Essay Sample on How Language Affect Immigrant's Life

In the United States, integrating immigrants is a challenge both at the local and federal level. Places such as Texas, California, New York City, to mention but a few absorb diverse limited-English speakers' population (Holeywell n.p). These people have caused controversy with one of the major concerns being language. For them, it is not easy to learn a new language yet it is something that can open doors to, for instance, educational and economic opportunities. Non-speakers at many times find themselves isolated in their resented neighborhoods and communities. However, the federal government and some localities are helping the immigrants to learn the language. The paper will discuss in detail how language affects immigrant's life.

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Isphording asserts that most immigrants, especially in the United States, experience social integration hitches due to the fact that they originate from diversified cultural backgrounds (5). The majority of them have not mastered the proficiency of the host country's language. Since every human being social, immigrants with low proficiency language skills experience difficulties, particularly when engaging in daily social interactions; this results in segregation thus cutting them from access to well-paid jobs and functional relationships. Low proficiency in language skills fuels anti-immigration attitudes, which cuts the dreams of many. The results are a detrimental and direct negative effect on the immigrant's life. Among other problems they experience are identifying themselves in the public, negotiating deals, or forming new relationships.

Moreover, low proficiency in language skills causes intense frustrations, makes the immigrants look less of a person because he/she may sound sophisticated. Immigrants with language barrier issues have complicated life due to the fact that they cannot solve the issues by only learning. Isphording says that most have tried to learn but to no avail. However, Piller suggests that learning dialogues can be an easy solution to language barriers in that it opens the immigrant's minds by reading through the comprehensive passages (n.p). Language barriers limit the immigrant's capacity to learn from the new environment due to the lack of the ability to communicate. The immigrants are forced to isolate themselves especially when they meet native-born speakers who use flawless grammar and fancy vocabularies to express their thoughts and feelings. It sounds easy to communicate but it is a challenge to the immigrant's something that makes them unconfident and unwilling to communicate. To the immigrants, the language barrier is not only a problem in expressing thoughts and ideas but also a challenge to learning a new culture in the host country.

Another study highlighted that language plays a vital role in family dynamics. Proficiency in language skills exposes many immigrants to different spheres of life. For instance, a special case is the integration of native and immigrants persons. Language facilitates the interaction process, which leads to marriage between these two groups of people. They form clear relationships because they can understand each other thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Piller highlights that it is more likely for an immigrant with dexterous language skills to have a native-born spouse. Faster rates of language acquisition have augmented intermarriages between immigrates and native speakers not only in the United States but elsewhere across the globe.

Another effect on immigrant's life is economic integration (Isphording 6). Being able to communicate the language of a host country effectively is an important driver to successful market and labor integration. On the other hand, low proficiency in language skills creates a hurdle for immigrants to participate in labor markets, joining political processes and access to employment probability. Research done by Piller looks at the positive effects of language acquisition on immigrant's life (n.p). They highlight that language skills are important to an immigrant's life, especially to entrepreneurs. They are human assets as they facilitate social and economic integration. Looking at the market scenario, language is used as a primary medium of communication. Language skills are therefore, productive for entrepreneurs for the fact that they reward them for any work they do in the market. In the same parallel, workers with proficiency in language skills can negotiate with their employers for wage increment and promotions at their workplaces. The indirect effect, in this case, is having access to job incentives, well-paid jobs, and many other benefits; this augments the immigrant's standards of living and at the same time prevents occupational segregation.

Language affects immigrant's life both positively and negatively; considering the fact that dominant proficiency in language skills is a source of human capital, it makes immigrants productive in consumption and labor market activities. Language is viewed in terms of out-pocket expenditure and time since it is embodied within a person (Isphording 7). In this regard, the optimal investment is the host country's language, which is determined in the same manner as human capital investment. The level at, which an individual will use the language will either impact his or her life positively or negatively; this applies in the social, economic, and political settings. Language, therefore, has returned in investment when considering the marginal inept costs and the time that participants invest.

