Abstract

The synthesis essay tasked students to pick a topic that was provided by professors and gather research on the topic chosen. This essay responded to a research prompt that explored how language barriers affected immigrants in the United States. Research from a wide range of sources showed that language barriers affected immigrants’ daily lives in more ways than just communication. It revealed a deeper layer into the topic, highlighting how access to education was limited and so was job opportunity. The purpose of writing this essay was to spread awareness to an issue that is becoming more and more normalized in society today. More specifically, it explores how limited English could prevent immigrants from fully participating in society. The intended audience for this essay were policymakers and educators as well as people interested in social equality. Addressing this target audience, this essay gave a call to action for the audience to consider how complex this topic really is and take steps to improve access to education and inclusion for immigrants. Completing this assignment strengthened research and clarity skills. For researching this assignment, a lot of the sources came from accessing CCNY’s OneSearch so that credible articles were more readily available to pick from. Another skill that was strengthened from this assignment was clarity in writing, it helped avoid sounding redundant or coming off as restating points from previous body paragraphs. Ensuring that the audience could understand the complexities of language barriers in an easy to understand way.

Barriers: How Language Shapes the Immigrant Experience in America

In the United States today, nearly 67 million people speak a language other than English at home, while 25 million people struggle with speaking English fluently (U.S Census bureau, 2023). This becomes an issue for migrants because not knowing English fluently makes their day to day life more difficult. Commercial drivers are fearful of coming into work because of facing discrimination from state troopers(Hernández, 2025). On top of these difficulties, migrants are vulnerable to discrimination and judgement from others because of the way they speak (Hyman et al, 2012). A language barrier is defined when someone can’t easily communicate with another person in the same language. Language barriers are something many migrants in the United States struggle with, despite this challenge others argue that migrants should learn English before coming to the United States. However, this is a struggle when the United States not only makes English the official language but limits resources for migrants to learn English (Baker, 2018). When considering how language affects the daily lives of migrants it’s clear that the language barrier limits migrants’ access to education, reduces job opportunities, and negatively impacts their social lives. 

Language affects the job opportunities given to immigrants due to difficulty in communicating with others. Ilene Hyman, a health researcher at the University of Toronto noted in her article about language proficiency the following. “Limited English proficiency restricts immigrants’ ability to communicate confidently with professionals and institutions.” (Page 83)  A language barrier is when someone can’t communicate with another person because of a difference in language. This becomes an issue in a workplace because communication is key to teamwork. Immigrants are at a disadvantage when it comes to job opportunities because of their communication skills. Communication skills in terms of not understanding a language fully can lead to misunderstandings. Not only can a lack of communication affect job performance, it can also reduce the likelihood of immigrants getting leadership roles. The American Immigration Council, a nonprofit organization researching immigration policies that bring fair treatment for immigrants notes, “Language access remains an important and contested part of American Life.”(2023)  This quote illustrates the ongoing challenges immigrants face in America. Even though the article doesn’t directly mention a reduction in immigrants getting leadership roles, the article highlights how limited language access can cause limitations in a general area including a work place setting. This suggests that immigrants who struggle to communicate clearly are more likely to be overlooked for leadership roles. Altogether, Hyman’s findings and the findings from the American Immigration Council both show that language barriers affect so much more than just communication. Language barriers affect daily interactions and job opportunities for immigrants.

Language barriers make participating in class a challenge for many immigrant students and limits their access to educational resources, these struggles can affect their future. B.D Baker, a researcher with a focus on education policy noted, “Limited English proficiency significantly hinders immigrant students’ ability to participate fully in classroom instructions and advanced coursework.” (2018) Baker points out how language barriers don’t just make understanding lessons in class difficult for immigrants, but also prevents them from participating in class discussions. Confusion with grammar and vocabulary can lead to them feeling hesitant to ask questions or participating in class. The hesitation they feel may lead them to miss important ideas in class which can make them fall behind, affecting their future academic success. According to an article from the U.S Department of Education, “Students who are English language learners are more likely to fall behind academically and have lower graduation rates compared to native speakers.” (2022) The Department sheds light on the long term effects of language barriers for immigrant students specifically taking into account how discouraged immigrant students feel when falling behind in school subjects. It becomes harder to keep up with classmates who don’t have a language barrier; as a result it can kill confidence and motivation to do better. The academic gap makes it much harder to succeed academically and to place in advanced courses that’ll prepare students for college. This can create a cycle where the academic gap between immigrant students and their classmates only grows. This example demonstrates that language barrier doesn’t just get in the way of daily learning for immigrant students but also shapes their future opportunity. Both Baker’s research and the Department of Education highlight the effect language barriers have on students, showing how the challenges from language barriers are more than just simple confusion in the classroom. Language barriers can lower confidence and reduce how often immigrant students participate in class, which can ultimately affect a student’s college readiness. 

