The very first challenge of moving to a new country is learning a new language. In fact, most of the challenges we still face are directly linked to our lack of the correct language! One little mispronunciation of a vowel and – YIKES – we practically have to wash our mouths out with soap!

Once, during a language lesson, Danny and his tutor got on the topic of wedding traditions. Danny told him (as best he could in this new language) that in Canada, usually everyone “gets all dressed up” for weddings. His tutor was quite surprised by this; in fact, so shocked he was speechless! Danny then asked him if people “get all dressed up” for weddings in this country, to which his teacher immediately answered with a gasp, “HAYIR!” (Which in his native tongue meant “no.”)

Afterwards, still a bit confused by his tutor’s reaction, Danny did a quick check on Google translate. To his horror, he discovered that he had confused the verb that meant “to get dressed” with the one that meant “to get UN-dressed!” Needless to say, Danny’s language teacher is now pretty excited to go to a Canadian wedding in the near future!

Every dialect has its trips and traps, but there are lots of fun little facts about language. Let’s take a look at English, for example:

DID YOU KNOW…there are at least 250,000 words in the Oxford English dictionary, and over 600,000 definitions? BUT ACTUALLY…the average English-speaking person uses 20,000-35,000 words. IN FACT…with only 2500 commonly used or “base” words, you should be able to get by fairly smoothly.

So, if you were a foreigner learning English, according to this information:

You’d only really need to focus on the common 2500 words to be able to function.
If you learned 10 of those 2500 words per day, you’d be ready to hit the streets in 250 days, which is less than a year.
After that, you should be able to comprehend anywhere from 80-90% of English reading, writing, listening, and speaking that commonly occurs in daily life.

That doesn’t sound too hard, does it? Before we get too confident, how about we run this logic through a test, shall we?

Here’s a 100-word paragraph from an article where only 80% of the text is showing. Twenty words that would be categorized as being “not common or basic” have been blacked out. Let’s read it together:

Okay, we know the article is about goats and dogs, but who else is involved? It could be farmers, veterinarians, or animal psychologists for all we know. And what are they trying to do with the goats and dogs? How? Why?

As you can see, even with 80% of the language we still may not pass any pop quizzes about this article’s content. With a bit of guesswork and good old-fashioned luck, we may scrape by but probably will not make it on to the honour roll.

Now imagine that this 80% is all you have to work with during your everyday interactions with people. How do you answer your neighbour’s questions about Jesus when you’ve only understood 80% of the dream that they just told you about? Or how do you counsel someone suffering after a traumatic experience when you’ve only understood 80% of their story? How do you share 80% of your testimony? Or 80% of the Gospel?

Here’s the thing; whether you are in a foreign country or not, or trying to learn another language or not, you are actually already in this situation. Let me give you some examples:

Your doctor is explaining the results of a medical exam, but you only understand 80% of what they are saying.
You sit down with your spouse to talk but are only successfully communicating 75% of how you feel.
Your children are telling you who started the fight but barely 50% makes sense to you.
Your teenage daughter is talking about her math homework: 2.7%.

So many of life’s scenarios also seem to have a language of their own: Depression, addiction, grief…just to name a few. In these situations, trying to find the right words even in a language we are fluent in can be a struggle. The Bible states it well in Proverbs 14:10, “Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share in its joy.”

Speaking of the Bible, how many times have you come across a scripture and thought, “Huh? What language is this in?” Or felt like you’ve hit a plateau in your prayer life? Or wondered why God hasn’t answered your prayers?

The truth is, we will never be fluent in any language, whether of the earth or of the heart, without the Holy Spirit.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:26 (ESV)

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit directs our communication with God. Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Romans 8:26 (ESV)

If there is one tip for learning any form of language – one trick, one secret I can share – it is this: DON’T GIVE UP!!! You may feel like some days you’re clicking at 80% while others it feels like 8%, but the Holy Spirit is there to fill in the blanks.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13 (ESV)

Learning to Communicate When You Don't Have the Right Words