Germany

dko   Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:48 am GMT
I think I have to attend college in Germany. I am from Asia. I am afraid to go to there because of my poor English. How do you think the level of germans in speaking English?
ich   Sun Sep 10, 2006 8:05 am GMT
Well, this mostly depends on age! Elder people (those over 40/ 45) aren't really able to speak in English, at best some basics maybe. But if you go to a college in Germany, I bet there are loads of students who can speak English properly.
Guest   Sun Sep 10, 2006 11:47 am GMT
What about your German. Regardless of whether they speak English, it is important to try and speak the language of the country you are going to be living in.
fab   Sun Sep 10, 2006 12:15 pm GMT
In Germany the people speak German, not English. If you want to learn and improve your English you should go to an English speaking country.
Damian in London N2   Sun Sep 10, 2006 2:25 pm GMT
***I think I have to attend college in Germany.....I am afraid to go to there because of my poor English.....***

I echo the last post. I know that English is the International Language but if it's Germany you're heading for then I would suggest you do something about your ability to speak some kind of German and not get all wound up over your self confessed "poor English". It could cause some resentment if you choose to use English in a country where English is not the official native Language, however fluent or otherwise many of the people are in English.
Benjamin   Sun Sep 10, 2006 3:21 pm GMT
More importantly: in what language is the *course* which you are attending in Germany taught?

It's quite common for universities in places where 'small languages' are spoken, such as the Netherlands, to offer some courses in 'big languages' such as English and German. This is presumably to attract more international students, and because quite a lot of Dutch people (especially younger people) can speak English and German anyway, for a large number of reasons. If I weren't planning on studying Modern Languages at university, I'd probably consider applying to a university in the Netherlands, as it's actually nearer for me than many of the universities I want to go to in Scotland (I live in Southern England).

In Germany, however, I'd imagine that teaching courses in languages other than German would be less common. However, if the course is taught in English, then your ability to speak English will be the most important factor. But you will need to know basic German as well.
blodren   Tue Sep 12, 2006 1:20 am GMT
i was in Germany recently and i was surprised at the proficiancy (sorry if i misspelled that) of the German people overall to speak English. True, German is the native tongue, but international schools tend to have their classes in English. They're open to people that have poor English skills and most are willing to help you with your English and German speaking skills.