Limited language skills make it difficult for immigrants to connect with others socially, which can lead to feelings of isolation. Nakhaie, a researcher studying immigrant integration noted in her writing, “The most important predictor of sociocultural integration was language proficiency.” (2020) Many immigrants with limited language skill are faced with a barrier to sociocultural integration, which is the ability to participate fully in a social area. Weak language skills can result in immigrants struggling to fit in by having difficulty making friends, which can increase the feeling of isolation. If this problem continues for immigrants, it can create an endless cycle where they feel more and more isolated from others taking a toll on mental health. More broadly, limited language skills not only affect immigrants’ ability to talk to others, it affects their ability to integrate into society as well, which is important for their well being. The Migration Policy Institute, an organization that studies immigration observes in their report “Limited English proficiency can reduce opportunities for social interaction and community engagement, making it harder for immigrants to feel connected and included.”(2021) The institute’s findings show that limiting language skills can make social interactions confusing for immigrants which can lead to them avoiding social engagement. The avoidance can make it more and more difficult for immigrants to make new relationships, friendly or professionally. Both cases are important for feeling included in society. Over time by avoiding these interactions and not feeling connected with those around them, immigrants can feel left out which shows how language barriers make it difficult for immigrants to connect with others socially. Both Nakhaie’s research and MPI’s findings draw attention to language barriers and how they affect more than just daily conversation with others. They affect the building of relationships and sense of belonging in society, demonstrating that language barriers directly shape immigrants’ social lives. 

The topic of language barriers and how it affects immigrants has two sides, some argue that immigrants should already know English before coming to the United States and it’s their fault for a language barrier. What this view fails to take into account is that a lot of immigrants have more barriers than just the language barrier when they first come to the United States. An example of another barrier other than language comes from a 2024 review in the International Journal for Equity in Health. The review noted in its findings that “Undocumented immigrants encounter significant barriers to emergency healthcare, including legal, financial, linguistic, and cultural challenges.” The quote points out that immigrants face more barriers that go beyond being able to speak English. Financial challenges like low wages and stable employment still affect immigrants even if they speak English fluently. Legal barriers such as understanding paper work or understanding their rights are also still an issue for immigrants who understand English. The bottom line is that immigrants who can communicate in English still face barriers not because of their English skills but because they are in a new country and they aren’t familiar with how the country’s systems work. If the other side of this topic brushes off these serious barriers immigrants face being because of them not knowing English, they fail to recognize the systemic challenges that exist regardless of language proficiency. The challenges immigrants face are further documented by Ballard Brief, a digital policy journal, citing, “Immigrants face barriers such as credential recognition, licensing, and cultural literacy, not just language proficiency.” The quote highlights that immigrants face more barriers that go beyond being able to understand English, noting that immigrants who have professional degrees or specialized work experience are still unemployed or underemployed. If immigrants with advanced skills cannot reach their full potential, then the implication that immigrants struggle because they don’t know English falls apart. The fact that immigrants with college level degrees and extensive experience in the workforce still remain unemployed goes to show that systemic barriers, not just language proficiency, are set in place. This shows that the problem isn’t just about English skills but also about the financial, legal and professional barriers immigrants face even when they can communicate in English fluently.  

When considering the effects language barriers have on immigrants in the United States, it’s clear that the issue goes beyond communication. It affects opportunity, equality, and inclusion making it difficult for immigrants to achieve this. Examples of language barriers going beyond communication is how it can restrict educational resources as well as affect employment rates among immigrants, which both have serious consequences in the future. In the short term, many immigrants facing language barriers lose opportunities, in the long term immigrants will feel discouraged to come to America. This issue matters because it affects millions of immigrants who live in the country today. Moreover, the government declaring English as an official language only adds on to the exclusion many immigrants feel already. Looking at a national scale of the issue it’s important to understand that unity comes from understanding and not uniformity, in other words Americans come together with empathy not with a forced common language. If this issue continues with the worst case of it being normalized, the United States will without a doubt lose its diversity and perspectives from people all over the world, these voices are what fuel the nation’s drive for progress. It’s important to make immigrants feel included, even if there is a language barrier, actions always speak louder than words. 

Works Cited

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2023, February 24). Removing professional barriers for                                              people who are immigrants can help states and families prosper. https://www.cbpp.org/blog/removing-professional-barriers-for-people-who-are-immigrants-can-help-states-and-families

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Hadziabdic, E., & Hjelm, K. (2014). Arabic-speaking migrants’ experiences of the use of interpreters in healthcare: a qualitative explorative study. International Journal for Equity in Health, 13(1), Article 49. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-13-49

Kreimer, L. (2024, November 14). Highly skilled immigrants face a changing landscape for credential recognition. Migration Policy Institute. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/credential-recognition-trends?utm_source

Montemitro, C., D’Andrea, G., Cesa, F., Martinotti, G., Pettorruso, M., Di Giannantonio, M., Muratori, R., & Tarricone, I. (2021). Language proficiency and mental disorders among migrants: A systematic review. European Psychiatry, 64(1), Article e49. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.2224

National Conference of State Legislatures. (n.d.). Barriers to work: Improving access to licensed occupations for immigrants with work authorization. https://www.ncsl.org/labor-and-employment/barriers-to-work-improving-access-to-licensed-occupations-for-immigrants-with-work-authorization/utm_source

Schmaus, M. (2020). Ethnic Differences in Labour Market Outcomes—The Role of Language-Based Discrimination. European Sociological Review. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcz044

The New York Times. (2025, August 23). Mexican truck drivers study English to comply with new U.S. language rules. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/world/americas/mexico-english-truckers-trump.html

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