Volkswagen announced last month that English, not German, would be the official language spoken at the company. VW has instructed bosses to begin exchanging in English, whatever their native language, although factory staff may speak in whatever tongue they choose among themselves.
The move away from German is fitting in that the company really isn’t just German anymore. It owns controlling shares of automakers in France, England, Italy, Czech Republic, Spain, and Sweden; its manufacturing reach is even broader. Realistically, any gathering of workers from these disparate nations would take place in English anyway, whatever the company’s official language, so the shift is sensible from a practical perspective.
Volkswagen is not the first major automaker to make the switch to English. For example, last year Honda announced that it would abandon Japanese as its official language by 2020, replacing it with English.
See: http://qz.com/875425/volkswagen-is-changing-its-official-language-from-german-to-english/
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Germany
Local time: 06:32
German to English
The vast majority of people in the world cannot speak English very well, but no one seems interested in that fact.
In terms of the German economy it also seems important to establish German as an important language in business and scholarship. I'm not for artificially forcing people to speak German any more than I am for forcing them to speak English, but if people stopped mindlessly touting English as a lingua franca, it would be a help to internationally important languages like Spanish and French and to regionally important languages like German. ▲ Collapse
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:32
German to English
+ ...
... who receive the documents written in strangulated English that is often entirely incomprehensible, with no German source text, with the request to "please just look through this and tidy it up a bit".
Belgium
Local time: 06:32
English to Italian
+ ...
I also want to make a small consideration: nowadays, I see English words randomly used also in... See more
I also want to make a small consideration: nowadays, I see English words randomly used also in my native language, even when we have a perfectly equivalent term (and no one can pronounce properly the English one btw). This does not help preserving the language, which may obviously change with time, but must not disappear. One of the nice things of the world, to me, is that we have so many different languages that match with different features and cultures and it's always a positive experience when you meet someone from a different "world". Trying to iron out languages it's also smoothing over cultures, in any context, even in the technical ones.
For example, I now work in a translation dept. of a company and my colleagues come from many EU nations, yet we speak different languages among us: one of the French speaks Italian with me because she can speak my language, the Belgians speak Dutch with anyone who speaks it, and so on. Everyone should encourage this kind of variety, it's just enriching.
Edited for typo :|
[Edited at 2017-01-05 09:27 GMT] ▲ Collapse
Germany
Local time: 06:32
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
This allows Volkswagen to put their future scandals (those like the emissions scandal) on bad translations (English source texts, poorly translated from German into "English" by German engineers and then translated back from "best rate" Germans into German again).
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 06:32
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
(English source texts, poorly translated from German into "English" by German engineers and then translated back from "best rate" Germans into German again).
This is funny, but unfortunately usually a true state of affairs in corporate translation. The higher profit a corporation makes internationally, the lower rate they will be looking for translation.
Germany
Local time: 06:32
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
...but unfortunately usually a true state of affairs in corporate translation.
German, Austrian, Dutch and especially engineers from Asia often tend to "translate" their manuals directly into English (of course slangy and plastered with synonyms) and then expect a translation, which requires mind readers rather than translators.
[Edited at 2017-01-05 10:36 GMT]
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:32
English to German
I think it damages the brand, if that is still possible.
But why would they decide to do that? Is it control, so that some of the non German speaking top managers can understand everything?
France
Local time: 06:32
German to French
+ ...
but if people stopped mindlessly touting English as a lingua franca, it would be a help to internationally important languages like Spanish and French and to regionally important languages like German.
Denmark
Local time: 06:32
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
In any given situation, the language used should be the one that is best understood by those present. Struggling with the language leads to muddled thinking and misunderstandings.
I know how I sometimes struggle with my third and fourth language... See more
In any given situation, the language used should be the one that is best understood by those present. Struggling with the language leads to muddled thinking and misunderstandings.
I know how I sometimes struggle with my third and fourth languages, and say what I CAN say, rather than what I would want to say in my preferred languages! That is fine for polite phrases and chat, but it is not good enough for serious business. ▲ Collapse
United States
Local time: 00:32
German to English
Germany
Local time: 06:32
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Moreover, like the most Germans on that level nowadays:
They dress themselves like they think US Americans do, they behave themselves like they think US Americans do, they watch US TV series and think, that´s ... See more
Moreover, like the most Germans on that level nowadays:
They dress themselves like they think US Americans do, they behave themselves like they think US Americans do, they watch US TV series and think, that´s the reality for their cultural background, too, and they eat like they think US Americans do, then why not trying to speak like US Americans do?
[Edited at 2017-01-05 14:45 GMT] ▲ Collapse
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:32
Member (2008)
Italian to English
As an earlier Volkswagen plant technician I strongly welcome this initiative and would like have to introduced this regulation on the work floor, too. Many of my colleagues in those times then would have to think first about which words to use before they say anything at all...
Moreover, like the most Germans on that level nowadays:
They dress themselves like they think US Americans do, they behave themselves like they think US Americans do, they watch US TV series and think, that´s the reality for their cultural background, too, and they eat like they think US Americans do, then why not trying to speak like US Americans do?
[Edited at 2017-01-05 14:45 GMT]
Yes, Matthias, your post is a very good example of that ("example" should be pronounced "ekksampel")
I would like to meet the decision-makers at VW who decided to impose this stupid idea. I would say things to them, in English, that they certainly would not understand.
[Edited at 2017-01-05 14:49 GMT]
Germany
Local time: 06:32
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Yes, Matthias, your post is a very good example of that ("example" should be pronounced "ekksampel")
... to be expected frrrommm you like sisss!
I would say things to them, in English, that they certainly would not understand.
I´m sorry for your strong Irish accent...
Germany
Local time: 06:32
English to German
This is why Germans are dangerous even in times of peace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR0lWICH3rY
Denmark
Local time: 06:32
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
This is why Germans are dangerous even in times of peace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR0lWICH3rY
Reminds me of an episode in the first year after I came to Denmark.
My heading is Danish for 'The ship has been delayed' ...
I was waiting in a queue at the port of Esbjerg, hoping to board the ferry home to England. An announcement came over the loudspeakers, with an explanation I did not quite catch, and finally that crucial sentence.
The English family behind me were very upset: "Does that mean the ship has sunk?"
I had learnt enough Danish to know that no, it was just late. As the explanation in English came over the loudspeakers, the ship could be seen sailing into its berth, returning several hours late from its last voyage, but undamaged!
And then there is always the Danish word eventuelt, which does NOT mean eventually as in Eventually, we were allowed to board the ship.
False friends and traps abound, and it is often important to know whose version of the lingua franca a speaker is using - English is not just English!
That said, many non-natives speak impressively good, understandable English, and thank goodness for that.
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