Is this accetable English for a prime minister and EU commissioner?

idk

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I hope this hasn't been posted somewhere else... I searched for the name but didn't find anything.

G?nther ?ttinger, who is the prime minister of the state of Baden W?rttemberg and EU commissioner has been the subject of a debate and a lot of mockery for a while now :lol:

Well the reason is, because he gave an interview stating that it is unacceptable in todays time to not speak English. Everybody who graduates in Germany must speak English. Whatever profession this person will pursue from workman to manager. English is the language at work. It's mandatory!

Okey, I'm with him on that BUT maybe as a state official he should set a better example. Watch it yourself:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sunxX-_TBSQ[/YOUTUBE]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5zCm-YqPBI[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG20YJE_ibw[/youtube]
Everybody is making fun of this. Also the big news stations. But they interviewed British people (I guess) and asked them what they think. Most of them said it's "ok" and "normal" :shock:

What do you native English speaking guys think??? A German accent... yah, but this :? It's a shame :lol:
 
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There's something annoying going on with the editing, but I agree he doesn't appear fluent. I've spent time speaking in English with a dozen or more German nationals who all spoke with considerably more ease. I can barely make out what he's saying.

Edit: It's possible he speaks better than he appears in that video, but he certainly should have practiced THAT speech quite a bit more than he did. If he fumbled that much in German he'd look silly too.
 
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I can understand him just fine. Besides, his English is better than our last president's. ;)
 
I can barely make out what he's saying.

Me too...

For German I have kind of an auto-correction in my brain. So even when I can not understand something, after an instance my brain reconstructs the voice and I get it.

Although my understanding of English is pretty good, this process doesn't work so sophisticated... and thats why I can't almost understand nothing he says in that interview...

Yah... as a state and international official, he should use an interpretor imo... and get some more practice.

:lol::lol::lol:

Englisch wird die Arbeitssprache= English is going to be the "working language"

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE1OncR-6Qs[/YOUTUBE]
 
His english is a lot better than my german (Which I learned from watching reruns of "Hogan's Heroes") so I'm not going to judge.

In fact, his english isn't that much worse than my states' governor. :mrgreen:
 
:lol::lol::lol:

I guess you can not argue that fact :D


Nobody expects you to speak good German! But would you give an international conference when you are that insecure?
 
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Horrible english. Knowledge of english is useful in many cases, but claiming that everyone will speak english at work everywhere is stupid. That is also why the EU has 800 interpreters, so that the points a speaker is trying to make are not restricted by their knowledge of another language.
 
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I don't find "his English is better than my German" to be a valid excuse at all. I don't know German so I don't attempt to speak it. My Spanish is pitiful, so I don't attempt to speak that either. At the very least the man needed to practice that speech considerably.
 
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English at the moment is the international language (just as French, Latin, and Greek were in the past); being able to speak it coherently is important for international politics.

Giving a speech to the public in a foreign language must not be easy though, so I can understand his issue.
 
I've seen the video and in my opinion it's not so bad. I could understand him just fine.
 
I don't find "his English is better than my German" to be a valid excuse at all. I don't know German so I don't attempt to speak it. My Spanish is pitiful, so I don't attempt to speak that either. At the very least the man needed to practice that speech considerably.

:thumbsup:


[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmg7goFnTkI&feature=player_embedded[/YOUTUBE]

Way better :p
 
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While not a Fan of the Man himself or of his english-skills ... I think it?s good that he tried. He?s got a Job for the whole of Europe now, not just for germany anymore ... showing some good will in communication even at the risk for being mocked afterwards ... that?s a lot better IMO than standing there delivering it in german.
 
Giving a speech to the public in a foreign language must not be easy though, so I can understand his issue.

That's why for example when Merkel met with Obama and spoke to your providers of material to Comedy Central in Washington (Congress, Senate :lol:) she spoke in German. Recognizing you're not able to convey important points in a foreign language properly is much more important than trying and failing.
 
I lol'd, but I also am happy he at least attempted to speak English. English is a hard language to learn, but just like any language, it takes practice and immersion. My Arabic is rubbish because I spent just a year in the UAE and only managed to learn the basics. Beyond that, I'm hopeless. German however, being a phonetic language is a bit tougher; not many are "Kap-abull." Although both the German native speakers in my German Lit class speak perfect English as they have spent a lot of time in the US.

In short, it's funny, yet respectable attempt. Although he reminds me of when I first started learning German in high school :lol:

Stick to zee German, mate :p
 
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Yah correct. Her introduction was in English, and when it got "complicated" she changed languages. Very reasonable, without making a fool of herself.
 
I have a German professor for my International Marketing class so I'm used to having to listen really carefully and decipher what is being said.
 
I have much more patience for someone who is speaking off the cuff than someone who is reading something per-prepared.
 
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