Alberto wrote: ↑Sun Nov 10, 2024 11:54 am
I knew we were "neighbour" but didn't know yet you worked at DESY. I've been working at XFEL since moving to Germany in 2013.
Btw what did you do at DESY?
At that time I was working for the physics dept @ Manchester University. I commuted for several years
before moving out in November 1982 "for one year". I changed jobs when the PETRA storage ring shut down in November 1986.
Alberto wrote: ↑Sun Nov 10, 2024 11:54 am
Btw I lived near Stockport for a while, Altrincham. Lovely place.
I grew up in Bramhall & went to senior school in Stockport (SGS).
From my experience, there's no option but to go properly native.
The hardest thing about learning German, was being known to speak English (I started speaking German when living in cities, this would be less of an issue here in the Eifel). It always offers the easy way out. Don't know that word? Speak English. Don't understand that conversation? Wait for someone to update you in English. Want to make a point in an interesting/amusing conversation? Say it in English.
So, stop speaking English. Tell Germans who know you're an English speaker that you don't want to speak English with them, and NEVER start speaking English to Germans.
I remember when I did that, and yes, it was bl00dy tough, but effective. The first three months, the only English I spoke was in one (admittedly, very long) telephone call with my sister. Everything else was German. German TV, German papers, and putting up with being the idiot who didn't understand things quickly at work, and the guy who couldn't really keep up with group conversations in the pub. It's a real hit to the ego. No chance to make amusing quips or add anything significant to conversations. Always feeling a bit stupid aligned with also feeling tired due to the effort of paying attention and focussing when other folk are speaking.
But it works. Give it a go.
At my workplace the only language is English.
We have very high turnover. Half colleagues are not German, and many stay here very short. Plus many visitors from all over, stay here few days. Absolutely impossible to use any language other than English.
As a consequence, I will never become good at German. Fine with it.
Oh, and all Germans tell me I speak hervorragend Deutsch. Actually it feels offensive, if anything.
Been here 11yr, and I'll stay maybe another 20, until retirement. Nothing wrong with Germany but I miss mountains and pizza. So if I really have to move away from the Hamburg area, I can just as well leave Germany altogether.
More on workplace and language:
funny when we meet for family + company events. We colleagues speak English to each other. Our children speak German with each other. And parents speak their own language with their children (well, in our family not even that).
One thing which helped surviving going full-on native in the early days, and something which would help learning the language and integrating generally, was having a hobby/interest which was not heavily dependent upon good German.
When you are spending so much of your time feeling socially constrained by the language, it's really helpful to have an outlet to show the folk (and remind yourself) that you aren't quite as useless of you might well be feeling.
This could be anything from playing football, music, art or simply being the sort of bloke who's handy to have around - offer to stand behind the bar and pour some drinks at Stammtisch (that kills two birds with one stone in the early, "why are there 1000 different conversations all at once, and all in the local dialect" phase), helping around the neighbourhood with some gardening or DIY.
That way you meet people. People to speak with. In German.
.....of course, all this German can play merry hell with your English. I told a client (in English) that something was "gold worth" the other day.
I work from home, work is in english, I hear German maybe once a week. Attended courses when we came to Germany, but don’t use it you lose it.
Maybe one day
