Overcoming language barriers: An international student’s perspective
- Katja Klverts
- November 25, 2024
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Living and studying abroad is exciting. But stepping into a new culture and language can also be challenging. For Katja, our intern from Denmark, language was an important factor in her choice of study destination. In the video, she explains how the journey has been a mix of awkward moments and triumphs of both speaking and writing language barriers.
Additional Resources
Student Activities
- Designed for mid-Primary aged students, our free online interactive module, School Playground, explores misunderstandings that can occur with cultural differences.
- Fun and Games: https://www.sproglinks.dk/engelsk/fun-games. These activities focus on the English language, but they can easily be adapted for any other subject.
- Download a copy of our Name Leaf activity, a fun way for you and your students to learn more about each other’s names including pronunciation, preferred names and the name’s cultural origin.
Professional Learning
- Explore how you can foster belonging for your students, particularly those from EAL/D backgrounds, in our free online interactive module for teachers, Cohesion in Diversity: Developing a Sense of Belonging.
- ACARA has a number of resources to assist teachers in meeting the needs of students for whom English is an additional language or dialect.
Further Exploration
- Google Lens: https://lens.google/#translate. With this tool, you can translate what you see by using your camera to search with.
- While written for business contexts, the “8 Tips for Training Across Language Barriers” can be useful: https://www.hrexchangenetwork.com/hr-talent-management/articles/8-tips-for-training-across-language-barriers.
- The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) initiative, Say My Name, aims to celebrate diversity within our workplaces and beyond by looking at the ways in which we understand and recognise names. It includes guides on how best to ask someone to pronounce their name, and how to best request someone to pronounce your name.
About the Author
Katja (she/her) is a 28-year-old public librarian who grew up in Copenhagen. After four years in the workforce, she decided to return to her studies. Her passion for diverse cultures has led her to pursue a Master of Cultural Studies in Sydney. Once she completes her degree, she plans to return to Denmark.
Copyright
Metadata © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Together for Humanity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Copyright
Metadata © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Together for Humanity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Stage: All
- Curriculum: English
- Topics: Language; English as an additional language or dialect; Cultural differences