How did you learn a foreign language and how did it affect your life?

beppi Germany/Singapore Expert

15635POSTS

8 years ago

serinchen wrote:
Has anyone else dealt with being considered a "returnee"...?

I have never heard this term in this context. What is it supposed to mean? Even if you have lived in Germany before, this has no legal or residence relevance as far as I know.

SimCityAT Expert

13663POSTS

8 years ago

#42

beppi wrote:
serinchen wrote:
Has anyone else dealt with being considered a "returnee"...?

I have never heard this term in this context. What is it supposed to mean? Even if you have lived in Germany before, this has no legal or residence relevance as far as I know.

returnee
rɪtəːˈniː/
noun
a person who returns, in particular:
a refugee returning from abroad.
a member of the armed forces returning from overseas duty.

samuel1964 Member

3POSTS

8 years ago

#43

I am planning on going to San Ramon to visit and possibly meet a couple that has chosen to live there.l would love to listen to any input and wisdom they can share.

Ruffian Dick Serial expat

356POSTS

8 years ago

#44

serinchen wrote:
Thank you both. I am currently in chats with Beratungsstelle Raphaelswerk since i am considered a "returnee". She stated to me that i must speak fluent German when i come back and that schools would be expensive if i decide to come back with limited German. So this is why i ask this question. My mama still speaks fluent German so she is able to help a little bit with research but i'm 3500 miles away from her. But i do appreciate any advice i can get since we all can help in certain ways etc. Thank you both for your help.

Has anyone else dealt with being considered a "returnee"...?

I think that by "returnee" she means she was born in Germany. She can return under German law and regain her EU citizenship.

(My grandmother was a German citizen, but as my mother was born in the US, was a US citizen, by this law, I have no hope to become a German/EU citizen.)

Serinchen, are you in the States now? Can you find opportunities in Seattle to practice German? Anything that will resemble immersion (membership in a German language club that meets at least weekly, German-speaking friends, etc) will help.

serinchen Active member

26POSTS

8 years ago

#45

in German context they use the word "Rueckkehrer" (someone who lived in Germany and left for a few years as a citizen). It entitles me to certain benefits i may of had before i left the country and or benefits that can be transferred from another country (possibly).

This organization answered some of my questions about it

ev-auslandsberatung.de

and also i am working with this organization (as mentioned before)

www.raphaelswerk.de

The issue i am having is that they give you tons of links but there is no substance within those links (plus these links are written in difficult German). Maybe you all have had the same issues? I am one that just wants the facts.

serinchen Active member

26POSTS

8 years ago

#46

Yes i am in Seattle now. I was in Germany in June visiting family and friends. I will start Goethe online next month and have looked online for some meet-ups.

The crazy part is German was my mother tongue however we moved to the states at an early age. I hold dual citizenship despite the USA not liking it.

I am getting worried that moving to Germany and not having a high demand (i am an accountant) field will not be enough to live there. How does everyone stay positive, if your already there?

serinchen Active member

26POSTS

8 years ago

#47

Ruffian Dick wrote:
serinchen wrote:
Thank you both. I am currently in chats with Beratungsstelle Raphaelswerk since i am considered a "returnee". She stated to me that i must speak fluent German when i come back and that schools would be expensive if i decide to come back with limited German. So this is why i ask this question. My mama still speaks fluent German so she is able to help a little bit with research but i'm 3500 miles away from her. But i do appreciate any advice i can get since we all can help in certain ways etc. Thank you both for your help.

Has anyone else dealt with being considered a "returnee"...?

I think that by "returnee" she means she was born in Germany. She can return under German law and regain her EU citizenship.

(My grandmother was a German citizen, but as my mother was born in the US, was a US citizen, by this law, I have no hope to become a German/EU citizen.)

