[Deleted]
Is it a problem in your country in terms of integration if someone doesn't speak the main language?

Some people seem to believe that you can work anywhere if you only speak English.

In Amsterdam it's not a huge problem if you don't speak Dutch.

English can take you far, at least in the city centre.

In the rest of the country, it's different.

In Germany, English is usually not enough.

How is the situation in your country?

Mar 22, 2019 9:09 PM
Comments · 8
5
Most people who say this sentence "You can live/work/travel/get by anywhere with English" certainly are Europeans who only travel inside Europe or Americans (who only travel to Europe) and they come up with this conclusion. Come to South America, or even better, go to Turkey (I can tell for I have lived there) and try to get around with english only and then come tell us if english is indeed an international franca language! :) 
March 23, 2019
5

Of course it's a problem in most non-English-speaking countries.  How can you possibly make serious friends with whom you share your heart and talk about deep things if you can't communicate? 

Many countries have only a limited number of fluent or high-level English speakers. 

Some people choose to never learn the language of the country, and they just hang around with other people who speak their (foreign) language.  This is not integration, it is isolation.  And it is not isolating only for the person who won't learn the local language, it is isolating also for the locals who feel this wall of impossible communication with this person.

Even here in Canada we have many immigrants who even after many years have not bothered to learn English, and it is so hard to make friends with them because no matter how hard you try you cannot communicate. I have had a few failed attempts at befriending such people.  And they don't desire to learn, so you can't even help them. 

The same is the case of an English speaker going to a non-English speaking country and not learning the language of the people.  They isolate themselves from the locals and remain a foreigner in the eyes of the people, as they cannot communicate.  Really sad!



March 22, 2019
3
Some English speakers are not happy learning learn local languages in a non-English speaking country for some reasons, but I do not think these people can work and live well in a long term stay. After all, you must often communicate with your ideas with local language.  
March 22, 2019
3
 It seems, in the Czech Republic it isn't a problem if you can't speak Czech. I know a lot of foreigners that live in the Czech Republic for over ten years and can say only "jedno pivo, prosím" = one beer, please
March 22, 2019
2
I think it would be a big problem to live in Russia if you don't know Russian, especially if you want to travel there. There are not so many fluent English speakers and drivers of public transport, waiters and other people you need communicate every day usually don't know English well. But Russian is not so difficult as everybody think, people would understand you if you only try to remember some words.
March 23, 2019
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