Simply being aware of cultural differences can often help bridge the gap of understanding between two cultures. However, understanding another people's culture does not always occur by either hearing them speak or translating their language. As suggested by the example of the Nuer, in order to understand another people's culture, one might need to live in the people's environment. Communication through experience is often needed in order to break down cultural barriers. Otherwise, misunderstandings between cultures persist and are seldom solved without catastrophe.
Language is a poor way to communicate certain phenomena.
Another limitation of language as communication deals with the communication of phenomena such as love or happiness. Language cannot communicate feelings of love as well as a hug and kiss or sacrificed time can express these feelings. If people would focus more on each other's actions, people might be able to communicate better than if they base their understanding solely on words. One must be aware of the limitations inherent in language as communication in order to take advantage of the promises of language in communication. Language gives humans the ability to transmit their cultures, adapt to the cultures as they change, and even to promote change within these cultures.