As writers, we often operate within familiar patterns. Dialogue drives our plots, characters share feelings through precisely chosen words, and we rely on verbal communication to develop intimacy. But what happens when we remove this fundamental tool?
The Writing Prompt
Describe a passionate encounter with someone whose language the protagonist does not speak.
The Challenge
The first hurdle will be meeting such a person in the first place. Perhaps a party serves as the occasion for two people to meet who don’t speak each other’s language. Or maybe it’s the familiar gestures on the street—asking if the other person has a cigarette, or searching for a specific location on a city map.
Language is typically one of the strongest tools for advancing a story. Therefore, it’s an enormous challenge to develop a narrative that functions entirely without a shared language.
We frequently experience this when traveling to countries whose language we don’t speak or only speak rudimentarily.
Psychological Dimensions
This task challenges us to explore the universal language of human connection. Scientific studies show that nonverbal communication constitutes approximately 55% of our interpersonal interactions. Facial expressions, body posture, touch, and eye contact convey crucial emotional information and create intimacy beyond words.
Key Questions to Explore
- The First Encounter: What circumstances bring together two people without a common language? Which nonverbal signals trigger the initial attraction?
- Development of Intimacy: How might an encounter unfold under these circumstances, including a first night together?
- Communicating Needs: How do we convey to the other person what we like and what we desire?
- The Morning After: How does a “morning after” take shape in these circumstances? What nonverbal rituals emerge?
Narrative Considerations
This writing assignment demands precise observation of body language and sensory details. The narrative perspective becomes crucial: a first-person narrative allows deep insights into the protagonist’s internal interpretations of their counterpart’s nonverbal signals.
The use of environmental details, cultural differences, and sensory elements can compensate for the lack of verbal communication and create a multi-layered encounter.
Literary Models
In literature, we find impressive examples of encounters across language barriers:
Michael Ondaatje’s “The English Patient” explores the complex relationship between the nurse Hana and the burned patient, with body language and nonverbal moments of intimacy portrayed with particular intensity.
Stephen Clarke uses humorous yet profound scenes in his novels like “A Year in the Merde,” where his British protagonist Paul West experiences romantic and erotic encounters in France—always accompanied by linguistic misunderstandings that generate both comedy and unexpected intimacy.
Tatjana Soli’s “The Lotus Eaters” offers compelling portrayals of love relationships during the Vietnam War that develop a special intensity despite—or perhaps because of—language barriers.
Final Thoughts
This writing assignment challenges us to expand the boundaries of our narrative techniques and capture the essence of human connection beyond words. Often, it’s precisely the unspoken moments that resonate most strongly in our texts.
We look forward to your stories—texts that show how passion, connection, and intimacy can unfold without a shared language.