it is impossible to maintain a relationship with someone whose first language is not your language. (i overheard a conversation like this the other day, saying that it can be okay, but it gets so difficult, because too much ends up being left unsaid; and much is met in the middle rather than finally determined...so goes this, however small, everlasting language barrier.)
i absolutely believe this not to be true. i have formed some of the strongest friendships of my life with people who are not even from the united states, therefore, neither whose first language is english. whether speaking from a swedish-english standpoint, or a spanish-english standpoint, or a french-english standpoint, or an english-english standpoint, all of the love still feels the same. i feel more close with them than almost everyone, and i have never felt that this closeness or this love has been threatened by language; if anything, perhaps enhanced. to let something like my language or my country hold me back from opening my life or my heart to those outside of that makes me scared that we are all living in the comfort of our own pre-packaged lives.
that said, i believe in the power of words more than anyone. i sit and think about words and their shapes and their sounds and their sequences and semantics more than i think of anything else because of how much they fascinate me. one misarticulated sound, a change in pitch, inflection, stress, or rate, these minor nuances in language can prove so much in relation to the thought as a whole, can tell so much about the person as a human. but there exists so much more than words within the realm of nonverbal communication. there exists a means of communicating and demonstrating compassion for others which cannot and should not be limited by language, or country, or culture, or gender, or anything. the kindest things are not said, but are shown. the most bold moves are more bold than the most bold words.