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?

Knowing a foreign

language

can be helpful, yet one of the biggest social and practical challenges that people living abroad face is the communication barrier.

Although

I do admit that

this

can lead to very serious social problems in many countries, I believe that technology, namely smartphones, have made practical issues less relevant over the

last

decade. There is ample evidence that difficult communication is the

first

obstacle that an immigrant faces in a foreign land. The central reason behind

this

is twofold,

firstly

, not being able to speak the native

language

can affect their ability to socialize and make friends.

Secondly

, having to speak a foreign dialect can cause social problems through the breakdown in understanding between people of different cultures.

This

in turn can cause many foreigners to develop an antipathy towards other residents and segregate themselves in homogeneous neighbourhoods.

For example

, recent empirical research by the Norwegian government demonstrated that immigrants are typically able to integrate well if they learn Norwegian but those that have not learned have provoked social problems.

Therefore

, linguistic barrier can lead to misconceptions, social crises, or even racism.

However

, there are comparatively fewer practical problems caused by not knowing the mother tongue of the residence country because of the development of technology in general and smartphones

in particular

.

This

is because smartphones have made it much easier to look up directions, find important information and get quick translations.

For instance

, if someone does not know the

language

of the country where they live, they can still communicate with locals by simply taking out their phone and using Google translate to slowly, but effectively, convey a message.

Thus

, even though not knowing the local

language

has some practical challenges, it is possible to state beyond doubt that they are minimal and easily overcome. To conclude, from the arguments and examples given, I only partially agree with the statement in question. Not being able to communicate when living abroad can cause social unrest, but pragmatic concerns have been mitigated by recent technology. In the future, it will become even less important to know the

language

of the country where you live,

although

there is great potential for increased social unrest and heightened tensions in many parts of the world.