4 ms·

In Saxony yes, but not in Leipzig. About 50% of my colleagues are foreigners and they all love the city -- it's very international and you can come by with Engl

In Saxony yes, but not in Leipzig. About 50% of my colleagues are foreigners and they all love the city -- it's very international and you can come by with English in most places. Little caveat obviously: there are also quarters where it's not that simple and you are looked at sideways if you have the "wrong" skin tone -- Grünau, Gohlis-Nord etc. But these are the parts of the city tourists usually don't visit...

rockyj 5y ago
Thank you :)
deleted 5y ago
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wcarss 5y ago
Anecdote time! I had a much harder time trying to get by as a white anglophone in Leipzig for about a month in 2018 than I had in Berlin, but much of that was admittedly my own anxiety around asking people for help in the wrong way, and travel-green-ness. For example, I definitely can't pronounce entschuldigung correctly! As in well enough for people to know what I said. I then often perceived a palpable disdain or exasperation after not having been able to ask for simple things in German or understand simple German responses, compared to other places I've been where people seemed more excited to try to help someone who seemed lost than annoyed at the disturbance. I frankly shared the feeling, though: I found it very frustrating that my long duolingo practices had yielded almost no ability to ask for or understand things in the language of the country I was visiting. I also found the in-town train terminal UIs to be incomprehensible as a foreigner: long lists of abbreviated names of places, with sub-menus holding more abbreviated names! A name like "Strasse Something Name" could end up "S. Sth. N." and without fluency it was very tough to pick apart. I ended up with a ticket to the wrong place once and the fare inspector, who I had to communicate with via Google translate, was very skeptical of my innocence (and absolutely incredulous that someone would not be able to grok the menus) but ultimately let me just pay the difference and go on, after initially threatening to levy a fine. I still loved the city! It's beautiful and has very nice walks and libraries, but I personally often felt uncomfortable and out of place while visiting.
- hutzlibu 5y ago
  "I also found the in-town train terminal UIs to be incomprehensible as a foreigner: long lists of abbreviated names of places, with sub-menus holding more abbreviated names!" They are allmost incomprehensible for natives, too. They could be a textbook example of bad UX design.

rockyj 5y ago

Thank you :)

deleted 5y ago

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wcarss 5y ago

Anecdote time! I had a much harder time trying to get by as a white anglophone in Leipzig for about a month in 2018 than I had in Berlin, but much of that was admittedly my own anxiety around asking people for help in the wrong way, and travel-green-ness. For example, I definitely can't pronounce entschuldigung correctly! As in well enough for people to know what I said. I then often perceived a palpable disdain or exasperation after not having been able to ask for simple things in German or understand simple German responses, compared to other places I've been where people seemed more excited to try to help someone who seemed lost than annoyed at the disturbance. I frankly shared the feeling, though: I found it very frustrating that my long duolingo practices had yielded almost no ability to ask for or understand things in the language of the country I was visiting. I also found the in-town train terminal UIs to be incomprehensible as a foreigner: long lists of abbreviated names of places, with sub-menus holding more abbreviated names! A name like "Strasse Something Name" could end up "S. Sth. N." and without fluency it was very tough to pick apart. I ended up with a ticket to the wrong place once and the fare inspector, who I had to communicate with via Google translate, was very skeptical of my innocence (and absolutely incredulous that someone would not be able to grok the menus) but ultimately let me just pay the difference and go on, after initially threatening to levy a fine. I still loved the city! It's beautiful and has very nice walks and libraries, but I personally often felt uncomfortable and out of place while visiting.

hutzlibu 5y ago
"I also found the in-town train terminal UIs to be incomprehensible as a foreigner: long lists of abbreviated names of places, with sub-menus holding more abbreviated names!" They are allmost incomprehensible for natives, too. They could be a textbook example of bad UX design.