🗓️ Idiom: Language Barrier (n)
💬 Meaning
- A difficulty in communication that happens when people don’t speak the same language well.
- A problem that stops clear understanding between speakers of different languages.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The language barrier made the meeting with the overseas team difficult.
- We hired a translator to help overcome the language barrier during negotiations.
- Even though the client spoke some English, the language barrier caused confusion.
🏛️ Origin
The phrase “language barrier” began as a simple way to describe the limits people face when they can’t understand each other due to different native languages. The word “barrier” suggests a wall or block—something that stops smooth communication.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
They brought in an interpreter to help break down the __________ during the video call.
Answer
language barrier
2. Choose the correct meaning of “language barrier”:
A) A software problem
B) A wall between offices
C) A communication problem caused by different languages
Answer
C) A communication problem caused by different languages
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“It was hard to understand each other because we don’t speak the same language well.” → Change the sentence using: language barrier
Answer
It was hard to communicate because of the language barrier.
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