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 have lived in several different countries. I have tried to learn the local languages. The places that I lived longer, I learned more of the local language. Local people also appreciate it when a foreigner makes an effort to speak their language.
I also agree with Tiger Beer that when one is an English speaking environment outside of the USA (meaning one works in English and speaks English with their colleagues, friends and/or family), it is much harder to learn the local language. But still one can pick up at least basic phrases in order to be able to interact more easily with the locals. The same is also true for foreigners coming to the USA or an English speaking country.
That's a great question. My husband and I will be living overseas for a couple of years and will be learning the language of the country we are entering. I'm thinking to myself, "I am probably going to have a hard time learning the language because I am not as young anymore (late 40's)." We have a child who will probably pick it up, as kids are great at picking up new words!
I learnt a little Cantonese when living in Hong Kong. I didn't really need to learn it but it was good to be able to ask prices on the market, give my address to taxi drivers, say hello, goodbye, thank you etc.... most people did just laugh and reply in English which was a little annoying... and I never really got to practice.... I also lost count of how many people told me 'white people can't speak Chinese'....
I am currently learning German as we will move to Zurich later this year, and I will go to an intensive school in berlin for 2 months when we are there.
This is a question for those of you who are living abroad or have lived abroad.
Assuming you did not speak the local language before arriving there, did you learn it to live there, did you just use English or did you use some other language (but not the local one) you already knew?
Hi,
I've been living and working in China for 5 1/2 years and still don't speak Chinese, though I do keep taking lessons. I just use English to get what I want or break out my extremely rudimentary Chinese for taxi drivers.
This is a question for those of you who are living abroad or have lived abroad.
Assuming you did not speak the local language before arriving there, did you learn it to live there, did you just use English or did you use some other language (but not the local one) you already knew?
Yes.
Why wouldn't you?
Not only does this allow you to communicate with the locals, but often the local language winds up being the bridge between you and some other foreigner.
Not learning the local language is just lazy. And a missed opportunity to widen your horizons.
For me, it has greatly depended on a myriad of factors.
First off, I am a 19 year old American (so English is my first language) but I've lived abroad in Japan, Germany, France, and the UK (England & Scotland).
Like I said, English is my primary language, but I also grew up knowing quite a bit of Italian because both of my maternal grandparents immigrated to the U.S. They both came when they were in their early twenties, so while they learned and knew English, when they were at home and such, they would always speak Italian amongst themselves (& sometimes to my mother). Both my parents have always worked full-time professional jobs, so when I was younger my grandparents used to come over and babysit me and speak to me in both Italian and English. However, they both died during my childhood and my dad doesn't speak Italian (so my mother always spoke to him in English) and I have basically forgotten all of my Italian because I never use it. Mind you, I still know a bit and can somewhat get by when in Italy.
Anyways, more back to the actual question.
I lived in Japan from the ages of 11-12 & I attended an international English speaking school. So, I never really learned the language. I kind of stayed in my little "English bubble". I did, however, learn some things. I learned different words and phrases and such so that when I was in the stores and restaurants and stuff I could speak at least some Japanese to the people. But overall, no. I think I was a little too young to fully appreciate the experience though. Well, maybe not too young, but I feel like I definitely would have made more of an effort with the language and just appreciated everything more if I lived there now.
I lived in Europe then from the summer before I started high school (summer 2006) and I just moved back home at the end of May 2011. First, we moved to Germany (Frankfurt), then France (Paris), and then the UK (London first, and then Edinburgh). Unfortunately, in Germany, I pretty much did the same as in Japan in that I basically stayed in my little English bubble. But again, learned quite a few words, phrases, etc.
In France, I REALLY tried my best to learn as much French as possible. I'd been studying French in school for years by this point so I already was pretty good conversationally with it, but there's nothing better for learning a language than actually going to live in a country that speaks it. So, living in Paris helped my French skills a lot. Today, I wouldn't claim I'm fluent in French, but I can definitely get by pretty well if I do say so myself lol
And then, in the UK, obviously, I didn't need to learn another language. Although, I think it should be noted that there are a lot of cultural differences between the US (& Canada too I think) and the UK. A lot of the words and sayings/expressions were really different and sometimes I didn't know what people were saying and vice versa lol. Also (and not really in London, but in Scotland), some of the accents really threw me for a loop. A lot of the really thick Glasgow and west coast Scottish accents were tough for me to understand. Sometimes it felt like they were speaking another language to me all together I'm not saying these were monumental differences, but there are definitely more differences between the UK and anglo North America than I realized (and more than most people realize I think). We're actually really not that similar imho, or at least, not as similar as some people would believe.