Serinchen, are you in the States now? Can you find opportunities in Seattle to practice German? Anything that will resemble immersion (membership in a German language club that meets at least weekly, German-speaking friends, etc) will help.

serinchen Active member

26POSTS

8 years ago

#48

SimCityAT wrote:
beppi wrote:
serinchen wrote:
Has anyone else dealt with being considered a "returnee"...?

I have never heard this term in this context. What is it supposed to mean? Even if you have lived in Germany before, this has no legal or residence relevance as far as I know.

returnee
rɪtəːˈniː/
noun
a person who returns, in particular:
a refugee returning from abroad.
a member of the armed forces returning from overseas duty.

in German context they use the word "Rueckkehrer" (someone who lived in Germany and left for a few years as a citizen). It entitles me to certain benefits i may of had before i left the country and or benefits that can be transferred from another country (possibly).

This organization answered some of my questions about it

ev-auslandsberatung.de

and also i am working with this organization (as mentioned before)

[link under review]

The issue i am having is that they give you tons of links but there is no substance within those links (plus these links are written in difficult German). Maybe you all have had the same issues? I am one that just wants the facts.

twostep Serial expat

466POSTS

8 years ago

#49

serinchen wrote:
Yes i am in Seattle now. I was in Germany in June visiting family and friends. I will start Goethe online next month and have looked online for some meet-ups.

The crazy part is German was my mother tongue however we moved to the states at an early age. I hold dual citizenship despite the USA not liking it.

I am getting worried that moving to Germany and not having a high demand (i am an accountant) field will not be enough to live there. How does everyone stay positive, if your already there?

As German citizen holding a passport you have no language requirements. Accountant is a very wide field. Can you be more specific? Did you/your parents go through Beibehaltungsantrag or just renewed your passport?

beppi Germany/Singapore Expert

15635POSTS

8 years ago

#50

Twostep is right: There is no language requirement for people who are already German citizens.
It does, however, help in finding work, getting to know people or feeling at home if you speak the language.
The webpage you linked to is a protestant organisation. Nothing against them, but international migration is certainly not a religious topic, so other sources of information might be better.

serinchen Active member

26POSTS

8 years ago

#51

twostep wrote:
serinchen wrote:
Yes i am in Seattle now. I was in Germany in June visiting family and friends. I will start Goethe online next month and have looked online for some meet-ups.

The crazy part is German was my mother tongue however we moved to the states at an early age. I hold dual citizenship despite the USA not liking it.

I am getting worried that moving to Germany and not having a high demand (i am an accountant) field will not be enough to live there. How does everyone stay positive, if your already there?

As German citizen holding a passport you have no language requirements. Accountant is a very wide field. Can you be more specific? Did you/your parents go through Beibehaltungsantrag or just renewed your passport?

Per the German Embassy conversation i recently had, they said before moving to Germany, i quote, she said all people moving to Germany must speak German. As we know this is a formality.

As for Beibehaltungsantrag, i am the only one who got this. I continue to renew my German and USA passport when i am suppose to and keep up with the regulations per that country.

I am an accountant who has worked for companies like T-Mobile, Converse/Nike, and CPA firms (doing audits and tax preparation). However in the USA, this is mostly being outsourced to India. What i am reading is that everyday accounting, you must have (min.) C1 knowledge of German to work in these types of companies. I am senior accountant btw. I have looked online and do not see any openings for these companies however...just for engineers and doctors.

serinchen Active member

26POSTS

8 years ago

#52

beppi wrote:
Twostep is right: There is no language requirement for people who are already German citizens.
It does, however, help in finding work, getting to know people or feeling at home if you speak the language.
The webpage you linked to is a protestant organisation. Nothing against them, but international migration is certainly not a religious topic, so other sources of information might be better.

I feel with going with many resources is best:) So that is what i am doing. Trying to get common answers and then going forward.

Ml7 Active member

55POSTS

8 years ago

#53

Despite the fact that english language is number one in the globe because of many reasons such as 50% of the content in the internest is in English and 80% of the scientific researchers are written in english as well.

