wants to

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WINTER 2020 | ISSUE ONE