The Expat Life: Do I Really Have To Learn The Language?

Posted on 06. Jul, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
1 comment

You are in the process of moving, or maybe you have just moved to a new country. Should you learn the local language?

I know that learning a new language as an adult can be an intimidating process. I have met many people who swore that they did not need to learn the language because they were living in an expat enclave. And I know even more people who thought they’d pick up the language naturally once they got there, only to get completely discouraged when it didn’t come to them all that easily.

So I am not saying that this is the easiest thing in the world. It’s a big commitment. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be horribly difficult either – yet so many expats seem to think it’s completely optional…
What good could come from not learning the language?

Not learning the language means you’ll…

- Be powerless in case of an emergency
As safe and protective as the expat bubble may seem, life has a way of rudely intruding from time to time. Even though those things are not fun to contemplate, what will you do if your child is hit by a car and you cannot communicate with the police? What happens if your husband has a stroke and you cannot tell hospital staff about his medical history?

In an emergency, there is no time to go find a translator. A language barrier only makes things worse. It leaves you utterly helpless and vulnerable, at the mercy of other people’s decisions.

- Find yourself in embarrassing or awkward situations
It’s an interesting paradox: most expats who refuse to learn the local language fear embarrassment more than anything else – all the common excuses for not learning (“I’m not good with languages”, “It would take forever to learn”) ultimately boil down to “I would make dumb mistakes every time I’d open my mouth and that’s just too embarrassing for me to contemplate”.

Yet these same expats seem to think nothing of looking just as dumb when a cab driver or a fruit vendor rips them off – if only they had been able to enquire about prices beforehand! – or when a tipsy guy at a party rudely propositions the clueless gringa, even though her (equally monolingual) husband it standing right next to her.

Once again: the language barrier will not protect you, it will only make you more vulnerable. Not to mention what happens when the phone ominously rings at midnight… (that’s a funny story, in case you can use a bit of comic relief!)

- Isolate yourself from the local population
Have you really come this far to end up unable to make local friends or have a good conversation with the people you meet?

I know that for some expats, this is not a problem. In fact, they may prefer it that way. Whether they work long hours in Dubai or enjoy a less expensive lifestyle in Mexico, they didn’t move there for the local culture.

Not that this is necessarily a bad thing – we all have different priorities, and if getting to know local people is not one of them, that’s perfectly fine.

However, going this route also means that you will be spending a lot of time with your fellow expats – or by yourself.

- Rely exclusively on the expat community
Even though I have never lived in an expat compound or enclave myself, I hear enough rants on the subject from my clients to know that living in a close-knit expat community is not all roses.

If you value self-reliance, if you need your space, or if you easily tire of dealing with the same people day in and day out, you may find it stifling to depend too heavily on the local expat circle.

- Only scratch the surface of the local culture
Even in countries where many people speak very good English (The Netherlands, Scandinavia come to mind), your conversations with local people are bound to remain more superficial if you do not speak the language.

For one thing, the locals may find it difficult to convey certain nuances in a foreign language.

Besides, let’s face it: if you met a foreigner who showed no interest in learning your language while living in your country, would you go out of your way to offer cultural insights to this person? No, you would just assume they’re not that interested, and keep your fascinating cultural tidbits to yourself!

When the time comes to move away, will you be satisfied knowing that you are only taking away a superficial understanding of the place? Or will you regret the missed opportunities to find out how this country could have surprised you, delighted you or taught you something new?

Want to learn but not sure how to?

In case you are still not convinced that you can learn a new language without sweating blood over it, I will be giving you tips over the next few weeks that will hopefully make your life easier.

For starters, in the next post we will take a look at what makes language-learning sound scary and overwhelming, so that you can overcome your own objections and get started with your lessons!

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Emmanuelle

Image by Alex Dodd, via Flickr Creative Commons