learning a foreign language abroad...

[sonicyouth]

has anyone done this? i'd like to learn german and live abroad but am unsure where to begin - i've looked at universities in berlin but it seems most of the language courses for international students are short/intensive courses.

and yes i'm also looking things up on google, just wondered if anyone could share first hand experience...

[Dazzza]

I was going to do a TEFAL course a few years back, which is well worth a look.  Not quite learning a foreign language but it's a good route to go down to getting you employed and set-up in a foreign country.  Once you're living there it's the best way to actually learn the old lingo.

Quite a few courses about so do your research carefully as some of them don't leave you fully qualified.

[flammableBen]

language won't stick.

[Gelbfüßler]

The Goethe Institute isn't bad, if a bit pricey, and also short term/intensive - so probably not what you're looking for. The worst thing about learning German in Germany (in day-to-day life as opposed to in a classroom) is having to constantly force yourself to speak German and make sure you are spoken back to in German. I wouldn't be suprised if this were true in many other countries but the second most Germans detect you are English they are so keen to impress you with their English skillz that you almost feel rude trying to converse in German. Or at least that's what I have found.

That TEFAL thing sounds the best approach to me, and maybe look at a 'german for foreigners' type of part-time course when you're there to get to grips with the fundamentals.

[Bennett]

on a slightly less intense language course i've been pottering about learning estonian from the free download express of byki

http://www.byki.com/

[spacey]

Just speak English in a German accent, replacing W's with V's.

[flammableBen]

Using special fB hypnotism techniques I can make it easy to learn moon-french.

[url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url][url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url][url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url][url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url][url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url]
[url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url][url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url][url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck2.gif[/url][url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url][url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url]
[url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url][url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url][url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url][url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url][url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url]

[Nemo]

Mindfuck2 eh?

What was Mindfuck 1 like?

[flammableBen]

1
[url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck.gif[/url]

2
[url width=120 height=120]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/flammableben/mindfuck2.gif[/url]

I was just playing about.

[Bob's Orange]

I love living abroad but I am pretty ashamed to say that in 3 and a half years of living in a predominantly French speaking country I have barely learnt any French.

Perhaps when I get back from India I might do an aggressive French learning course - seems a waste otherwise!

[Mexicano Rojo]

just go and live there, you will be fine unless your a lazy bastard like bobs orange.

[herthab]

I love living abroad but I am pretty ashamed to say that in 3 and a half years of living in a predominantly French speaking country I have barely learnt any French.

Perhaps when I get back from India I might do an aggressive French learning course - seems a waste otherwise!

I did an aggressive French learning course. The instructors spoke to you in French and, if you didn't understand, they hit you. It's very effective.

True story.

[Bob's Orange]

just go and live there, you will be fine unless your a lazy bastard like bobs orange.

Guilty as charged!!

[Forza_Swindon]

I spoke Italian already when I moved there, but my boyfriend came with me and did English teaching - he didn't speak a word of Italian at all... There was a handy system whereby you could trade off hours worked against Italian lessons at a discounted rate.
However, living with another English speaker (me) meant he didn't learn as much as he should have.  I possibly could have spoken Italian to him in the evenings at home, but given that I was speaking it all day at work I didn't want to!!  That said, being thrust into situations when I wasn't there to help meant that he was able to learn a fair bit.

I think what I'm saying is go, get a job or teach English (although English teaching means you do end up speaking English a fair bit of the time) or whatever, but if you really want to learn the local language DO NOT live with anyone who speaks English already!

 

[Samdy Gray]

Sonic Youth - a closet Kraut. Who'd have though it, eh?