In today’s world, some people argue that living in a nation where you have to communicate in a foreign language could generate serious social problems, as well as practical problems. In my view, I totally agree with this notion, because the language barrier could lead to social isolation, also harmful to mental health.
On the one hand, the first crucial reason is that non-native speakers find it hard to communicate with local people naturally. In daily life, non-native speakers would meet some troubles in basic backgrounds, such as shopping malls, libraries, and schools. The language barrier makes people ignore their ideas, even misunderstand them. As a result, that might let them step away from society and lose social confidence. For example, when we meet a foreigner in a shop, and they ask us for teaching he to pay his bills, in order to reduce unnecessary trouble, we usually might reject him, since we cannot use the correct language to guide a foreigner. Therefore, the language obstacle would intensify the social gap.
On the other hand, constantly struggle to break the wall of language barrier is harmful for people’s mental health. Although people try their best to melt into local communities, the cultural diversity of languages requires huge energy to adapt to. That might lead to anxiety about making mistakes or whether they can fully express themselves. For instance, some unnative speakers usually scared to communicate with strangers, since they are concerned that people cannot understand them. In the long term, they would become overwhelmed with suspicion, even lose their original identity. Consequently, this high-pressure environment is harmful to their mental health.
In conclusion, discussing two aspects in terms of society and physical health, I strongly believe that the language barrier would bring significant social problems and even threat physical health.