In my case the English language was a barrier because in all education levels in my country we were studying Arabic and after 12 years old they started to give us some english calsses, im talking about the public schools apart from private schools. However, what they tought us was somthing you cant even use when you want to ask for a glass of water 😅. Anway after the graduation from high school and getting ready to go to the uni there was an Eniglish intensive cuorse for one year before you start studying your major. So, here is the problem most of the students they cant proceed after this year due to the lack of the langauge which is bad because there are some smart people were intending to study in computer or sciences departments but they end up in histroy or arabic departments. Because of this I started to challlenge my self by taking some extra courses and turn everything in my hand in English and since im in the IT field thats helped me a lot. However, speaking is the most important part in this game 😅 being a good reader in a foreign language will not help you a lot in the speaking part therefore, before speaking you need to listen proper english so that you could pronounce it properly. Finally, I found watching english movies and series were a quite good to let me at least open a discussion and end up with agree with everything that the other person said due to the lack of vocabularies even though inside me I wasnt agreed with him or her and I want to dispute and clarify my point 😂. Anyhow, everything went slow in learning english till the destiny took me from Riyadh which is my city to Leeds in the UK and here we go its another story I dont want talk about it at the moment , I might talk about it later 😅

Cheers guys , have a nice language experiences

basri1 Active member

69POSTS

8 years ago

#54

That is very interesting indeed

Noor1234567 Member

20POSTS

8 years ago

#55

Su raised important issue english should be necessary in public schools schools schools schools schools schools schools schools

esty7 Member

16POSTS

8 years ago

#56

I think the best way to learn the language is to write the essay and to peak. During the writing, I learn new phrases.

esty7 Member

16POSTS

8 years ago

#57

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WLHr1_EVtQ

what do you think about this advice?

Ruffian Dick Serial expat

356POSTS

8 years ago

#58

Having the right attitude counts for a lot. He makes a lot of points that are worth listening to.

That said, learning a language when you are young (in your teen years at least), I understand that it structures your brain differently, compared to someone who is monolingual.

As an English teacher, I often ask students to make sounds with their mouths that they've never made before; "outside of their database" in his terms.

gudgrief ViP

844POSTS

8 years ago

#59

For what it's worth, I took 3 years of French 2 years of Latin in high school. I started learning Spanish while stationed in Spain for two years at age 20. I did OK with vocabulary and grammar and was functional for traveling on vacation. I took 2 years of college level Spanish later on. 20 years passed and my company sent me to Mexico for 4 years. what I retained of my Spanish was an advantage in all respects from registering my kids in school to selecting a doctor to meeting local officials. I retired in Mexico 30 years later an can't call myself fluent even now. My two sons who spent 4 years in a Mexican school at ages 11 and 13 are more fluent than I though I have a broader vocabulary. So, maybe age 20 is older than ideal for learning a language.

Living it certainly helps.

Ruffian Dick Serial expat

356POSTS

8 years ago

#60

Paul Jorgensen, has tons of interesting videos on his Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNhX3W … VHPyup8jkQ
Also, of course, his website:
http://langfocus.com/
He emphasizes study, you can't work your way around that. I think he says it or someone else does, but living in the country and speaking it 24/7 for a year is a good path to "fluency", although there are other levels of ability with a language.

GuestPoster674 Guest

0POSTS

8 years ago

#61

I was born in Spain but when I was 8 I moved to Egypt. And in spite of Arabic being my mother language, before going to Egypt I couldn't speak much. So in the 6 years that I spent there, I learned English and Arabic. So I can speak those three languages (Spanish, Arabic and English) fluently now. I'm 19 now and I've been living in Germany for a year. i believe that in order to learn a language well, you must find someone who can speak that language well or a native speaker, and converse with them. As I said, I've been living in Germany for a year and I still can't speak that good, just because I don't talk much with people. But the thing that happens to me a lot, is when I try to say something in german or english, I accidentally say it in spanish or arabic. It's frustrating sometimes!

gudgrief ViP

844POSTS

8 years ago

#62

It's amazing what great experiences you have if you leave your comfort zone, get out there and open your mouth to talk to people no matter how halting in might be.

