Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I would love to be more proficient at another language, I have some Spanish family members (due to some marriages) and would love to be able to speak to them in their native language. I have a 2 1/2 year old nephew who speaks better Spanish than me!!!
There are always ways to learn. If traveling didn't work you can always try language exchange websites or something (Where you speak to natives)
With English being in such high demand you won't have a problem finding someone who'd like to exchange English for Spanish.
There are always ways to learn. If traveling didn't work you can always try language exchange websites or something (Where you speak to natives)
With English being in such high demand you won't have a problem finding someone who'd like to exchange English for Spanish.
Thank you for the 'tips', perhaps I should ask my nephew to help me out! , I will perceiver with it and hopefully be proficient enough to call myself a 'Spanish speaker' someday
Anyway, while you can survive with English in many places, you have to learn the local language if you actually move to another country. Else you will always be considered only a tourist and you will not understand life there and you will depend on locals doing things for you, such as IRS etc. Not to mention work or college for those that are not retired.
A lot of people make the mistake to think that just because people more or less speak English in another country, that English plays a role in everyday life. Well, it does not, life takes place in local languages just like it has in the past.
No I was serious actually.
It's a semi-truth that generally native English speakers rarely need to learn another language, reason why the greatest majority among them are monolingual.
No I was serious actually.
It's a semi-truth that generally native English speakers rarely need to learn another language, reason why the greatest majority among them are monolingual.
The reason for that is simply that people from English-speaking countries rarely move to countries where other languages are spoken. Visiting kitschy tourist spots on vacation is usually all they do. And those who do move abroad often do learn the local language, and the few who don't end up isolated and being treated like outsiders and tourists.
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
5,921 posts, read 13,859,918 times
Reputation: 5229
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuling
The reason for that is simply that people from English-speaking countries rarely move to countries where other languages are spoken. Visiting kitschy tourist spots on vacation is usually all they do. And those who do move abroad often do learn the local language, and the few who don't end up isolated and being treated like outsiders and tourists.
Having lived and worked in European countries for a few years at a stint, I have found this to be true !
Of all the expats, I have met during our *stints*, I have found most all of them having a working knowledge of the local language. I am leaving out the USA military, because they do not *get out* as much.
The expats who did not have a good understanding of the local language were mostly those who did not completely *integrate* into the local scene. Their kids went to *International Schools* for instance.
In our case we sent our kids to the local schools, and we attended local church services.
The *funny* part of sending your kids to local schools came when they returned to the USA school system.
When they took German in High school, they were *reprimanded* for speaking with a Southern German version of German (Baorisch - for Neuling who would know).
Our youngest who spent more time in Switzerland, gave up on attending German classes in High School, due to her Swiss accent ! She switched to French and was happy. Heck she was almost a native Swiss Speaker ... *and* had three years of French already from her time in Switzerland.
Same here, those Brits, Germans etc. that do not speak Portuguese lead isolated lives, as if they weren't really here. Locals know they are only here because of the climate and the beaches and basically ignore them. Many of those people are retired, which makes it easier. But working in another country without speaking the local language is very, very difficult. Communication is what holds societies together, and if you can't communicate well with the people around you, you have a problem.
Yes, I would not recommend a foreigner to learn Bavarian or Swiss German unless they really know they will not move to other parts of Germany or Switzerland. It's better to learn Nazi, um, High German, which is understood throughout those countries, albeit grudgingly
British people don't need to learn Portuguese because everyone speaks English. Portuguese isn't exactly a popular language anyhow.
They don't need to, and I have seen the result of that: they are not part of society. They can't even apply for citizenship because that would require them to pass a language test. So they keep living in their expat communities for years and yet never belong here.
And popular?! Portuguese is by far the most popular language in Portugal, which is all that matters in Portugal. Apart from that, Portuguese is the 6th or 7th most widely spoken language in the world.
British people don't need to learn Portuguese because everyone speaks English. Portuguese isn't exactly a popular language anyhow.
Then they could avoid living in Portuguese-speaking areas to begin with.
I imagine you don't live if there's a ghetto where there are only Arabic-speaking people, don't you?
Nor does everyone speak English to begin with. In many countries with aging populations only the young speak English on a reasonable level, while older people's English skills have eroded away over the decades or they had never even learned English in the first place.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
, I will perceiver with it and hopefully be proficient enough to call myself a 'Spanish speaker' someday 