The language also creates employment opportunities for immigrants who have opened training classes. The influx of newcomers especially in the United States grows over time and the unfortunate this is that they have limited-English skills (Carliner 158). Some immigrants however, have stood bold to offer key language training services so that they can learn and understand the new vocabularies. The immigrants who are proficient with the English language offer educational services, translation, and important information, which can assist the immigrants to feel engaged and also be able to communicate. In turn, the immigrants who offer these services get educational experience and salaries, which enables them to live happily. In a similar approach, the immigrants with proficient language skills sign contracts to work as translators for diversified cultural contexts. Translation services are paid highly since there are over 170 languages involved (Holeywell n.p). For example, there are many cases where police officers require someone to translate on behalf of the victim so as to enable communication to proceed. Those services are usually used by front-line workers in that the interaction is done with the public, especially at the immigration departments.

Language training is a key component that has for a long time improved the immigrant's lives. Those who have a grasp of the host country's language earn a living out of their skills. At the same time, proficiency in language has helped the immigrants to obtain information about housing, schools, and legal rights. Immigrants are aware of what is happening in their new environment in the fact that they know their rights, they can take their children to good schools, and they get information about housing. Through language acquisition, they are able to communicate, interact, and become productive. Similarly, language acquisition has helped them to solve problems such as underemployment something that has a potential consequence of improving their standards of living and their conditions of life. They enlarge their connections and networks thus showing this they get along with opportunities such as income distribution.

Also, proficiency in language skills acts as complementary to the educational experience of immigrants in the host country (Carliner 167). Many immigrants successfully make their way into educational institutions they ever wanted something that enlightens them to become better persons who can think for themselves. At the same time, language skills facilitate the integration of employees in job environments; it extends beyond the economic success of the immigrants. They interact about the way of life in the new country, learn languages from different cultural contexts, and get to understand the way of life in the new country. On another hand, language affects the non-labor markets in the sense that it helps the immigrants to penetrate into political forums and participate in decision making. The outcomes of this integration are political participation and implementation of inclusive education and health policies. Through language, immigrants make the life of foreigners easy by reducing instances such as segregation and stereotyping.

According to the Casey Foundation report, the immigrant with low proficiency in language skills is more likely to raise children who live in poverty and perform poorly in school. The study indicates that 28 percent of immigrant children wake in chronic poverty and perform poorly at grade level school as compared to those from non-immigrant families, who score high adept grades (Chandler n.p). The implication from the survey is that cultural and language barriers are the main analogies, which contributes to the disparities. They limit these children to opportunities, which could have made them better persons in the future. Based on the fact that they are immigrants, they are cut off from interacting with the rest of the people not because they are restricted but because they lack confidence and they feel ashamed (Chandler n.p). The outcomes from this are the struggles with income, health, and educational related issues.

Immigrants with language barriers are less able to become United States citizens. Despite the fact that the vast majority of immigrants can speak fluent English, across to 30 percent of the theme struggle with the language. It therefore, becomes difficult for them to be integrated into the United States society. Acquisition of the language enables them to become citizens hence engage in civic organizations and political processes (Carliner 171). Difficult to speak effectively has denied many immigrants a chance to of becoming U.S. citizens something that makes their life a muddle. Also, immigrants who have difficulties with language, experience communication problems especially when interacting with healthcare providers. Since they cannot speak fluently and understood, they may receive meager services something that has a direct negative effect on their health.

In conclusion, language affects the life of immigrants positively and negatively. Those with poor proficient linguistic skills experience a number of negative consequences, especially with communication with the native-born speakers. Also, immigrants with proficient English language skills are exposed to many opportunities, which makes them part of the United States citizens. They can interact with others, get information about schools, health, housing to mention but a few. Despite the fact that to some extent language negatively affects immigrant's life, there are many benefits for those who have sufficient proficient language skills.

Works Cited.

Isphording, Ingo E. "What drives the language proficiency of immigrants? Immigrants differ in their language proficiency along with a range of characteristics." World of Labour 1.10 (2015). Retrieved from: https://wol.iza.org/uploads/articles/177/pdfs/what-drives-language-proficiency-of-immigrants.pdf

Holeywell, Ryan. "How Language Fits Into the Immigration Issue." Governing.com. 2012. Retrieved from: https://www.governing.com/topics/health-human-services/gov-how-language-fits-into-the-immigration-issue.html

Piller, Ingrid. "What makes it hard for migrants to learn the language of their new home?" Open Learn. 2016.