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

I somewhat agree with the sentiment that living in a country where you have to speak a foreign language can have some serious social and perhaps even practical problems. Obviously, due to the modernisation of society and technology, the disdain is much milder than it would have been a century ago. Ċ Firstly, not having a good grip over the language spoken in a region can result in having problems communicating with people native to the country, namely, a lack of friends and romantic partners. And when you are away from home, having a lack of friends can really make you homesick. Consequently, if you are in another location for educational or professional reasons, said homesickness can negatively impact your professional or academic life. However, as long as you have a charismatic personality, the basic essence of friendship doesn’t change the world over, and if you just manage to look over the language barrier, you can still succeed in making good friends and having wonderful relationships anywhere in the world. Nonetheless, it is always a good idea to learn the language spoken by natives for better being able to socialise with them. Ċ Secondly, another aspect of life where a lack of knowing the native language can lead to negative quality of life is the practical complications. For example, ordering food in a restaurant, asking locals for directions and other such general queries. Nevertheless, due to the recent technological developments and the fact that the vast majority of the population has access to cell phones with translation apps, this issue can be resolved with ease. Undoubtedly, with the rise of popularity of English as a Global language and acceptance of it by many societies, even the need to translate disappears. So because of these reasons, it is not that difficult to resolve practical issues relating to language barriers. Ċ In conclusion, I stand by my assessment that living in a country where you have to speak a foreign dialect can, in fact, have some serious problems, but is not all in vain, as with a good personality, understanding of English, and due to the advancement of technology, you can happily survive in almost any country these days.