Creating the 'third culture'

While most couples that come to therapy report communication problems, a major characteristic of international couples that don't share the same native language is that they may, literally, have trouble communicating difficult or subtle ideas to each other.

What's worse is that when one partner's language skills are strong but not perfect, they may easily misinterpret idioms and subtle expressions of emotion without knowing that they have misinterpreted them.

Like any couple, international couples need to be able to work together, identify misinterpretations, and treat them as an everyday challenge that committed partners run into, rather than letting them blow up into arguments and fights.