An old linguistics researcher is ousted from his university position on the frontier of a small island he acculturated. Upon his return home, he begins to believe that he and his life's work are marginal.

In Spain during the Francoist dictatorship, a girl's father insists that their family will never speak Spanish again in favor of Basque — a small act of political defiance that slowly changes their lives, until they can never go back.

A grieving mother and accomplished linguist relives her child's lost life as she learns to communicate with the aliens that have landed on earth.

A second-generation Russian immigrant living in contemporary Michigan finds himself caught up in a sad but emotive group of friends when he takes a continuing education course on Intermediate German.

In a world where inter-cultural communication is translated through an immerser, which Agnes has had on too long, her husband Galen meets with the restaurant owner to plan their fifth anniversary dinner, but one of the employees, Quy, recognizes Agnes’s addiction and tries to help.

A linguist is called to investigate robots that seem to have created their own language.

A human teacher travels to another planet to teach aliens about Manifest Destiny, and the benefits of being colonized by humans — from textbooks created by his employers, a mining corporation. After he develops an understanding of alien lives, he decides to help the aliens to fight for themselves.

When her child refuses to take off his Halloween costume because he’s decided that he’s a Mongolian nomad, an ESL teacher in Portland finds herself stuck in an absurd conflict that further strains her suffering marriage.

A pregnant narrator navigates her Chinese in-law’s opinions about America when they come to visit before she gives birth.

A judge in Texas tries to get the signature of an undocumented Mexican immigrant, who goes to great lengths to avoid doing so due to his fear of the American legal system.