Were you speaking German in your job on your year abroad?
Yeah I was, yeah.
All the time?
Not all the time because where I was was working with English text, there were a couple of English speakers. The other interns were English and there was on other editor who was Canadian I think but he was an English speaker. And then most people spoke English and so if you got into a real panic and couldn't remember any German they said to you right okay lets speak English now. But the guy who I shared an office with didn't speak any English whatsoever and so I had to speak to him in German you know if I wanted to find where the photocopier was or something I had to know what the German word for it was. He used to chat to me in German and he really helped my German as well.
And so what's it like to go into a work setting and have to speak German?
I don't want to say it's petrifying, it's scary but I think it's different if you've got confidence in yourself and go 'Right I can speak this language, I can speak this language', you've just got to tell yourself that. It was the same with French. When I was in France in my placement my boss spoke to me in French and you've just got to go 'Right I understand this, I can do this' type thing.
Personally I think it's better if you do go over there and speak German/French or whatever because if you don't you will just end up speaking English all the time. When I was with the other interns that was my problem that I could have just turned around and gone I'm just going to speak to this lot they speak English. But then that wouldn't have improved my German and you know that is what I was there for. It was beneficial. It was scary at the start but once you get into it and once you've kind of got your brain into and once you've got used to it then it's a lot better I think.
