Many people choose to travel abroad to learn a foreign language instead of studying in home town. Do the advantages of learning a new language in this way outweigh the disadvantages?

Recently, many
people
prefer to learn a foreign
language
abroad
instead
of studying in their countries. While there might be possible disadvantages for
this
development, the advantages, in my opinion, are more significant.
To begin
with, the
first
downside of studying languages abroad is that it is expensive.
This
is because there are several costs that might not be affordable for everyone.
For example
, the cost of travel tickets, admission fees, and cost of living is high in some regions
such
as Europe.
Thus
, low-income
people
may not be able to cover these expenses.
Secondly
, some of the
people
who study a foreign
language
abroad might develop self-isolation. The reason for
this
is that when they are at the beginner level, they might not be able to deal easily with locals on daily basis tasks
such
as shopping.
Therefore
, that communication barrier may lead them to avoid social interaction with local inhabitants. Having said that, the
first
major advantage to consider of
this
trend is that
this
experience is more likely to be the fastest way to learn a foreign
language
.
This
is owing to the fact that most ex-pats are more likely to be challenged and motivated to understand the foreign
language
from native speakers as they interact with them on numerous occasions.
In contrast
, if they learn a foreign
language
in their home country, they might not be challenged enough to learn quickly as they will spend a lot of time translating what they hear
first
in their mother tongue
language
. What is more, these
people
who learn a foreign
language
overseas are more likely to gain new insights.
This
is due to the fact that the
language
of any country is an integral part of its culture and the key to understanding local traditions and customs.
As a result
, those foreigners enjoy a sense of appreciation, and
this
, indeed, broadening their horizons as they are able to understand how other
people
think and live. In conclusion,
although
there are several downsides that learning a foreign
language
abroad – brings predominately hectic costs to some
people
and possible self-isolation- the benefits it brings
such
as a faster way to learn it and gaining new worthwhile insights are, in my opinion, more beneficial.
Submitted by omarmohamed995 on

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Answer the 'Advantages and Disadvantages' topic

IELTS advantages and disadvantages questions normally give you a statement and ask you to comment on the advantages and disadvantages of that statement.

Answer structure for the type of essay

  • Introduction
  • Body paragraph 1 – advantages
  • Body paragraph 2 – disadvantages
  • Conclusion

Examples to start your body paragraph:

  • The main advantage is...
  • The disadvantage of this...
  • The main benefit...
  • Despite these advantages...
  • One possible drawback...

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • Linguistic immersion
  • Cultural integration
  • International network
  • Conversational proficiency
  • Financial burden
  • Homesickness
  • Pedagogical differences
  • Culture shock
What to do next:
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