By Ivana Vitali
The fact that the world is becoming a smaller place and that more and more people are moving around the globe for work and personal reasons means that the learning of another language is becoming increasingly important.
There are, of course, many reasons for doing this and everyone who has gained another language has a different story about how they did it and how they use the second tongue.
What we will look at here is the situation where someone arrives in a new country for whatever reason and doesn't speak the language. There are some situations which are common to just about everyone in this position and here are the main ones.
Finding work when you don't speak the language fluently, or at all, can be incredibly difficult. The options tend to be limited to working in the immigrant community with others who speak your language or accepting a lower paid post which doesn't involve a lot of talking .This is one of the reasons why highly educated immigrants often end up working in menial jobs and drawing small salaries when they are capable of doing much more. Learning the tongue used in the country as quickly as possible is absolutely essential for progressing and earning more money after immigration.
Another common issue with immigrants is that they have to stick around others who speak the same language. Even someone who speaks a foreign tongue to a more or less good level can still struggle to relax enough to make new friends using their new language. This is why large immigrant communities build up and why new arrivals can spend years in the country without getting to know many people outside of this community. Taking quality English classes in Charlotte and other North American cities is one way for newcomers to the US and Canada to get themselves integrated and feeling at home.
If you have never lived in a foreign country then buying bread, travelling on the train and watching the television probably don't sound like very complicated tasks, do they? However, if you are struggling to understand and be understood then even the simplest, everyday task can turn into a nightmare. The best bet is to get started on English lessons in Kansas City or wherever you new home is as soon as possible.
Sometimes life and a lack of money might get in the way of a recently arrived foreigner taking classes in the language they need to learn. It is clear that there are other priorities which need to be met in the first few months and years in a new country. What can happen, though, is that the lessons keep getting put off and eventually never happen at all. This list should hopefully make clear how important it is to do this as quickly as possible and how much you could be missing out on if you delay these lessons and don't get settled into your new life as well as you could.
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