Nowadays almost every country is more or less multicultural. Cultural and linguistic differences of every country are considered to be the advantage of the EU. Students who have different language skills and are able to work in a multicultural environment have more prospects in the labour market. However, it is also important to preserve and develop students’ original cultural and linguistic identity because of the dominance of economically strong and powerful languages and cultures, for example, the American or Russian languages and cultures. A positive attitude to the original language and culture and the respect to other languages and cultures are the key criteria for students’ successful performance in the intercultural communication process. The aim of the research was to analyze the role of the language in the intercultural communication process paying attention to the following aspects - when language is like a bridge and favours the intercultural communication process and when it is like a barrier and hinders the communication. The main conclusions of the research are following: 1. EU respects linguistic diversity. Every language is of a high value. 2. The Latvian language and culture has always been close with different cultures and languages – German, Polish, Swedish, Russian, Livs, Estonian, Lithuanian, Belarusian etc. That is why the cultural and linguistic environment of Latvia could be considered as favourable for the development of different cultures and languages. 3. Due to the fact that there is a very high amount of Russian speaking people living in Latvia, Latvian students are more concerned about the preservation of their native language and culture. Whereas, Russian speaking and foreign students are more concentrated on foreign language studies and usage. 4. The language issue is a serious problem in Latvia. That is why the language as a barrier in intercultural communication is more emphasized by Latvian and Russian speaking students in comparison with foreign students. 5. Economic considerations could be a motivating factor to study languages as different language skills help to succeed in the labour market and promote the development of positive and democratic atmosphere in the society of Latvia.