When dating a foreign woman, one of the barriers to communication is not only the language but also the culture. Even if you do become fluent, there are cultural differences that you have to deal with, such as the local slang, colloquialism, and traditions. From time to time, you might put your foot in your mouth.
However, once you get past the language barrier, it can be easier to navigate the cultural differences. While you are still learning the language, here are ways you can cope:
- Take advantage of a translation service
- While there are apps that can help you translate Mandarin, you can also hire a translator, especially when you are online dating with your Chinese woman. A professional can help you properly convey your feelings and thoughts to her.
- The risk of using an app is they tend to translate word for word. One downside is their translations aren’t always grammatically correct. So when your Chinese date might not even understand at all.
- The point is there are translating options you can take that would fit your budget.
- Rely on visuals
- If you’ve run out of Chinese words, you can always use images. As the old adage goes, “A picture paints a thousand words.” When you text or send private messages, you can also rely on emojis, gifs, and even pictures. Not only can you give her a visual of your thoughts, but images usually convey emotions better.
- Pace yourself
- There might be conversations that you would have to slow down or even repeat yourself. Since you don’t speak the same language, both of you will have to adjust on how to communicate with each other. If that means speaking more slowly, so be it.
- Allowing yourselves to adjust also allows you to open up more. Regardless of how slow you have to talk to each other, it would hopefully encourage you to be more honest with one another.
- Clarify your statements
- One of the challenges of dating someone who speaks a different language is that what you say can get lost in translation, which could lead to some serious miscommunication. Add in the cultural differences, you could be in a lot of trouble.
- One way to avoid putting your foot in your mouth is to avoid figures of speech. You would have to communicate with her in layman’s terms almost all the time in order to get your point across. If you slip up every once in a while, make sure to explain to her what you truly mean to avoid confusion and, possibly, offense.
- Rely on non-verbal communication
- What you have trouble expressing in words you can always convey with your facial expressions and hand gestures. It’s also an effective way of teaching and learning another language.
- You remember words or expressions better when there is a respective action or gesture that goes with it. If this strategy works with kids in preschool, this can also work for you and your date.
- Keep a dictionary nearby
- One essential tool when speaking to someone with a different dialect is a dictionary. When you are dating Chinese women in Shenzhen, you can find plenty of them in bookstores and even airport terminals.
- And in this digital age, you can also download a dictionary as an app. This can be more convenient because you simply type in the word you want translated (instead of scouring through numerous pages).
- Patience, patience, patience
- You will stumble every now and again. Inevitably, you and your partner would miscommunicate. What’s important is both of you should clear the air before things escalate into a full-blown argument.
- All relationships have trials and tribulations. Overcoming the language barrier would hopefully strengthen your relationship by fostering a deeper level of trust and understanding.
With these tips, you can still effectively communicate with your Chinese date even if you don’t speak the same language. It may just even motivate both of you to master each other’s languages. If so, that gives you the perfect opportunity to practice with each other. Both of you can even serve as each other’s de-facto translators.
But if you want to speed up the process, here are effective ways of learning another language:
- Watch Chinese movies
- A lot of Chinese films have English subtitles. Mandarin is particularly difficult to master because you not only have to say the words correctly but also be mindful of their intonation. By listening (or in this case watching) other speakers, you have a better sense of not only how to say words properly but also the right context to use them.
- Sign up for a Mandarin tutorial
- What better way to learn than to have someone actually teach you. And the best part is you can also learn how to write in Chinese.
- Talk to the locals
- Another effective way to learn is to talk to the locals. Chinese people are quite hospitable, and if you show some effort to learn and speak, they can be really accommodating in helping you understand their language.
Overcoming the language barrier can help strengthen the relationship. And by learning each other’s language, you also have a better understanding of each other’s cultural background. And that is one of the most important issues to deal with when being in an interracial relationship and international dating in general.
But before you can achieve all that, you have to meet the right Chinese lady. Sign up with us so you can browse through our member profiles and start getting in touch. You can also sign up to one of our Shenzhen tours so you can meet these lovely women in person and hopefully find the right woman among them.
