Friday, May 30, 2014

Language Barriers

In the Czech Republic it was much more difficult to find someone that spoke English and when you did they really didn't speak too much.  Although this was less apparent in areas that are more "touristy", it was still a bit of an issue.  In Dresden there were definitely more people that spoke English as well as a few more English translations in various areas. Now in the Netherlands it is almost difficult to find someone who doesn't speak English and if you ask them they sometime like to make a quick joke about it saying something along the lines of "Do I speak English? Well of course I do!".  This may have something to do with these areas (Germany and the Netherlands) being more westernized than others.  For instance I noticed that much of the television in the Netherlands is in English and has Dutch subtitles, so learning English may be a bit of a convenience so that they can watch their favorite show or movie without having to read subtitles.
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6 comments:

  1. UnknownMay 30, 2014 at 4:09 PM

    I liked that most of the channels were in English since that was convenient for me but think of it the other way around if we had only Spanish channels with English subtitles either we learn the language or stop watching tv lol

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  2. UnknownMay 30, 2014 at 10:13 PM

    I have also noticed that the older generation doesn't speak English as well or at all. However, people around the age 40 or below will more than likely speak English.

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  3. UnknownMay 30, 2014 at 10:47 PM

    I have also noticed that the younger generation seems to speak English well here in the Netherlands. Sometimes when you see the little kids running around they are speaking more English to each other rather then Dutch.

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  4. UnknownMay 30, 2014 at 10:49 PM

    I have also noticed the younger generation speaking more English here. Sometimes when you see the kids running around playing with each other the speak in English more then Dutch.

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  5. UnknownMay 30, 2014 at 11:08 PM

    It is very convenient to have them speak English here especially for us. It is much easier to get what you want across to them. I have noticed the TVs as well which I thought was quite funny.

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  6. UnknownMay 30, 2014 at 11:16 PM

    I noticed that not only do they speak English but they are willing to offer a helping hand if they hear you struggling with something. I think they are much friendlier in the Netherlands than in Czech -Nicolette

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