Living the Language: Indonesian EFL Learners’ Study Abroad Communication Experience in Taiwan as a Non-English-Speaking Country

Abstract

This study investigates the daily communication experiences of Indonesian EFL students during study abroad in Taiwan, a non-English-speaking context where English functions only as a partial lingua franca. Drawing on sociocultural and sociolinguistic perspectives, this qualitative research explores how students navigate multilingual interactions, the cognitive and emotional challenges they encounter, and how these experiences shape peer relationships. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and photovoice guided by the SHOWeD technique. The findings identify three interrelated themes: (1) language fatigue and burnout, reflected in cognitive and emotional exhaustion caused by sustained multilingual demands; (2) multimodal survival strategies, including the use of linguistic and non-linguistic resources such as translation technology and gestures; and (3) negotiated academic and cultural differences influencing classroom interaction and friendship formation. The study highlights language fatigue as an accumulative phenomenon and underscores the importance of multimodal communication in supporting sociocultural adaptation in non-English-speaking study abroad contexts.