One of the things I have always been sensitive to (from a rather extensive list!) is communicating in a language that is not my native tongue. I have greatly enjoyed the challenge of learning Spanish and German, even my very limited dabbling in Czech and Hungarian. Though it has been years since I have been inhibited by the fear of making a mistake while speaking German, Spanish, or even English, I am still conscious of how my communication is received. This is particularly significant from a professional standpoint, as the directives, objectives, and results can be measured by the clarity of the original message. I frequently reflect on my communication with my suppliers: the Germans (in German), and with the Hungarians (in English). Was I clear enough? Do they truly understand what needs to be done?
Usually at the start of any meeting or teleconference, especially in Germany, we have to decide which language we will use. Our general rule is that we will speak German so long as all participants are able. Many of my support team are Canadian and English or Scottish, so meetings are often held in English. That said, it is not unusual for us to banter in German as we wait for others to join, then we switch to English when someone (who speaks no German) joins the call. Sometimes we do have to pause and allow a colleague to briefly translate so that everyone has the common understanding.
I have noticed in the past months, as we have gotten involved in some fairly complicated topics (all of repair logistics is complicated, actually), that I was not always capable of communicating at the necessary level of German. Thus, I recognize the need to do a bit of assessment and figure out where I need to improve. After all, the key to getting my supplier to perform at the expected level can be influenced by my proficency.
So long as I have a grasp of the local language, I prefer to use it. Therefore, when I am in Germany, I will obviously speak German, and while in Spain, I will speak Spanish. Sure, there are exceptions. In both countries I will speak English with any native English speaker, since it is more natural.
Before I went to Spain the other week, I asked my nephew which language we would speak in together while I was visiting. He is now at the age where he consciously (for the most part) switches happliy from language to language. I, too, am pretty comfortable switching between Engish and German, but had hoped that I might be able to take advantage of speaking a bit more Spanish with him so I could brush up on my own Spanish level, which has dropped a bit through the past years. My nephew ultimately decided we would speak English, though we did banter a bit in Spanish, especially if we were conversing with others who spoke no English.
During my visit to Valencia, I did feel semi-comfortable in the Spanish language. I noticed that I am still able to follow conversations fairly well, though as usual, I could easily be tripped up or distracted. Strangely enough, my sister tended to translate bits of conversation to me that I had already comprehended, and sometimes did NOT translate just at the moment where I needed the help. For the most part, I was able to voice my opinion as needed, though I also noticed that more often than not, when I struggle for a word that I don't know or remember in Spanish, I plug in a German word instead of English. While I give myself credit for utilizing my German skills, it did not always bring the point across, either.
With every visit to my sister in Spain, there are many opportunities to interact with family and friends of my sister, people that I have known over the years; people that also know my parents, who are regular visitors to Spain, too. One of the interesting things that I realized during this recent visit was how my perception of some of these acquaintances differs from my parents.
My parents speak neither German nor Spanish, so during their visits to Germany or Spain, they are much more taken with our friends or acquaintances that can speak English, particularly as my parents perceive these people to be more open. To some extent, this perception is accurate. Anyone who has learned a second language knows that a certain amount of confidence is required, and with this comes the need to open up. However, this does not necessarily reflect someone's true character. As a result, one might incorrectly assume that someone is much more open simply because of their ability in a foreign language.
True, my parents are not able to put this in perspective as easily since they do not live in a culture foreign from their own. Those of you who have had the pleasure of meeting my parents would probably say that they are quite pleasant and open. Indeed, they are great people, and I am not trying to comment on their perceptions. On the other hand, because I live outside of my native culture and language and travel internationally quite frequently, I get more opportunities to get to know people (and their character type) despite the language they speak.
During the past months, I have been in Budapest regularly, and I have really been struck by how polite people have been. Sure, many of these people work in the service industry, but still, I get the impression that they are really nice people. Some speak very little English, while others are quite skilled.
Likewise, I have had countless experiences throughout Germany where I can get a reasonable feeling about someone's character, whether we are speaking in German or English. More and more often I encounter situations where I know someone only in the German language, only to find out later that they actually communicate only in English with a mutual (English native) friend. In most cases, I was not surprised to find that my English native friend had the same feeling about our mutual German friend as me.
At any rate, I think it has more to do with the character and the communciation.
While in Spain, I visited an old colleague who shared a little language self-assessment grid with me. I have been familiar with this concept for quite some time, but apparently it has become more standardized in recent years. It ranks a language level at A1 for a student who can communicate on a very basic level, then moves to A2, B1, B2, C1, and finally to C2, which would be considered fluent. Thus, there are 6 levels of proficiency.
About 5 years ago when I lived in Spain myself, I achieved a level B2. As I have said, I no longer have that same level, simply because I do not use Spanish every day. However, I try to hold my level to B1, at least with listening, reading, and speaking.
Meanwhile, with German, I would say I have more or less gotten to level B2. The article had a sort of summary page for each level, and one particular point commented that B2 was basically the ability to interact without strain for either party. Depending on which way the wind blows, how well my brain is functioning, how much alcohol is present, and how well Arsenal are doing in the league tables are all factors that impact my ability at this level. I would argue that on many topics, B2 is no problem for me, particularly through verbal communcation. On other topics, maybe I am closer to B1 or perhaps even lower.
Though this grid is designed to measure one's ability at a 2nd language, I decided to assess my level at my native language. Truth be told, there are some areas where I might only be a B2 or lower in English. For example, biomedical engineering, most legal topics, and the rules of cricket are not areas where I would be particularly good at communicating. Maybe those are extreme examples, but I like the exercise of self-assessment. What would happen if I used this assessment grid and compared the language ability to my character?
I consider myself reserved, rather shy, but for the most part a decent sort. I also believe that regardless of the language I am speaking, people would recognize that my character is the same. That is not necessarily for me to decide, bur I still wonder from time to time.
What is also quite clear is that one cannot really measure character or one's own ability to communicate so definitively as with a foreign language, but still, it gives me something to think about.
Anyway, that is what I have been thinking about over the past couple of weeks, and is most certainly what distracted me upon my return from Spain to Frankfurt, when I jumped in the cab and gave directions to my home to the friendly cab driver, in perfect Spanish.
Language assessment of the incident - C2. Character assessment - complete bozo.
Ah well, that is how it goes sometimes.
bryan
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