I tell Mexican friends struggling with English that they need to forget being shy, just open their mouths and try. Nobody will make fun and kindly will help you correct errors and I hold my Spanish up as not being afraid of making errors.

AhmadSAM New member

7POSTS

8 years ago

#63

Your english background made me think more about your native language, your original country and your university grade and branch. Did'nt none of them help you , if so you were a hard work person of learning English. Congratulation.

GuestPoster674 Guest

0POSTS

8 years ago

#64

The 6 years that I spent in Egypt helped me a lot. And I do speak at home Spanish and Arabic, and when I go out I speak in german. But I also read in English, watch movies and listen to music in English. All youtubers that I follow are American or just speak English. Whenever I'm not doing anything with anybody, I'm usually doing something like reading or listening, in english. So I guess that also helped. And this year I'm going to be starting college, and the first year is going to be in english. So hopefully my English is going to improve a lot more.

sobensensokGH Active member

83POSTS

8 years ago

#65

Nothing helps more about learning a new language then.... Meeting your soulmate and courting her / him in their native tongue ! haha

GreatBen Member

3POSTS

8 years ago

#66

Hello is nice meeting you here how are you doing

esty7 Member

16POSTS

8 years ago

#67

Reading the thread made me think to learn a new language. Thank you for the inspiration!

kristiann Bulgaria Expert

794POSTS

8 years ago

#68

A bit of my personal experience ... when I turned 14 I applied for a languages high school - one of the best schools at that time in my city. Competition was severe, byt I made it.
There, except for my own language I studied English, Russian and German. Later on it was a great advantage both in the university and when applying for work after the uni. In addition, I have opened my own language school and also a Language travel Agency, and we now work with seven countries in Europe - Germany, France, Spain, England, Malta, Italy, Austria. We provide language travel vacatons for kids and language courses abroad for adults and in this wah help many other people to learn a new language.

esty7 Member

16POSTS

8 years ago

#69

Was it difficult to learn three languages at the same time?

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8103POSTS

8 years ago

#70

I found it very hard trying to learn 3 at the same time; to the extent that I stopped doing one, as I found I was speaking the wrong language at the wrong time and actually knocking my self-confidence in all my languages. That said, each to their own; my wife speaks 4 languages fluently, my kids speak 3, I'll stick to my 2.

Itobys Active member

44POSTS

8 years ago

#71

Easy when I was younger. I learned english and graduated with gpa 3.9 and passed cpa exam on the first try all within my first 5 years in the USA. Now my brain slowed down a lot. I have no clue how I am going to learn Spanish. I went to zihuatanejo this summer and without Spanish I was having a pretty hard time there.

Ruffian Dick Serial expat

356POSTS

8 years ago

#72

@Sarahlsayed, if the language of your family is Arabic, that doesn't make it easier for you to learn it, of course, but it does add to your motivation, and I think that's an important thing.

gudgrief ViP

844POSTS

8 years ago

#73

I might suggest a total immersion for a month where you're housed with a.Mexican family and get to use it all day. Google should come up with some reliable courses. Good luck.

1iguanab1 Active member

25POSTS

8 years ago

#74

I'm an American English teacher, and the first thing I always tell my students it to NEVER APOLOGIZE for their English. I can say this because, as far as America goes, most people only speak English, and they are given little incentive to learn another language. Ergo, if you speak your native language and English, you are a step ahead of the American who has no other language than his/her native tongue.

However, with that said, learning English has become somewhat of a global necessity as English is the language of the Internet and of most businesses. Sadly, however, it's a language that isn't pure. It has developed via Celtic languages, Scandinavian languages, German, French and Latin - and then, of course, throw in some Greek. I always hate it when a student asks me why the "ough" in "rough" isn't the same sound as the "ough" in "through" and in "though". Essentially, for every rule in the English language, there is always an exception.

