What I’ve found after being in Berlin for a week is it’s really not that hard to get by speaking just English. There is the occasional awkwardness when you sit down at a restaurant and can’t read the menu. But still, you can always just point to something on the menu and say “this one”— hoping that whatever it is it’s tasty.
Same with bakeries, except you have the opportunity to see what you’re purchasing. And it does help to be on this trip with a few people who speak German and can direct me in the right direction if need be.
However, after an encounter with a German woman while paying to use the bathroom, I realized how annoyed someone can get if you don’t speak the language. I’ve already become familiar with paying to use the bathroom since we’ve been here, but at this particular bathroom I didn’t know how much it cost.
After realizing she didn’t speak English I ruffled through my purse—still speaking English, but now to my purse— when I found some change and put it on the small plate hoping it was enough.
Also traveling can become a major problem if you don’t know the language or are not familiar with the transportation systems. Some people can be very unhelpful when asking for directions in Germany.
We found this out today when Frauke asked two different bus drivers how to get where we were going. The first had his door shut and continued to ignore her when she knocked on the window. A second bus driver was very annoyed when she asked for help and was ignored once again.
All in all, it’s not that difficult for an English speaking person to get by in Germany. However, if you don’t know where you’re going or what you want to eat it may be a little difficult.
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3 comments:
I meant to post this blog earlier, but the internet wasn't working... but I agree that it's been pretty easy to adjust without knowing the language.
I am very interested in the German people’s ability to speak English. Sometimes I am very impressed with their English and other times I realize they know none of my language (and I theirs). Generally, people my age are familiar with English. They always say, “I don’t know much English,” but most know enough to carry on a conversation. The older generation, however, often doesn’t seem to know much. At restaurants older servers seem to view us as an annoyance while younger servers gladly take on the challenge.
I certainly wish I knew more German. The language is such a big part of the culture, so matter how much I observe, I still can’t fully understand what is going on at any time. I think it is great that so many Germans are bilingual. From what I have heard, students start learning English in the third grade. I think this type of program is extremely beneficial. It will give them so many more opportunities in the future than others might get. It only gets harder to learn a language as you get older, so I think this something America should consider.
One other thing I have noticed about the language is the lack of emotion Germans portray while speaking. They seem to be quite serious most of the time. Just by watching, it is hard to tell if they are having a funny conversation or a serious one. This is different than the way Americans speak. Our facial expressions give away our feelings behind each conversation. Germans are able to hold the same look throughout their entire discussion.
I agree with the statement that it is sometimes hard to get through to Germans. They seem so deep into their one world and annoyed if people interrupt them in what they’re doing. They seem very unfriendly; however if you get them to know better they are very good friends.
It is also very interesting to see how you are treated in restaurants compared to the US. Even the waitresses in Germany are not that friendly because they don’t depend on the tip that they get from the people. They get paid by hour and sometimes they work very slow and are annoyed if you have special orders. In addition, I think by now all my study abroad buddies figured out that there is no free water in restaurants and no free refills. I’m already so used to get free waters and to be treated nice by the waitresses that I think it should be different and it annoys me. But overall you can also meet very friendly people in Germany
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