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Always wanted to work in Berlin. How did you manage the language barrier? I know that most gigs use English as the first language but how about the daily life l

Always wanted to work in Berlin. How did you manage the language barrier? I know that most gigs use English as the first language but how about the daily life like doing groceries or calling the phone company for a bad bill?

expertentipp 8y ago
> calling the phone company for a bad bill oh, here the knowledge of German doesn't matter - an individual consumer is a pariah with obligatory 2 years contract. One should certainly avoid English speaking landlords in Berlin though.
- tnova 8y ago
  > One should certainly avoid English speaking landlords in Berlin though. Would you care to elaborate on that?
  - expertentipp 8y ago
    Hordes of fraudsters preying on uninformed foreigners, e.g. one is not covered with oh-so-famous German tenancy laws if the apartment is furnished, exploitive practices with refurbishing the apartment, litigations regarding the return of the deposit, extortive agent fees, etc. A whole long expensive scammy bumpy road at the end of which one is broke financially and exhausted mentally.
ben_w 8y ago
I’ve just moved to Berlin (physically, but need to finish the small print). Groceries are basically not a problem, even if you don’t speak a single word of German and don’t want to rely on Google Translate on your phone: almost all of the products in packaging have pictures of the food on the outside, the tills show you the total at the same time the cashier tells you, most of the shops accept contactless payment (even discount chains), and half the cashiers probably want to practice their English on you. On the other hand: at some point in the next month, I need to officially register that I’m living here to get an ID card. I’m not looking forward to that, because I’m told the people in charge of that really insists on speaking German, even in Berlin where about 20% the population is Ausländer.
- guitarbill 8y ago
  > I’m not looking forward to that, because I’m told the people in charge of that really insists on speaking German, even in Berlin where about 20% the population is Ausländer. I don't quite get the phrasing "insist[s] on speaking German" - of course they are going to do that, German being the official language and only official language (unlike e.g. Switzerland with four, although unsurprisingly, English still doesn't make the list). Also, if they did allow another language, surely it would be Turkish, not English. My advice would be to take a friend or colleague. Way easier than trying to do stuff with a translator, or misunderstanding something.
  - ben_w 8y ago
    I could certainly have phrased that better. Quite a lot of the Germans I have met seem genuinely shocked that I’m actually learning German; registration is obligatory almost immediately after moving; the country brands itself as a place for immigrants; and English is the current lingua Franca (to the disappointment of the French)… it seems like an odd combination. France or Spain doing the same would be much less of a surprise. > My advice would be to take a friend or colleague. That’s the plan :)
adrianN 8y ago
Daily life should be no problem even if you don't speak German. There are many people in Berlin who don't speak German. But if you want to life in Germany for more than a year or two you really should learn the language. Getting to a basic level of German if you're an English speaker is not that hard.
minionslave 8y ago
You manage the barrier by learning the language. Sorry if it sounds harsh, but I've noticed something with English Speaking folks, they don't want to learn another language. They want people to speak English to them.
- hfdgiutdryg 8y ago
  It's going to be rough working in English all day, then trying to learn German in the evening, especially if most people interested in talking to you are those who want to practice their English. It's tough to find people willing to talk with an adult like they're a toddler. So, I don't think the question is as flippant as you made it out to be. Someone might have some real advice about how to manage the juggling act of learning a new language and culture as a working adult.
  - expertentipp 8y ago
    That's the trap of working in industry lingua franca of which is your mother tongue. Otherwise public libraries in Germany are very well equipped and have wide selection of audio content - language curses, audiobooks, some might find it more helpful than just grammar handbooks.

expertentipp 8y ago

> calling the phone company for a bad bill oh, here the knowledge of German doesn't matter - an individual consumer is a pariah with obligatory 2 years contract. One should certainly avoid English speaking landlords in Berlin though.

tnova 8y ago
> One should certainly avoid English speaking landlords in Berlin though. Would you care to elaborate on that?
- expertentipp 8y ago
  Hordes of fraudsters preying on uninformed foreigners, e.g. one is not covered with oh-so-famous German tenancy laws if the apartment is furnished, exploitive practices with refurbishing the apartment, litigations regarding the return of the deposit, extortive agent fees, etc. A whole long expensive scammy bumpy road at the end of which one is broke financially and exhausted mentally.

ben_w 8y ago

I’ve just moved to Berlin (physically, but need to finish the small print). Groceries are basically not a problem, even if you don’t speak a single word of German and don’t want to rely on Google Translate on your phone: almost all of the products in packaging have pictures of the food on the outside, the tills show you the total at the same time the cashier tells you, most of the shops accept contactless payment (even discount chains), and half the cashiers probably want to practice their English on you. On the other hand: at some point in the next month, I need to officially register that I’m living here to get an ID card. I’m not looking forward to that, because I’m told the people in charge of that really insists on speaking German, even in Berlin where about 20% the population is Ausländer.

guitarbill 8y ago
> I’m not looking forward to that, because I’m told the people in charge of that really insists on speaking German, even in Berlin where about 20% the population is Ausländer. I don't quite get the phrasing "insist[s] on speaking German" - of course they are going to do that, German being the official language and only official language (unlike e.g. Switzerland with four, although unsurprisingly, English still doesn't make the list). Also, if they did allow another language, surely it would be Turkish, not English. My advice would be to take a friend or colleague. Way easier than trying to do stuff with a translator, or misunderstanding something.
- ben_w 8y ago
  I could certainly have phrased that better. Quite a lot of the Germans I have met seem genuinely shocked that I’m actually learning German; registration is obligatory almost immediately after moving; the country brands itself as a place for immigrants; and English is the current lingua Franca (to the disappointment of the French)… it seems like an odd combination. France or Spain doing the same would be much less of a surprise. > My advice would be to take a friend or colleague. That’s the plan :)

adrianN 8y ago

Daily life should be no problem even if you don't speak German. There are many people in Berlin who don't speak German. But if you want to life in Germany for more than a year or two you really should learn the language. Getting to a basic level of German if you're an English speaker is not that hard.

minionslave 8y ago

You manage the barrier by learning the language. Sorry if it sounds harsh, but I've noticed something with English Speaking folks, they don't want to learn another language. They want people to speak English to them.

hfdgiutdryg 8y ago
It's going to be rough working in English all day, then trying to learn German in the evening, especially if most people interested in talking to you are those who want to practice their English. It's tough to find people willing to talk with an adult like they're a toddler. So, I don't think the question is as flippant as you made it out to be. Someone might have some real advice about how to manage the juggling act of learning a new language and culture as a working adult.
- expertentipp 8y ago
  That's the trap of working in industry lingua franca of which is your mother tongue. Otherwise public libraries in Germany are very well equipped and have wide selection of audio content - language curses, audiobooks, some might find it more helpful than just grammar handbooks.