Impressed

Do you watch Grand Designs? I have to confess to being very impressed with our Kevin. I’ve now seen him working on a French project and on an Italian one. He speaks both languages fluently. Yet he is a design expert, not a language expert.
Surely, though, in order to understand local architects, builder, planning regulations and culture you really do need a good command of the language. Or a very good interpreter - and that comes at great expense.
I do think someone should write a learner’s book for those people who relocate abroad and there should be quite a hefty section for those people taking on building projects.
In the end, language is power. We are powerless without it. And those who speak a language which we do not have more power in situations where it is spoken.