What should I do if the lab I am studying at uses a language that I do not understand? The lab I am studying at is using a language which I completely do not understand at the current time. Almost all of the discussions and presentations are in this language. Sometimes the lab members explain what they are going to talk about before starting their presentations but is it extremely brief compared to what they present in their native language and I think I am missing a lot of knowledge because of this.

It is the official language of the country I am studying in. But because of the fact the the lab is researching at the area of computing and my supervisor and some of the lab members have participated in international conferences, I did not expect the communication gap to be this huge to the degree that is hard for me to understand the research environment at my lab.

I understand that I should learn the language my lab is using but it takes time and I am currently spending most of my time studying for my master degree (in computer engineering) and doing research and I think this has more priority than learning the language...

One of the reasons of joining labs is to get a chance to discuss things with people who have almost same research interests as yours and I feel this goal has not being accomplished because of the communication gap.
Let's assume you want to stay where you are.  (If not, well, then the problem disappears when you change institutions.)

You are right that it would take a big time commitment and many months to master the language.  However, a reasonable time investment can yield a partial pay-off.  Attend class for three hours a week, put in six hours of practice and study per week at home.  That should be doable, don't you think?

What would this accomplish?  This would show good faith.  This would get you somewhat better connected to people.  This would enable you to understand a few words here and there in the discussions.  Which would help you be more engaged in the group sessions.  The people in your working group will view you differently, more positively, when they see you struggling to say, "Where can I buy a pair of gloves?"

The main things that are going to help you in a direct way:


Prepare for the group meetings.  Have someone explain to the group that you would like to read documents related to each date's topic(s) ahead of time.
Find a meeting buddy or two.  The meeting buddy will be sitting next to you in meetings, jotting down helpful notes.  It is surprising how helpful it is to know what is being spoken about at any given time.  Work out a signal with your meeting buddy, to indicate a reminder to write down the topic.


To recruit your meeting buddies, you will need to be outgoing, fearless, and friendly with your colleagues' children.  Perhaps offer to babysit, tutor them in English.

If you can afford it, you could hire a translator to attend meetings with you.