So yeah, there's my little living abroad and languages story. I currently live at home again in California and I think I'm pretty much done with living abroad. I just want to stay home and just travel now lol.
I've learnt some Arabic in Middle East. Because some of them don't know how to speak English. Specially, the place where we work that I usually interact with them.
It's actually hard to learn the language at first specially the proper pronunciation
I moved overseas and took an intensive short-course for the basics of the local language. It was six weeks in total for ~ 120 hours of classroom instruction. After that I began to use the language every day and actively learned new words through a variety of methods. But I had to work and thus used English mostly with the local language for chit-chat with friends.
Finally, after about 10 years, I offered to replace an instructor for classes that were taught in the local language, and I found that I was able to teach in it. When you are forced to speak at length, you find that you have to increase your lexicon beyond the basic daily-function words. It is hard work, but it can be done.
Too many people are shy to use a new language for the fear of making mistakes or else sounding "funny". I embrace the sounding funny part, and have turned it into an ice-breaker. For me, communication is what counts, and that can be accomplished by less-than-native fluency.
Depends a lot on the difficulty of the language and the encouragement one receives in early attempts at speaking.
The language you refer to is in my opinion rather fun to learn and easy to obtain support.
On the other hand I found French harder by far and very much more particular with less tolerence for mistakes.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,135,151 times
Reputation: 11862
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiger Beer
I also observed that while living in Spain and Brazil. Particularly Spain, where I found that if you didn't speak Spanish, they just didn't have time for you. Even if you did speak Spanish, if you didn't understand, they just spoke it quicker to be done with you quicker.
In Brazil, I found people very helpful and kind, however, they simply didn't have any English foundation whatsoever. Like, ZERO. So, you really had to learn Portuguese to do anything whatsoever.
Over here in Asia, people pretty much expect foreigners to NOT know any of their local language. SO, they'll often apologize if they can't help you in English, etc. It seems to vary quite a bit.
In Japan, there is a whole less English than anywhere else I've lived or been in Asia, so here, you kinda need to learn some Japanese. In Korea, it was easy to live there for a long time, with people just apologizing for their lack of English, oddly enough.
I always assumed that, to truly teach someone another language you would have to be at least somewhat bilingual. I mean, how else are you going to teach someone who speaks no English whatsoever if you can't explain it in their native language? Where do you start? I'm sure there are ways, but if our Japanese teacher didn't explain anything in English we would learn very slowly! Or do you teach people with at least a very basic grasp of English already?
I'm interested in teaching English overseas myself but I have no second language skills. My Japanese vocabulary could be written down on one page, my conversational skills next to non-existent. Furthermore, I've heard that they may be prejudiced against me because I'm of Asian ancestry and don't look like someone from an English speaking nation (British, Australian, American), is that true? I get tired of explaining to Asians that yes, I am Australian. I wonder if having an Aussie accent will be a disadvantage if I wanted to go to South America? Since I assume they'll prefer to learn American English...Anyway, don't they at least give you a test/interview to assess you on your aptitude as an English teacher?
I always assumed that, to truly teach someone another language you would have to be at least somewhat bilingual. I mean, how else are you going to teach someone who speaks no English whatsoever if you can't explain it in their native language? Where do you start? I'm sure there are ways, but if our Japanese teacher didn't explain anything in English we would learn very slowly! Or do you teach people with at least a very basic grasp of English already?
I'm interested in teaching English overseas myself but I have no second language skills. My Japanese vocabulary could be written down on one page, my conversational skills next to non-existent. Furthermore, I've heard that they may be prejudiced against me because I'm of Asian ancestry and don't look like someone from an English speaking nation (British, Australian, American), is that true? I get tired of explaining to Asians that yes, I am Australian. I wonder if having an Aussie accent will be a disadvantage if I wanted to go to South America? Since I assume they'll prefer to learn American English...Anyway, don't they at least give you a test/interview to assess you on your aptitude as an English teacher?
One doesn't have to be bilingual to teach English to another person. One can teach English without knowing a word of the student's native language. One would be using gestures, pictures, etc. to demonstrate the new words and phrases in English. This would also work when teaching any language when the teacher and student don't speak the same language. Also when one lives in a foreign country one will pick some of the local language from the locals without them explaining it to you in your native language.
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'm not saying these were monumental differences, but there are definitely more differences between the UK and anglo North America than I realized (and more than most people realize I think). We're actually really not that similar imho, or at least, not as similar as some people would believe. 
