Report comment

@ Anon 15:12

While I agree there are obvious benefits to being able to speak the native language there are some points I would consider;
- Last year I met a British couple who had moved back from living in Spain after 10 years. When my partner, who had also lived in Spain (but for only one year) spoke to them in Spanish, they both had very blank expressions, leading to the embarrasing fact that they’d not bothered to even learn the basics.
- Many people don’t go to another country by choice, but follow their husbands, wives, parents, children there instead.
- Often other members of a family or similar unit will speak the local language proficiently, negating the “need” for every member to.
- There are believed to be 7 key forms of learning, including kinetic, verbal, visual; Depending on one’s grouping, languages can be significantly more difficult, especially when there’s no formal education.

I do not believe your comment is racist – I agree it’s prudent to try and have a basic grasp of local languages before travelling anywhere for a prolonged period of time – but it certainly isn’t only relevant to people travelling to the UK (and I appreciate that wasn’t your ascertation).