Language Barrier (Yǔyán zhàng’ài)

Growing up in the United States, I’ve always been a firm believer that if you’re going to live here, you should speak English. ‘Till this day, I still stand firm in that belief. If you’re going to live in a certain country, you should be able to speak that country’s language.

But there are individuals who come into the United States that don’t seem to believe they should learn or speak English.

And that’s infuriating for a couple reasons.

First of all, you should have the respect to learn the language of the country you’re visiting or planning on living in.

Secondly, if an American went to Europe, South America or anywhere outside of U.S borders,we would be seen as ignorant and rude if we didn’t speak even a lick of their language.

So please don’t come into our country without knowing the basic words so you can survive in a public setting.

Kindergarten Prep started 10 days ago and my coworker and I were faced with a language barrier that we have yet to break.

A student from China entered our classroom on Monday without knowing a lick of English. This student was thrown into an environment that was all too new to her; let alone terrifying.

Could you imagine being thrown into a room full of people who didn’t speak your language? Would you be comfortable and relaxed? I wouldn’t. Not at all.

So for the last 10 days, my coworker and I have been relying on google translate as we slowly learn mandarin to ensure that we can communicate with our new student as well as speaking in English in hopes that she’ll catch on sooner rather than later.

But quite frankly, it should have been one of the parent’s top priorities to teach their child English before they threw her into our classroom. This is a whole new world for her.

So ladies and gents, if you know you’re moving to a country that doesn’t speak your native language, please take it upon yourself to learn that country’s language.

Do us a favor and have a little respect for the people and their country! Whether it be France, the United States, Brazil, etc. Learn their language to the best of your ability. If not for yourself, for those who must communicate with you.