Relocating to USA
May 18th 2014, 12:36 pm
#151
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Location: MA, USA
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Re: Relocating to USA
I have to say that my experience is completely different to this. Maybe you're a much more natural linguist than I am but I can assure you, speaking a foreign language every day, especially in the first year or so, is exhausting. It completely wears you down. I never found it easier to integrate in those countries. You may not understand and so ignorance might be bliss but believe me, you absolutely do not fit in more easily.
In the Netherlands, maybe Germany and Scandinavia, it might be easier on the face of it but not speaking the language will always be a barrier to full integration. My first European job was in Italy and although the workplace language was supposed to be English, it wasn't in practice. One or two staff spoke English sufficiently to communicate but the others didn't and so they preferred not to. And at lunch or breaks, English was never spoken. You just had to fit in. I was lucky and got 2 Italian lessons a week and within a year I was probably sufficiently fluent to hold a decent conversation and go to the cinema/watch TV. And I'm a pretty decent linguist.
It is a lot easier if everyone is peaking the same, fluent language. Sure, there will be misundertandings in the UK/US dialogue but they pale into insignificance when you're struggling to just buy food or get around
In the Netherlands, maybe Germany and Scandinavia, it might be easier on the face of it but not speaking the language will always be a barrier to full integration. My first European job was in Italy and although the workplace language was supposed to be English, it wasn't in practice. One or two staff spoke English sufficiently to communicate but the others didn't and so they preferred not to. And at lunch or breaks, English was never spoken. You just had to fit in. I was lucky and got 2 Italian lessons a week and within a year I was probably sufficiently fluent to hold a decent conversation and go to the cinema/watch TV. And I'm a pretty decent linguist.
It is a lot easier if everyone is peaking the same, fluent language. Sure, there will be misundertandings in the UK/US dialogue but they pale into insignificance when you're struggling to just buy food or get around
It's all about fitting in. You see the tele, watch the movies, but that doesn't mean you understand the culture. It could be easier jumping into an unknown language country without any expectations than coming to the US full of wrong ones.
The benefit of the EU being, one doesn't need a visa and it's a much shorter hop back for family/friends and other holidays.
May 18th 2014, 12:43 pm
#152
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Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,172
Re: Relocating to USA
Popular holiday spots, well you might as well have included Poland and Turkey for their renown English
Finland's another good option though...probably not for manufacturing and the weather, but for the EU, language and culture.
As for tools and foundry work, best option would be China. Sure, the language is a issue, but they pay westerners rather well and will get you a visa in a couple days. A couple of mates went out there for design jobs, not a lick of the language or any ties to the far east. Interview on Monday, flown out on Wednesday for face to face and offered jobs. Had their visa's the following Monday to move out. Though one was to manage a design team and the other to manage the manufacturing side to a company that does all the tools production for a large US box store.
Amusingly, he designed the range of power tools and their production but never actually saw one on sale in the shops till I emailed him a pick
May 18th 2014, 2:05 pm
#153
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May 18th 2014, 2:21 pm
#154
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
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Re: Relocating to USA
Most Dutch already do, and it is increasingly the language of business within Europe. Forward thinking parents already use English with their children, and universities are giving more classes in English, and offering degrees exclusively delivered in English. I find it interesting that English is increasingly used in Eastern Europe, which is "Germany's back yard", where you'd expect German to be used more..... Certainly my high-school German teacher did when he was trying to encourage us to take 'O' Level German.
May 18th 2014, 7:37 pm
#156
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Re: Relocating to USA
One day they will all speak English! Most Dutch already do, and it is increasingly the language of business within Europe. Forward thinking parents already use English with their children, and universities are giving more classes in English, and offering degrees exclusively delivered in English. I find it interesting that English is increasingly used in Eastern Europe, which is "Germany's back yard", where you'd expect German to be used more..... Certainly my high-school German teacher did when he was trying to encourage us to take 'O' Level German.
