Foreign specialist shares experience of language barrier and work in Latvia
Pakistani national Sundus Ajmal, who moved to Latvia five years ago to work for IT company Accenture Baltics, describes her experience with the language barrier and learning Latvian at work.
An article on migration policy illustrates the issue through the personal experience of a foreign worker. Sundus Ajmal, originally from Pakistan, relocated to Latvia five years ago after receiving a job offer from IT company Accenture Baltics.
Everyday challenges in a new environment
In her early days in Latvia, Sundus frequently bought kefir instead of milk by mistake while shopping. She only noticed the error when the supposed milk she added to her tea turned out to be sour and curdled. This anecdote highlights how the language barrier can complicate even simple daily tasks for newcomers.
Learning the language on the job
Sundus describes the language barrier as one of the hardest challenges she faced after moving to Latvia. However, her employer, Accenture Baltics, provides staff with the opportunity to learn Latvian while working.
Share of foreign employees at the company
Accenture Baltics has a notably high proportion of foreign staff — roughly one in ten employees at the company comes from abroad. This suggests that hiring foreign specialists is a significant part of the company's workforce strategy, and that Sundus's experience is not an isolated case but part of a broader trend in Latvia's IT sector.
