#16. Are Language Struggles Quietly Devaluing Your Expertise in the USA?

Ever felt like your accent, your words—or the lack of them—make people underestimate everything you’ve worked for?

For many expat women, the challenge isn’t just learning English—it’s being understood as the expert you already are. This episode explores the invisible weight language barriers place on brilliant professionals and how it can quietly chip away at your confidence, credibility, and career growth. 

Today you'll discover: 

• Why mastering your professional language—not just conversational English—is key to rebuilding your authority.
• How everyday language wins can add up to long-term confidence and success.
• How surrounding yourself with the right community helps you reclaim your voice and visibility—on your own terms

Hit play now for a perspective on more clarity, confidence, and impact—so your brilliance isn’t lost in translation 

To share your own migration story, or  feedback email  [e-mail] 

This compelling podcast dives into Expat and immigrant women (and men) stories. Those who immigrate to the USA, tackling the struggles of homesickness, identity crisis, and culture shock in the USA while adjusting to expat life and navigating cultural differences. Through conversations on starting over, reinventing yourself, and finding purpose, it highlights success stories of women's tenacity, and the resilience of expats in the USA. It offers insights into bicultural identity, language barriers, and the challenges of living overseas. The podcast emphasizes the importance of a strong support system and wellbeing for women in pursuit of the American dream.

https://www.instagram.com/theplaces_wecallhome

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
today we are talking aboutlanguage barriers and the deep
impact of not being understood,not just linguistically, but
professionally and personally.
Welcome to starting over in theUSA, the Expat Woman's Guide to
overcoming Homesickness,embracing cultural Differences,

(00:21):
and creating a new home awayfrom home.
On this podcast, we talk aboutleaving behind the familiar, the
pangs of homesickness andculture shock to the journeys of
reinventing yourself.
I'm Yolanda Reshemah.
After relocating six times, Iknow firsthand what it's like to
start from scratch feeling likeboth a foreign child and an

(00:44):
adult in a new world.
In this episode, you'll discoverwhy it's important to master the
language of your profession.
You'll discover everydaylanguage wins that lead to
long-term success, and bysurrounding yourself with a
community that sees yourbrilliance, helps you feel like

(01:06):
you belong but on your terms.
Today my friend, I want to diveinto a struggle many of us have
faced, but I feel we rarely talkabout, and that's language
barrier.
So let me give you the context.

(01:29):
Many of us arrive in our newcountry armed with impressive
degrees.
Our MBAs and our PhDs and yearsof heart won experience, right?
We, are founders and leaders andinnovators whose skills have
propelled businesses andsustained families back at home.

(01:50):
Yet when we relocate, whetherit's by choice or unforeseen
circumstances, we are oftenforced to start fresh, learning
the local language from themoment we get off that airplane.
We may initially think, oh yes,I've got it covered.
I learned English back at home.

(02:11):
Only to find that the words youuse feel clunky or outdated or
somehow misunderstood because ofyour thick accent.
.That realization can deal aheavy blow to your self-esteem
and your courage.
It kind of shakes the foundationof, how you feel about achieving

(02:33):
your goals.
Can I get a job?
Are people gonna understand whatI'm saying?
Do I have to learn English allover again?
It really throws you off, and Irecently saw this struggle
firsthand in someone that Iwould probably just describe
right now as a new friend.

(02:53):
She's a talented aesthetician.
Skilled in all areas ofwellbeing and enhancements,
qualified up to the eyeballs.
a successful business owner, shewas proficient in not one, but
two very challenging languages.
But here with limited Englishand an accent thick enough to

(03:14):
mask her brilliance, she findsherself starting from the
bottom.
Today, she's sweeping floors andmaking tea, and funnily enough,
the irony is not lost on her.
A woman of immense intellectualand professional capacity who's
forced to rebuild her life wordby word.

(03:35):
But to be honest, she isgrateful for her family's
safety, while striving fiercelyto master the language of her
profession, knowing that hertrue potential can only be
really unlocked when her voiceis clearly heard and clearly
understood.

(03:56):
And this story is not aboutstruggling with everyday
communication.
it's about translating yourexpertise and the years of
experience into words that yournew world understands and values
and that, expat immigrant woman,is where transformation happens.
When you speak your professionallanguage fluently in your host

(04:21):
country the benefits areamazing.
When you can articulate yourexpertise confidently you
reclaim your narrative.
No longer are you sort of jammedinto a hole pigeonholed by your
accent or misunderstoodvocabulary, your knowledge

(04:43):
shines through.
It just has to.
It reinforces your self-esteemand establishes you as an
authority in your field.
Speaking your professionallanguage fluently creates deeper
connections with peers andmentors and industry leaders.
This connection isn't just aboutenhancing information.

(05:05):
It's about building respect andtrust and a supportive community
that celebrates yourachievements and understands
your journey.
And here are three deeplyempowering key takeaways for
your journey.
I say deeply empowering becausethey focus on your mindset and

(05:26):
your community and sustainedgrowth so that you can continue
to get better, to be moreconfident in speaking to
potential clients, and to get tothe point of rebuilding
professional fluency.
They help you to address theissue of belonging, but on your
terms, not on somebody else'sacceptance.

(05:49):
Anyway, let's get to the threetakeaways.
The first is why it's importantto master the language of your
profession.
You are not just learningEnglish, you are learning how to
speak like a licensed, trustedexpert in your specific field.
Whether you are an aesthetician,a lawyer, nurse, teacher, or a.

(06:12):
Just being able to use industrystandard language correctly is
what gives others confidence inyour ability, and it gives you
confidence in yourself.
Every word you say carries theweight of your skills and
experience.
There'll be times when youraccent or your mispronounced
words make you feel a little bitoff, but every time you push

(06:35):
through awkward words, yoursentence comes out a little bit
jumbled.
But with each conversation youare, you are proving that you've
got the brains and the grit toback up your professional voice.
Second is that everyday languagewins lead to long term success.

(06:55):
Invest in your growth.
Whether it's using a languageapp, a conversation club, or
even just chatting with mates.
it's like leveling up in yourfavorite game.
In practicing, the better you'llbecome at expressing your full
potential without thosedifficult or tricky language

(07:16):
barriers that just hold youback, forgetting words or just
simply not knowing what theright words are.
Don't be hard on yourself if itfeels like you are starting at
zero.
My friend was not hard onherself.
She recognized her situationaccepted it, understood the
journey ahead, and is just doingit one day at a time.

(07:44):
And the last key takeaway onlanguage barriers is around
finding a community that seesyour brilliance.
Because when you are learninghow to speak the language of
your profession, you need peersin the same industry who
understand the technicalchallenges and hurdles and
client expectations andeverything that's unique to your

(08:08):
field.
Look for groups whereeverybody's in the same boat.
That certainly helped me.
so that's it from me today.
I loved hanging out with you,and we'll do it again, but right
now I'm gonna get ready for atrip to Stonehenge, I've never
been but in the meantime, pressplay on episode 12 and hear how

(08:30):
a British expat woman immigratedfrom London adapted to a
California culture withoutlosing her authentic
self...............