Yes, people who elect to move to the UK should probably learn how to survive here. Those who had no choice, and got dragged along with the rest of the family, on the other hand... no. Because it's not their decision, and they're very unlikely to have a life-or-death need to speak it. The inverse is also true. If, through your own decisions, you're regularly being involved in life or death situations with speakers of a few minority languages, it seems rather important to be able to say the very basic things in that language: "where's the patient?"; "Where does it hurt?"; "keep still"; "you're cute - when does your shift end?" Learning just three phrases ("I don't speak [], could someone translate?", "sorry" and "thanks") will buy you more goodwill than you could cram into your average ambulance. "Where the heck did that blanket appear from?" is optional. Learning these essential phrases doesn't mean you need to take night classes - you could ask those people who do speak some English to help teach you a few handy phrases. Take their mind off the trip to the hospital, make them feel useful, and get you some handy info. Ask the convenient translator to phonetically write down any critical question they have to translate for you. Where there are two mixed-but-similar-looking groups who speak different languages so you can't tell, generally they will give you kudos for at least TRYING. Especially if you can laugh with them about it, and laugh more when you cock up pronouncing their own versions of the words as they teach them to you. People *love* teaching outsiders about their culture. So let 'em! [All the above opinionated crap was just written by someone who was never in your situation. But I *have* been in the situation of the translator-child, so I know what I'm talking about. Mothers feel *bloody proud* of their kids teaching the foreigners the lingo, and that pride helps them deal with their own helplessness a whole lot better.]