player language question

So the one thing I've never got a good feel for level of impact is having players that don't speak the same language as the rest of the team, I'm wondering if anyone has any input.

Like currently I have a number of Brazilian players on an English speaking team, aside from a Brazilian coach no one speaks Portuguese. Obviously my Assistant always tells me about the language barrier but these players all seem to work fine with the rest of the team. Especially considering one of the Brazilians is a goalkeeper and none of my defenders are, so you'd think with the communication needed there it would be a problem, but the keeper plays well and I don't see any real difference with the back line teamed with an English speaking keeper.

So is the whole language thing pointless or does it really have any impact?

BTW, I've also noticed that the language difference is never mentioned when you mentor/tutor players that don't share a language, seems odd.

Minor question considering it doesn't take long for the languages to be learned, but still curious.

of course language has an impact. Football can be a pretty universal language, i meen the keeper learns the word 'keeper' and he can always let the defender know he is claiming it etc, its more off the pitch the language is an issue

While we're at it, the game also talks about solving a problem with a player having trouble settling by bringing in a player of the same nationality. Would bringing a player who at least speaks the same language help? What about hiring staff from the player's country or staff that speak his language?

For example, managing in the J-League with one American player on your team. Wouldn't it be just as useful to bring in a Canadian player to help with settling in? Or a player from the UK?

This kind of ties in with it but I noticed that many foreign players I have signed take around a year to settle. Their first season is not great but usually they perform better from the 2nd season onwards. Maybe it is something to do with the language although obviously the change in culture and so on would be a factor as well.

i believe anyone that speaks the laguage is good but someone from the same country isbetter, the best option if possible is a favoured personelle

Yeah, i had a player in one save from Senegal, who speaks French.

To help out with the language issues, i brought in Michael Hughes (as a coach), who is from Northern Ireland, but speaks French (spent a few seasons in Ligue 1). I wonder if that made any difference whatsoever.

it would have.

i love the idea of being able to pay a bit more in wages on the player to include a translator/language coach.

As far as the universal language of football, yeah that is the reality of it. But the game isn't reality, that's why I asked. But when you bring in the 'universal language' concept then why are they worried about the language barrier more in matches then something like mentors/tutors.

As to the settling, I wouldn't think a player that speaks the same language but is from another country would help an unsettled player. Because it's more culture based. I've had a team that half of them spoke Spanish but a Colombian player was still unsettled for a year. So I'm betting they have to be from the same country. I've also had lots of luck with not many players getting unsettled after the move, and if the player is good enough -and- doesn't have other hidden issues they can still perform exceptionally well while unsettled.

I agree about culture, to an extent.

Helping a player understand WTF everyone is saying in training is one thing. I'm not asking 38 year old Michael Hughes to take my 21 year old Senegalese striker out on the town to keep him happy. I just want him to tell the bastard to run onto through balls down the middle!

There are plenty of Americans and Australians who would not settle well in the UK, despite (technically) speaking the same language, though. And it looks like FM agrees with that stance.