Living in a country where you have to speak a foreign language can cause serious social problems, as well as practical problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? v.12

It is argued that people live in a foreign country can result in many severe social problems and practical problems. I completely agree with this view as it can lead to social isolation and financial problems. There is a truth in the argument that people would have a wide range of problems if they had language barriers when they settled down abroad. I think an outstanding social problem caused by language barrier is social isolation. That is to say, people are difficult to integrate into the society due to they cannot communicate with the local people via the domestic language or they misunderstand others frequently. Consequently, they are social disconnectedness. For instance, the phenomenon is common in older immigrants who usually cannot speak the local language. They are likely to only have a conversation with their children who speak the mother tongue. Moreover, a language barrier may have a negative impact on an individual’s incomes. This is mainly because it is difficult for people who has a language barrier to find their ideal jobs as some occupations have language requirements such as doctors and nutritionists. In addition, employers usually pay a lower salary to them as well. To illustrate this, a recent survey led by the Germany government revealed that 78 per cent immigrants reported they could not find an ideal job and 23 per cent people among them had to choose a lower salary work to survival. In conclusion, it is the importance of speaking a second language when you are living abroad as it can cause an individual’s social isolation and financial difficulties.