Would you, personally, ever move to a foreign country and openly refuse to learn the native language?

Question

...Why do people, who would never ever consider doing this themselves, tolerate others who do it so blatantly?? And I am not talking about anywhere in America, in America that is the way it has been done for a long time...But anywhere else in the world? Give me a break.....

Answer 1

I've traveled through many countries, and I've always attempted to try and learn as much of the language as possible. An important thing to remember is that learning a foreign language is a skill that some people have more of an aptitude for than others. I studied french for 5 years and still had a lot of difficulty trying to speak to someone who was French. It's not realistic to expect that everyone who moves to another country will be able to become fluent in the language, but I agree that people should try their best.

Answer 2

I'd learn the language (if I could, some are very, very difficult to learn late in life) but I know people who went to a foreign country to work and never left the american neighborhood (so they never had any need to learn the language).

Answer 3

If I was planning to move to a foreign country I would definitely learn the language. Maybe be even before the MOVE.

Answer 4

Yes, I have. My native language is Japanese. I learned English in USA, and took Spanish and Mandarin Chinese classes taught in English at American colleges. It was interesting to learn Spanish and Chinese in English! But I would not call myself multilingual because I stopped learning Spanish and Chinese after college. But the basic knowledge of those 2 languages has definitely helped me to understand a little bit of their culture as well.

Answer 5

No. One of the reasons I would move to another country is to learn the language fluently. I think that's part of the interest in being there. I would want to be able to function to the fullest possibility in that society. It wouldn't be easy; it would take me time and I'd try to avoid it on occasion, but I'd want to learn.

And so you don't think that all Latinos think they shouldn't have to learn the language here, or anyone else for that matter, my husband and his family are from Puerto Rico. It took my husband and one of his brothers two years of extra college to go to ESL to learn English well enough to go on to a 4-year college in Florida (FIT). His mother still has a hard time, but she speaks much better English than she thinks. All of them believe that one cannot function to their potential if one does not speak the language of the society.

Answer 6

If I was planning on moving to a foreign country I would try my hardest to learn as much as I could before I moved there. I would take classes, get books, get a tutor, ect. And once I got there I would continue learning. It annoys me so much when people come here and refuse to learn our language and get mad at us for not knowing theirs. They came here knowing we do not speak their language fluently. It's so rediculous.

Answer 7

No, I would try to learn the language and if I lived there I would respect their laws and culture. I sure wouldn't go around demanding this and that, and if they don't like it scream they are racist. But Americans are sick and tired of this, and if the government will not enforce the laws I fear there may be civil war.

Answer 8

Of course I wouldn't.. that would be rude... not to mention the other country wouldn't tolerate it... The reason it is done here, is because everything is so politically correct... can't do anything to offend anyone.. even if it offends our own country

Answer 9

You have a valid point. I would never seek citizenship in another country unless I fully intend to be one of them. That means language, customs, style of dress, traditions etc. I don't understand why one would not.

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Answer 10

English is the universal language, so why should I learn another??? Regardless of where I live.