Overcoming language barriers

Interracial dating can be challenging on many levels. But it can be very fulfilling as well, and this is why people keep doing it. One of the challenges can be the language barrier. White women looking for black men might find out that the guy they like hardly speaks English. The same goes for black men who want to date white women. White women come from all over the world and in many countries foreign languages are not a priority of the educational system. If you find yourself having a crush on someone with whom you don't speak the same language, don't despair! Following are a few ways of communication that you can use on online dating, that do not involve high linguistic skills. Most of them are fun to use as well!

All you need is a decent camera. Instead of describing you room, your house, your garden, your brother to your online crush, you can just send them pictures! Simple titles that they can translate quickly online are a good addition. Keep the titles short. If you want, you can even add arrows pointing to things and adding the name of the thing in your language. For example, in a picture of your bedroom, you could write “bed” on the bed, “desk” on the desk and so on. Don't overdo it though, otherwise she/he might feel that you are pushing them to learn your language.

Don't panic! You don't need to be Picasso to make a few simple sketches. Both black men and white women love to have fun and no matter how silly your little drawings, they will come across as adorable. Draw an angry face if you are mad at your boss. Sketch what you ate for lunch. Sketch the trees outside your window. Don't pay attention to the details. She will understand the meaning. Plus, receiving mails with drawings is very romantic.

Some times things cannot be described with pictures. Feelings, tastes, smells are hard to describe visually. In these cases feel free to write the text in your mother language and ask your online love to translate it using an online translator. Keep in mind that the text will be messed-up after the translation, especially if you are using long sentences and complicated syntax. Keep your sentences short and simple, to get your message across.

There is nothing more romantic than exchanging letters. The only thing that comes in the mail nowadays is bills and bank statements. You can change that! Write a letter to your crush in your native language and then have it translated. Include both the original and the translation in a nice envelop and post it to them. This way they get to see your handwriting and understand what you are saying as well!

You don't need to hire a professional one. You can just ask a friend of yours who speaks both your languages to translate for you. Calls can be very awkward when you don't understand each other, but with a web cam you get to see the other person's expression and the translator will make your life easier. Of course, you cannot keep communicating like that for ever!

Yes, eventually it will come to that. If you really like the other person and you have gone on a few dates and you are considering to start a relationship with them, then learning a common language is important. English might sound like the obvious choice, but if you are the English speaker and your partner is the one who has to do all the learning, try to learn at least a few words and phrases in their language. This way you show that you appreciate their effort and that you are also doing your best to improve your communication.

Starting an interracial relationship with a language barrier might seem like a crazy thing to do, but we don't choose who we will fall in love with. Plus, if you do not fully understand the other person, sometimes you can avoid fights. Doesn't sound very romantic, but it is practical. When you need some time to think what you want to say, you usually don't consume energy on being mean or bitter. And imagine how lucky your future bilingual children will be!