Most Dutch already do, and it is increasingly the language of business within Europe. Forward thinking parents already use English with their children, and universities are giving more classes in English, and offering degrees exclusively delivered in English. I find it interesting that English is increasingly used in Eastern Europe, which is "Germany's back yard", where you'd expect German to be used more..... Certainly my high-school German teacher did when he was trying to encourage us to take 'O' Level German.I got back to the UK and bought a Linguaphone course that cost me £200. Complete waste of money. Try learning the Dutch language, you are constantly spitting and growling. bloody nightmare .... I sold it on ebay years later. Thats why the Dutch speak English, because no one one has a chance of mastering their language :-)
May 18th 2014, 7:41 pm
#157
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Re: Relocating to USA
At a business dinner in Zwindrecht, after struggling with the menu, I told my agents that next time I came to Zwindrecht I would order the meal myself.
I got back to the UK and bought a Linguaphone course that cost me £200. Complete waste of money. Try learning the Dutch language, you are constantly spitting and growling. bloody nightmare .... I sold it on ebay years later. Thats why the Dutch speak English, because no one one has a chance of mastering their language :-)
I got back to the UK and bought a Linguaphone course that cost me £200. Complete waste of money. Try learning the Dutch language, you are constantly spitting and growling. bloody nightmare .... I sold it on ebay years later. Thats why the Dutch speak English, because no one one has a chance of mastering their language :-)
May 18th 2014, 7:47 pm
#158
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Joined: Nov 2013
Location: Raunds, Northants.
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Re: Relocating to USA
I was in France once and asked for 2 Pepsi's in a bar, he said he couldn't understand me so I pointed to the Pepsi and put 2 fingers up. After he gave me my Pepsi's I stood at the bar and a meter away on the TV was the program Friends, in English, which he was watching and laughing at.
May 18th 2014, 7:54 pm
#159
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Joined: Dec 2005
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Re: Relocating to USA
Brilliant!
I was in France once and asked for 2 Pepsi's in a bar, he said he couldn't understand me so I pointed to the Pepsi and put 2 fingers up. After he gave me my Pepsi's I stood at the bar and a meter away on the TV was the program Friends, in English, which he was watching and laughing at.
I was in France once and asked for 2 Pepsi's in a bar, he said he couldn't understand me so I pointed to the Pepsi and put 2 fingers up. After he gave me my Pepsi's I stood at the bar and a meter away on the TV was the program Friends, in English, which he was watching and laughing at.
May 18th 2014, 7:55 pm
#160
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,448
Re: Relocating to USA
May 18th 2014, 8:02 pm
#161
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Re: Relocating to USA
When I went to Rome on the other hand, they were brilliant and did everything they could to be friendly and communicate. I was there to watch the football with 3 mates so they knew why we were there but still everyone we met was friendly, except the Roma fans on match day of course!!
May 18th 2014, 9:38 pm
#162
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Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Dreich Alba
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Re: Relocating to USA
Now in the US, I had to learn a whole new vocabulary and pronunciation to avoid misunderstandings.
May 18th 2014, 10:40 pm
#163
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Joined: Jul 2007
Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
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Re: Relocating to USA
What defeats me is the follow up question to my carefully rehearsed request. For instance, my wife and I stopped in a Tim Hortons on the highway, and I figured out how to request (in French) two small black coffees and two plain bagels with cream cheese. I said my piece, and he nattered some unintelligible follow up question. So I had to admit that I didn't understand, and he said in perfect English (clearly his first language was English ...) "do you want the bagels buttered?" I'd forgotten the Canadians like butter AND cream cheese on their bagels...
May 19th 2014, 10:44 pm
#164
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 572
Re: Relocating to USA
Too true. We used to deal with an engineering firm in Montreal, and when we needed to call them, my company would always ask me to call, as I speak French. When calling, I would always speak French, only to get a reply in English. I was told I spoke French with a Paris accent, so they figured it was an English person calling. I never did figure that out.
May 19th 2014, 11:18 pm
#165
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,903
Re: Relocating to USA
Never had a problem being understood in Europe. Wales, OTOH, is another matter - North Wales to be specific.
I was on holiday there and walked into a nice rural pub. I could hear conversations going on in English, but as soon as we walked up to the bar to order, they heard us and suddenly, absolutely no-one spoke English!
Totally true story.
Remember. Come home to a real fire. Buy a holiday home in Wales!!
I was on holiday there and walked into a nice rural pub. I could hear conversations going on in English, but as soon as we walked up to the bar to order, they heard us and suddenly, absolutely no-one spoke English!
Totally true story.
Remember. Come home to a real fire. Buy a holiday home in Wales!!