IELTS Task 2 Sample Answer 42 - 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?

The influx of immigrants has increased tremendously in almost all countries. It is noticed that one of the most significant problems faced by such immigrants is language barrier and this has given rise to many social as well as practical issues. I agree with this statement.

Firstly, having a poor command of the foreign language can lead to social isolation. Language is an essential bridge for conveying and understanding various ideas. When a migrant is unaware or has little fluency in the foreign language, he may fail to communicate effectively and would fail to fully integrate in the community of residence. This inability can lead to a solitary life which can have  deleterious effects on a person's mental health.

In addition, migrants with poor knowledge of the local dialect face issues in employment. Most of the employers choose to recruit a person with excellent communication skills. This can make it extremely challenging for a person to get a job in a country where only the local medium of communication is used and even if employed, it can stagnate the growth of an employee in an organisation due to ineffective communication.

However, with the development of technology and availability of translation devices, the problem of communication has been curtailed to a certain extent but it still can be a hindrance in active communication.

To conclude, even though with globalisation the language barriers have come down, it is still a problem to many people migrating to other countries. I believe this can not only have an impact on their social life but also their professional one.