I feel very lucky that I grew up on the border of the US and Mexico. More people in my hometown spoke Spanish than English, so I essentially learned from immersion - which, by the way, is one of the best ways to learn any language.

I have now lived in three foreign countries: South Korea, Kuwait and Ecuador, and while I have always tried to learn and write Arabic and Korean, I can't honestly say that I mastered either. However, recently I decided that I had had enough with living in the US, and my home is now in Ecuador. Since moving to that Spanish-speaking country, I have discovered that just as British, American, Canadian, Australian and Indian English are all different, so is Spanish - from Mexico, through Central America and to the tip of South America.

So, all that really matters is that you study, don't be afraid of making mistakes and ask questions if you don't understand.

Fred Indonesia Expert

30549POSTS

8 years ago

#75

1iguanab1 wrote:
I'm an American English teacher, and the first thing I always tell my students it to NEVER APOLOGIZE for their English. I can say this because, as far as America goes, most people only speak English, and they are given little incentive to learn another language.

So, all that really matters is that you study, don't be afraid of making mistakes and ask questions if you don't understand.

I was brought up very 'British' so an apology for poor language skills is always a nice idea and heads off pedants who are far more concerned with minor grammar points that the content of what you have to say.

As for kakorrhaphiophobia when using English - to Hades with that, just go for it and correct mistakes as you can.

1iguanab1 Active member

25POSTS

8 years ago

#76

I'm not sure why you brought up the idea of kakorrhaphiophobia especially when you think it's appropriate to apologize for mistakes. There is a difference in the second language speaker asking if what he/she said was correct and outright apologizing for a mistake. By expecting an apology, that in itself increases the second language learner's fear of making a mistake. However, by supporting a person's attempt, and, then helping that person to correct what he/she has said, is, in my mind, a much healthier and positive way to not only learn but to teach as well.

I have always used the following as a metaphor for learning a second language: When a person learns to play a musical instrument, his/her attempts to play well are always difficult and filled with mistakes. However, if those mistakes were not made, then the language of music would never be successfully learned.

Mistakes are the stepping stones to learning - whether it is music, math, language or golf.

Fred Indonesia Expert

30549POSTS

8 years ago

#77

The apology is a very British thing, there to be polite.
Polite is always nice.

Ruffian Dick Serial expat

356POSTS

8 years ago

#78

I think that the point may be that one shouldn't be afraid to make mistakes in your new language. It causes many students to freeze up and stop studying.

gudgrief ViP

844POSTS

8 years ago

#79

Ruffian Dick wrote:
I think that the point may be that one shouldn't be afraid to make mistakes in your new language. It causes many students to freeze up and stop studying.

Absolutely. I've had some Mexican friends trying to learn English and American friends trying to learn Spanish. Once we convinced to get out there and open their mouths, progress really took off. Having a native speaker for a teacher also helps.

Overcoming shyness is the biggest hurdle.

Cynic UK/Netherlands Expert

8103POSTS

8 years ago

#80

1iguanab1 wrote:
..... I have always used the following as a metaphor for learning a second language: When a person learns to play a musical instrument, his/her attempts to play well are always difficult and filled with mistakes. However, if those mistakes were not made, then the language of music would never be successfully learned.

Mistakes are the stepping stones to learning - whether it is music, math, language or golf.

I agree with that; I still make mistakes speaking Dutch, some hilarious, others frustratingly silly; I tell the native speakers that I have learnt Double-Dutch, so they need to keep up.

With regards to music, I'm about to find out if those skills I had mastered 50 years ago when I played the trombone are still with me. I haven't touched one since, but have just picked up a decent second-hand one for not a lot of money; I just hope I can still master the lip. Mrs C is wondering what she's let herself in for.