Author: Cody Bijeaux
Language barriers are a problem for many students. No matter what language is used to communicate, there are always situations where language differences cause misunderstandings. To a language student, however, this issue is even more serious. I have studied Chinese for almost five years, diligently studying grammar books and trying to attain a better understanding of Chinese overall. Many say my Chinese is good, and yet many occasions haves led to misunderstandings. Studying a language intensively and still misunderstanding is frustrating. Language barriers are certainly a difficult problem.
Language barriers are not the inability to understand the other person's specific words or phrases. They are also the inability to further or extend a conversation. When I chat with Chinese friends, I sometimes realize that my Chinese is not. My friends then realize a language barrier exists, and the result is an avoidance of more deep and personal questions. They ask simple questions, such as where I am from or if I like Taiwan. These questions are not improper or wrong, but it is a missed opportunity to discuss important topics like cultural differences and viewpoints on life. A successful discussion as a language student is a discussion where the language barrier is nonexistent. When both sides feel that they are on equal linguistic footing then they can happily engage in deeper conversation.
Language barriers are everywhere. At school when someone uses words I do not understand, I might simply ask them to repeat or ask what they mean. These instances occur and can result in embarrassment and a desire to seclude myself to avoid another error. Sometimes, having a high level of Chinese can actually be an unexpected curse. People may assume I do not worry about language barriers or may not experience them. Often, Chinese speakers are less patient with us than with our friends who are just starting to learn the language. Loosing due to the irritating issue of language barriers can be depressing. So, like many of my American friends, I am determined to improve my Chinese. I hope one day to talk completely freely with friends without the fear of a language barrier.
中文主題：語言障礙
作者：畢傑
語言障礙是所有學外語的人都會遇到的問題。無論用哪種語言來溝通，都難免會因為語言差異而產生誤會。對學外語的同學來說，這個問題就比較明顯了。我學中文已經五年了，一直希望可以多研究語法，多積累詞彙來提升中文程度、並且加深對中國文化的理解。雖然有很多朋友說我的中文已經很不錯了，但我偶爾還是會因為措辭不當，導致誤會。說真的，這其實是個讓人懊惱的事，學了那麼長一段時間，但還是無法融會貫通地理解對方的話，所以語言障礙有時候真的是個非常棘手的問題。
語言障礙不僅導致自己不理解對方的話，甚至無法與對方進行溝通。當我在用中文和朋友溝通時，我會覺得自己的中文沒那麼好，而我的朋友們也認為我們的溝通裡存在著語言障礙，於是就會避免和我討論比較有深度的話題。他們通常只會問我很簡單的問題： 比如說我來自哪裡，喜不喜歡台灣等等。這些簡單的交談是不成問題的，但是卻讓我們彼此失去了解對方的文化以及生活觀的機會。成功掌握外語的要訣就是讓彼此的交談不因語言障礙而有所影響，如此一來沒有語言障礙就會樂意講更有深度的話題。
我發現語言障礙無處不在。在學校裡，我跟同事聊天時就會經常接觸到一些不懂的詞彙，我無法理解的時候就需要請他們再說一遍或是解釋那是什麼意思。每當發生這種情況我都會感到很不好意思，有時候甚至為了避免遇到這種尷尬的情況，我會減少和他人深入交談。有很多朋友認為我的中文水準很高，所以不會擔心語言障礙的問題。當我們說中文的時候，當地人比較沒有耐性聽我們說話。一想到那些因語言障礙而停止交談的朋友，心情就有點低落，因此我下決心要更加努力的學習中文，就像我其他的美國朋友一樣，希望有一天可以在沒有任何語言障礙下，用中文流暢地和說中文的朋友交談。

Author: Emily Schell
I have been studying Chinese for over nine years, starting with online Chinese classes and moving to university classes, including study abroad programs in Beijing and Shanghai. Although my nine years of Chinese and various Chinese friends have given me a grasp of the Chinese language, I still have trouble fully understanding some conversations. Sometimes I find myself alongside brand new language learners asking the same questions they do. "Could you repeat that again？ Could you say that slower please？" Consequently, even though our Chinese is good, we still struggle often, which strains our friendships, teaching, and relationships with those in the community.
My knowledge of Chinese actually makes my school and social relationships complicated in other ways. As a Fulbright Teacher, we have two main responsibilities: to teach children English and to serve as cultural ambassadors of the United States. Sometimes, I fear that my knowledge of Chinese makes it easier for me to be a cultural ambassador and harder for me to be an English teacher.
One of the most difficult aspects of teaching English, or any language that is not the native language, in another country is creating opportunities for students to practice the non-native language outside of class. So much of language learning depends on students finding natural and authentic ways to practice their non-native language outside of the classroom. Given that students are unlikely to do so of their own volition with their family, friends, or teammates, they may not move from repeating and memorizing English phrases to organically producing English, to use "teacher speak." Accordingly, any opportunity to engage students in English outside of the classroom is extremely important. Even knowing this fact, I often engage with my students in Chinese instead of English. Although using this native language makes it easier, in my opinion, to forge strong relationships with students, coworkers, and community members, I miss out on important opportunities to teach English in a more natural setting outside of the classroom. In my Chinese conversations, however, I am still fortunate to have the opportunity to expose my students to various aspects of American culture and thought.
This trade-off between forging stronger relationships with community members and better serving the community in my capacity as an English teacher is one that most Fulbright English teachers must make. Some of us, by virtue of knowing little Chinese, have the choice made for them; they are full-time English teachers inside and outside of the classroom. However, for those of us who have the luck to know enough Chinese to adequately communicate, we have to decide which one of those priorities takes precedence. For me, I have opted to forge even stronger relationships with my students and community, although that choice has come at the expense of the opportunity to teach even more English outside of the classroom. Living on Kinmen is full of lots of challenges and choices such as these, but luckily for me, each challenge and choice tends to bring even larger reward.
作者：艾米麗
我已經學中文九年了，在我讀高中的時候，我開始在線上學中文，上大學後，我繼續學習中文，並且參加北京和上海的語言學習計畫。在我學中文的這九年，雖然我的朋友有教我學中文的要領，但是我還是沒辦法了解一些對話。有時候我發現自己就像初學者一樣，會不斷地問問題，「你可以再重複一遍嗎？」、「可以請你說慢一點嗎？」。我的結論就是，雖然我們的中文還算不錯，但我們還是無法精確表達，而這也讓我們需要在友誼、教學和社區上更加努力。
我的中文程度也讓我在學校和社區間的關係有點複雜。身為一位傅爾布萊特老師，我的角色有兩個責任：第一是教小朋友英文，第二是當美國的文化的大使，讓更多人認識美國文化。有時候，我會擔心我對中文的了解使我容易當一名文化大使，但是卻更難當一名英語老師。