I join Elizabeth today with Second on the 2nd, Sunday, February 2nd 2025, with this post from ages ago and the question is still as actual as back then!
Or burning even higher.
When "Chancellor" Merkel announced, "ALL refugees welcome" the situation in Germany really got chaotic. Interpreters for Arabic people from different countries were hired - just to translate German to their language, not to teach them German.
You can but you don´t have to and also today we have the same problem. Our tax-money gets wasted to hand out brochures how to get the best service (aka money) from our state, instead of saying: We invest the money for teaching you German. Because...most of the people are still here. Even if the situation in their country got a lot better.
And, unlike in USA, most do not work. They do not give, they only take, most don´t adapt.
I do NOT say all! Publish or not?
What do you think about this: Learn the language of the country you live in?
I found art only through most of my now readers when I lost my job...
Here goes, from 2010:
"Got a letter from the..." sorry. Maybe English Natives aren´t that Song-related (I hope so! Wasn´t that Elvis??)...
I am feeling kinda ashamed, I tell ya!
Went to the post-office to send off a postcard the other day.
The guy in front of me was from India, I think. He had some questions concerning air-mail.
He asked his questions in German, but you could hear it was quite difficult for him and English would´ve made it so much easier for him.
Now... On one hand I think people who live here should speak German, at least start to (sosososo many just don´t and - sorry to say - they´re all from one Country) and I guess that guy is living here (and no, he´s not of mentioned country - he speaks German, at least a bit - and he looked Indian, too).
On the other hand I think everybody should speak English.
- you learn it from grade 5 on
- it is the world language, no?
This Postman did not only speak no English, he used German slang as well!
Saying "Übern Teich" - correct would be über den Teich, btw ("over pond") for overseas and such.
The Indian guy did manage, that´s why I didn´t interfere - you grow with your tasks, right?
But I was ashamed for the Postman, really... because... he is that age where there is no excuse (my Parents don´t speak English. There were Bombs falling when they went to school and very often the Bunker was the place prefered to the classroom. That´s an excuse in my eyes).
What do you think... should immigrants speak the language of their chosen country in a certain time-frame
which one?
- before?
- whilst living there?
- or should English be THE language accepted?
14 comments:
I agree. I think if you're going to live in another country for a reasonable period of time, you should learn their language. It would silly, for example, if I moved to China and refused to learn Mandarin, and instead only hung around with other English-speaking people.
But I don't think everyone should learn English unless they are living in a country where it's the national language. Personally I think it's a very hard language, and it's my first language! I can't imagine how difficult it would be to learn it as a second language and I really admire people who do.
I only speak English and I think it would be great to be bilingual. I learnt a little bit of Italian, French and Indonesian at school but I've forgotten most of it and can only say a few words. Personally I'd like to learn German. One of my friends speaks German really well (she has a German mum and also studied it at uni) and now I have a German work colleague. She is originally from Cologne, I think.
I only learned French (sadly! Spanish is what you need!) and I found it way more difficult than to learn English!
The Scandinadivan Countries broadcast American movies in English and subtitled in their own language, so everybody easily learns English (we get everything translated to German).
No, Sarah. Don´t learn German... what for?
Ok, you might find people in Cuba (who went to East-Germany back then), maybe Russia, Switzerland and Italy.... but that´s it!
Hmm... don´t you think English is the language? Like for Europe at least? There are so many and having one that everybody speaks is useful, no?
It would be useful if there was a universal language, but I feel bad saying it should be English and everyone should learn it. It's probably because of our history, when the British Empire was a world power and colonised many people groups (Australian Aboriginals, Native American Indians, New Zealand Maoris etc), forcing them to speak English.
I agree there would not be much point in me learning German since I don't have anyone really to speak it with, but I would like to visit Germany and Austria one day, if possible, and it would be good if people could understand me at least.
Although having said that...my German friend who studied in Australia 7 years ago said if I came to Germany, her friends would all want to speak English to me :)
:-) Make sure you stop by if you visit!
Yips, I think you could do without German here - just don´t visit my Bro, his English really is bad...!
Well, yips that is a point, too, colonisation has a label.
Still I find English the right choice (but that´s maybe cause I find it immensly difficult to learn Spanish cause it´s so similar to French, which I learned at school - and English is everywhere anyways...).
What a great question...can I steal it for my blog sometime???
I do think that a person should learn the language native to the country they live in. Here we have lots of Spanish speakers so everything is written in both languages, but there are problems sometimes verbally.
I guess the universal language should be English since so many people learn it in school.
My nephew is visiting from Germany and I was hoping he'd learn some German over there but he goes to a US Army school. When I asked him what words he knew he said "nein".
Well, at least your nephew is no "Ja-Sager" ;-)
Yes, English and Spanish are the languages! I am just afraid we might get the Turkish one as well...
Go ahead, "steal" :-) I´m keen to know what your readers think!
Never thought the ole Postman´d make up so much fuss :-)
What an interesting post. I have lived in a foreign country since 1978. I first went to Italy and quickly learnt to speak Italian so I could have a job (I worked in the hospital), then I went to England. Fortunately I already spoke English, but I had to learn to speak better as I worked with very sensitive situations in the hospice. Now I live in Spain and it annoys me that so many English live here and don't speak a word of Spanish. I try to help my friends when they have to go to the hospital or go for important appointments, I translate for them, because I have made the effort to learn Spanish.
To answer your question: Yes, I believe immigrants should make an effort to learn the language.
Enjoy your Sunday,
Lisca
Just to add to the above (For those that read this and don't know me): I'm Dutch and was brought up in the Netherlands and Dutch is my first language.
Lisca
Yes, nice you agree with me. It´s not only polite, it´s essential, I think.
That doctor from Poland, Russia, I have no idea only said it is "gefährlich"/dangerous to take IIngo home, he spoke no English, French, whatsoever. A doctor in a hospital in Germany...
Most Americans have fairly recent family memories of immigration, mostly from Europe in the early 20th century or Asia and Europe in the second half of the century. Children of immigrants were given total immersion in English, and their parents mostly had to learn for jobs or just to get along. Children and parents often learned together. But it was normal. And we all ended up with a common language. Sure, some people resented the immigrants, but mostly it was understood that they had a contribution to make.
Just a thought, by forcing immigrants to learn and use a new language, it's almost like wiping out their culture. My parents were born in this country, but their parents were not. My parents didn't learn to speak English until they went to school. As they learned English in school, my grandparents learned too. My mother's mother the only grandparent I knew growing up spoke a broken English. She lived here longer than she lived in Italy. She never gave up her first language. I think that was such a part of her identity.
Mae, and that is the difference. In your country people need to get along. Here they get everything translated to their language as long as they want. Just logical most refuse and and go the easy way...
CJ, I don´t mean to give up your first language, not at all! But to integrate. My friend Sami, for example, she is Portugese and lives in Australia.With me she speaks English, as with her hubby when we are around, but when it´s just the two of them it is Portugese. Same with Ingo and I. Friends around, English is is, just the two of us, we speak German.
This is certainly a topic of discussion. I took German in high school for a year and have never used it since. Now all speak or write is English. I remember nothing in German. You have to use a language or lose it. Thanks for this interesting second on the 2nd, dear Iris.
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