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#2 (permalink) Fri Jan 13, 2006 20:45 pm Angela Merkel speaking English? |
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| spearhead wrote: |
| After all she is the leader of one of the most important countries in the world, |
Good evening Spearhead,
What do you mean by ‘important countries’?
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| wouldn't it greatly improve the image of the Germans if their top lady could communicate with other politicians? |
Why don’t you put your question the other way round?
Sorry, I’m just being naughty. In fact, it’s exactly the kind of comment I often make about some of our politicians. English may not be the world’s official language (yet!), but it does simplify international relations to have it as an intermediary or link between nations. Besides, what would become of this site if English wasn’t so widely spread? |
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Conchita Language Coach

Joined: 26 Dec 2005 Posts: 2826 Location: Madrid, Spain
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#3 (permalink) Fri Jan 13, 2006 20:47 pm English |
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Hi Conchita,
Good thinking!
Alan _________________ English as a Second Language You can read my ESL story Relative Pronoun |
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Alan Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 9205 Location: UK
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#4 (permalink) Fri Jan 13, 2006 21:02 pm Angela Merkel speaking English? |
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| Conchita wrote: |
Good evening Spearhead, What do you mean by ‘important countries’?
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Good evening Conchita. By important countries I was referring to those countries which have a considerable political and economic weight.
| Conchita wrote: |
Why don’t you put your question the other way round?
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You mean why shouldn't other nations learn German to communicate with the Germans in their language? Well, I was talking about Angela's current visit to the United States. I simply struck me as odd that the German chancellor doesn't speak English while many leaders of other countries do speak English. |
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Spearhead You can meet me at english-test.net
Joined: 19 Oct 2005 Posts: 52 Location: Oslo
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#5 (permalink) Sat Jan 14, 2006 8:19 am English language skills for politicians |
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| 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. |
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Toeic I'm new here and I like it ;-)
Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 48 Location: France
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#6 (permalink) Sun Jan 15, 2006 15:26 pm Angela Merkel speaking English? |
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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. |
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Jamie (K) Guest
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