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POLITICS

OPINION: Germans’ love of criticising English skills is an unappealing national habit

When German Minister Annalena Baerbock's speech in English was mocked on social media, many foreigners in Germany leapt to her defence. But Germans have a history of snobbishness when it comes to judging others on speaking English, says Brian Melican.

German Foreign Minister and Greens co-leader Annalena Baerbock speaks in Stockholm.
German Foreign Minister and Greens co-leader Annalena Baerbock speaks in Stockholm on Tuesday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Michael Kappeler

During one of my (increasingly brief) forays onto the online muck-spreader formerly known as Twitter, I saw that the pile-in du jour was on our new Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock. Apparently, in the opinion of various people I have neither heard of, care about, nor actually follow on the platform (that’s algorithms…), Baerbock’s English is poor, risible, a national embarrassment at best and a full-blown scandal at worst. Anyway, against my better judgement, I decided not to log straight back off immediately. Instead, I played the 17-second clip for myself out of curiosity.

I needn’t have bothered, of course: our Foreign Minister’s English is so utterly unremarkable that really only the various nuts and bots of Twitter could feel tempted to try and make an issue out of it. Sure, Ms. Baerbock could pronounce a couple of words in a slightly more idiomatic way, but English is her second language and that really would be gilding the lily for someone who is, as far as I can tell, not currently a candidate for a PhD in English Studies, but rather a minister in the German government. 

What is more, Annalena Baerbock’s English is easily better than that of her cabinet colleagues. Olaf Scholz, who is often commended in passing by the German political commentariat for his language skills, does indeed speak serviceable English – but of the somewhat workmanlike variety, as his amusing jibes at Britain’s driver shortage the morning after the Bundestagswahl demonstrate (feels like a long time ago, eh? “Captain, it’s only Wednesday!”). Interestingly, despite the lack of ensuing Twitter censure, he soon afterwards stopped taking questions in English.

And just yesterday morning, I heard an item on broadcaster Deutschlandfunk about Christian Lindner’s first foreign trip to Paris: despite the fact that he mispronounced the “warm” in “warm welcome” (making it sound more like ‘warm’ in German), I have yet to see the assorted looneys of social media swoop on our newly-minted Finance Minister. 

READ ALSO: What Scholz’ Brexit comments say about the next German leader

German one-upmanship

I’d suggest that this may have something to do with the fact that Annalena Baerbock is a woman, in her early 40s, and in the Greens. However, it’s also due to Germans’ wholly unrealistic expectations of how well German politicians should speak English – and to one of our less becoming national characteristics: congenital one-upmanship.

That’s why even men over 50 regularly come in for drubbings when they try – or don’t try – to speak English in front of the cameras: one of Baerbock’s predecessors in the Foreign Ministry, the late Guido Westerwelle, for instance, garnered himself a parody account “Westerwave” after refusing to speak English to a reporter at a press conference, pointing out quite correctly (if somewhat pettily) that media questions to German politicians in Germany should be asked in German. With that unique touch of class that makes Twitter the wonderful place it is, the parody account even posted a Denglish condolence on his untimely death. 

A couple of years later, it was former state premier of Baden-Württemberg and then EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger who was the butt of the online bantz, dubbed “worse than Westerwave!” Admittedly, Oettinger had rather made his own bed after repeatedly going on record to say that all Germans, even blue-collar workers, should make sure they spoke good English in order to remain competitive on the employment market.

Also, his English really was bad. Nevertheless, the general eagerness to do the man down for being foolish enough to stumble into the professional equivalent of an ill-prepared on-camera oral exam was telling. Very much like the (often fat) readers of British celebrity rags scanning thighs for cellulite, when (often monolingual) Germans smell linguistic blood, they show no pity.

Günther Oettinger, former EU commissioner, attends a media conference in 2019. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/AP | Virginia Mayo

So the whole Baerbock storm-in-a-Twitcup can be read two ways. An optimistic assessment might conclude that, in the 10 years since Oettinger’s travails, the overall standard of English spoken in Germany has risen so sharply that even Baerbock’s excellent English – she spent a year studying at the London School of Economics (LSE), after all – is enough to garner criticism due to a residual accent. The pessimistic conclusion I draw is that casual Twitter misogyny and anti-Green campaigning are, combined with Germans’ love of criticising others for their English language skills, enough to get the social media sharks circling regardless of the facts of the matter.

READ ALSO: How do Germans compare to the rest of Europe when it comes to speaking English?

Different standards for people learning German

I don’t follow football, but it’s a well-known fact that Germany is a nation of 80 million people who think they would be a better coach than whoever the current Bundestrainer is. And on the topic of “trainers”, anyone who has ever held a position as one of German companies’ many English-Trainer will know just how thirsty Germans are for knowledge of the lingo – and how unforgiving they are among each other while acquiring it.

