Immigration and the Importance of Language Proficiency

 

  Yesterday I discovered an interesting discussion on the Debating Europe platform. The topic was whether EU immigrants should be required to pass a language proficiency exam, and whether it would mean "the end of freedom of movement".
   Personally, I would be in favour of a language exam, and I am not necessarily linking this requirement to the European Union and freedom of movement.  Freedom of movement still exists, legally - nobody changes your entitlement to live and work in another EU country. It is not what this is all about: it's about the capacity to make yourself understood in your new country of residence. The European Union is about unity in diversity, and, amongst other things, it cannot change the diversity of languages, and the fact that member states speak different languages. 
     Communicating effectively is essential. Perhaps various people emigrate for studies or work, based on the fact that speaking English will be enough in an academic or professional environment. And it may well be. However, if their chosen country's official language is not English, not everyone will speak it. And becoming fluent in the official language of the country of adoption is always useful, because it gives extra security, from interacting with local authorities, to being able to seize more work opportunities, to simply making more friends. Not to mention the fact that if the chosen career is based on language abilities, such as a career in communication, or humanities, or social sciences, the level of language proficiency must be really high.
     I have seen many people moving to a country whose language they did not speak. But, step by step, they started to learn it and now they are fluent. By the same token, I also saw people moving abroad without speaking any foreign language (not even English), and hoping to find a job. Needless to say that their chances were next to none. Yes, some languages are more difficult than others, depending on what your native language is, and depending on how naturally talented for learning languages you are. However, I think that with a little bit of willpower you can learn at least enough to make yourself understood. 
       Therefore, with these aspects in mind, why should we NOT sustain a language exam? Yes, it is a formality, just like the formality of having to prove your status in your new country - as a student or as a worker - in order to be recognized as a resident, and which also happens amongst EU countries. But in the context of NEEDING to speak the local language, an exam would simply be the crowining of our objective. Why fear or resent this procedure? 
       It is not about restricting freedom of movement, but really about unity in diversity, the focus being on the word "diversity". This diversity of languages will remain this way forever. We will still accept each other, but each immigrant also needs to make some adaptations to his/her new environment. And this goes beyond Europe, or the European Union. 

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