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A good relationship can conquer any boundaries, including language-related ones.Â
That said, there's always an extra challenge when couples speak different primary languages from one another. How do they communicate? How do they know what the other person wants? How to avoid the dreaded misinterpretation that leads to an unnecessary argument?
Here are four great ways couples can effectively communicate despite a language barrier!
Use Jarvisen During Every Conversation
A good smart language translator device like Jarvisen isn't just effective for business meetings an international gatherings. You can literally use Jarvisen to get through day-to-day communication with your partner!
Simply turn it on whenever you need to speak with your partner, particularly about something important. Program it to translate to your partner's language, speak into the device, and out comes the language your partner understands. Just like that, both of you know what the other one is trying to say.
To see this in action, check out this fun video where people speaking different languages use Jarvisen during activities like dating and cooking together. Spoiler alert: things typically go well when Jarvisen tags along.
Carry A Translation Dictionary Everywhere
Source: Type-Together
On a similar yet more old-school note, it's entirely possible to communicate with your partner through a translation dictionary.
Carry, for example, a Spanish-to-English dictionary wherever you go. When conversing, use the dictionary to translate any words your partner doesn't quite understand.Â
This approach may take a little longer than an instant translator, and you will need to shop around for the right dictionary for your language needs. That said, there's just something wonderful about the bonding experience that is flipping through a translation dictionary together to find the perfect words.
Simplify Your SentencesÂ
If your partner understands some of your language but not a ton of it, learning to simplify your sentences goes an incredibly long way toward effective communication.
Let's face it: you need to be fairly advanced in English to understand a wordy sentence like "Let's take a drive out to the park this morning and then in the afternoon we will go grocery shopping and then we will drive back home and cook a delicious dinner together."
If, however, you simplify that to "Let's go to the park, then buy food, then cook dinner," your partner is far more likely to grasp its meaning. More importantly, they'll appreciate you respecting them enough to alter the way you speak so they more readily understand you.
Master Nonverbal Communication
Sometimes, words fail us, especially when couples use drastically different words from one another.
In many cases, this will require you to communicate without words. This could mean pantomiming (for example, pretending to drive a car or mimicking a ballroom dance) to convey to your partner what you want to do or what you're trying to say.
Or, you could simply swoop up your partner and start the dance you want to do. Chances are, they'll completely understand and happily go along with it!
Sometimes, simply pointing at something will be the nonverbal communication you and your partner need. In this case, however, try to remember to say the word of the thing you're pointing at as you're doing so. This will help your partner remember that thing's word in your language going forward.
The Bottom Line
A good relationship is all about communication. If a language barrier makes it hard to effectively communicate, you need to find a way to do so. Any combination of the above solutions will equal great communication, and therefore a great relationship!
