language barrier — communication difficulty
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
A problem that makes it hard for people to understand each other because they speak different languages.
Say it like a native
Textbook We encountered a significant impediment owing to linguistic differences.
Native We ran into a bit of a language barrier.
'Language barrier' is the term; 'impediment owing to linguistic differences' is jargon.
Pattern: language barrier (between A and B) / language barrier to (something)
In use
- When I first moved to Germany, the language barrier made it difficult to make friends.communication
- One major challenge for international students is the language barrier, which can affect both their studies and social life.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ There was a big language obstacle.
✓ There was a language barrier.
The set phrase is 'language barrier', not 'language obstacle/problem'.
Common collocations
a language barrier— overcome, break down, due to, because of
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'accent' or 'dialect,' which are about ways of speaking the same language.