Angela Merkel speaking English?

[Spearhead]

Hi, I have watched the press conference Angela Merkel and George W. Bush were giving on CNN. I thought the new German chancellor would be able to speak English but to my surprise she doesn't seem to. I remember that the former German Foreign Minister spoke quite good English, why hasn't learned Angela Merkel learned to speak English? After all she is the leader of one of the most important countries in the world, wouldn't it greatly improve the imagine of the Germans if their top lady could communicate with other politicians?

[Conchita]

[Alan]

Hi Conchita,

Good thinking!

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Make or Do?

[Spearhead]

[Toeic]

I think I can see where sprearhead is coming from here and in a way I agree: Nowadays any employee needs a decent command of the English language if they want to make a career. Why aren't English language skills a requirement for top politicians too? On the other hand, Angela Merkel might 'speak' some English, the question is if her English is good enough to lead negotiations with George W. Bush.

[Jamie (K)]

Keep in mind that Angela Merkel is from the eastern part of Germany. In countries that formed part of the Soviet Bloc, it was not that easy to take English classes if you wanted them, and there wasn't much contact with English through its native speakers or the media. I knew people in Eastern Europe who had been given the choice in school of either learning a career or learning English. Some of the East European countries even promoted Esperanto as an international alternative to (or distraction from) English! So, she may or may not have had to learn English later in life.

It's possible that Mrs. Merkel does speak English but is not confident using it at official functions. She may trust an interpreter's command of nuance more than her own. I know some foreign business executives who can speak to you all day in English, but would rather speak through an interpeter when talking to the public, the media, etc.