Several NDAs prevent me from speaking in detail about my time “training” adult Germans to speak English for various organisations (I was young and needed the money), but suffice it to say that I once had to break off a lesson due to a slanging match between two professional women in their mid-thirties which escalated out of control. I was also told several times by participants in adult education classes: “That’s not how I was taught English in school/learned English while working abroad/understood the NYT style guidelines which I happen to have printed out on my bedside table” – i.e. that I was wrong.

Conversely, I’d have to think a long way back to the last time I was corrected unsolicited when speaking German – even far before I attained the proficiency I now have after living here for over a decade and literally having become German. So if we Germans could learn to extend the courtesy we show to new arrivals learning our language to each other when speaking English, we’d be a lot better off – and give the Twitter bubble one less thing to blow out of proportion.

Member comments

  1. Frau Baerbock’s English is fine. In fact she sounds better speaking English than German, because she slows down a lot from what sometimes sounds like a rant in German.

  2. The Lady is not on my Christmas card list but to me her English was fine – I understood her!
    Maybe there should be similar fervour of English Politicians speaking German – Now that would be cause for some hilarity, (if you can find one).

    1. Greg Hands and Ben Bradshaw speak quite good German, but the few cliches Boris manages don’t count.
      The teaching of languages has been a low priority in Britain for some time, and with Brexit its unlikely to get any better.

  3. I agree, there’s not a great deal wrong with Frau Baerbock’s english. In fact I rather like her accent.

  4. I totally agree on that. A lot of people refuse to speak english because they worry to be judged/evaluated depending by that. Frankling speaking, it is in general pretty common in Germany to be judged by how good you speak.
    A bit sad

  5. I have no idea about the politics of Frau Baerbock. I come from New Orleans and I thought her English was just fine.

    I have also noticed the hesitancy of some to speak English with me. I always tell them that it is ok. I laugh when they tell me my German is better than their English (if they only knew how much I don’t understand). One of the nice things about talking with people here in English is how good they sound. They don’t know all the slang and really bad grammar. It’s like music to my ears that I don’t have to interpret what they have said. I’ve never once heard “I be at the sto shoppin” here, lol.

  6. Great opinion piece… as a Business English coach in Bavaria I completely agree. The comparisons are unnecessary and absolutely lead to people holding back for fear of public scrutiny. If people could lay off each other, and focus simply on communicating with each other, we’d be a lot farther along.

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POLITICS

KEY POINTS: What to know about Germany’s partial legalisation of cannabis

Cannabis is to be partially freed for consumption in Germany starting April 1st. Why is this such a landmark legal reform, and what new rules and restrictions are in place?

KEY POINTS: What to know about Germany’s partial legalisation of cannabis

Why is this a historic moment?

The law decriminalises cannabis and legally recognises it as a non-narcotic. Germany will become the third European country, after Malta and Luxembourg, to legalise adult recreational use. And the law makes it one of the most liberal among developed economies. 

READ ALSO: Germany gives green light to partially legalise cannabis from April

Only Canada, whose law allows individuals to buy from licensed retailers and carry up to 30 grams of cannabis, is more permissive.  

The cannabis bill also lowers the barrier for doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to patients. It will now be considered a normal prescription instead of a narcotic. Previously patients needed to have a chronic illness or be seriously ill to get a prescription. 

What is the timeline for legalisation?

Beginning April 1st, adults will be allowed to carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for recreational use. They can also keep up to 50 grams of marijuana at home and grow up to three plants for personal use. Note that is three plants per person, not per household. 

On July 1st, adults can begin joining “cannabis social clubs” where they can receive monthly allotments of marijuana. And in the future, the bill lays out a plan to test out municipal five-year pilot programs for state-controlled cannabis to be sold in licensed shops. 

Can cannabis be purchased in Germany after April 1st?

There is no way to buy cannabis directly, as it won’t be available for general purchase in a store. Instead, you can grow the plant yourself or join a cannabis club this summer. The cannabis clubs can begin growing cannabis on July 1st. 

What will cannabis clubs do?

Cannabis clubs can have up to 500 members. Clubs can give members 25 grams of cannabis per day and up to 50 grams of the plant per month. For members under 22 years old, clubs can allot up to 30 grams of cannabis per month. 

For cultivation club members between 18 and 21-year-olds the level of THC -the substance in cannabis that gives you the “high” – will be limited to help minimise the impact of marijuana use on developing brains. 

Cannabis in Dresden

Martin Reuter, head of the Sanaleo shop for CBD products in Dresden’s Neustadt, holds a cannabis flower for sale in his hands. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Robert Michael

Clubs cannot sell weed to their members, but they are allowed to charge membership fees. Under the law, all excess production must be destroyed. 

Cannabis social clubs can set their own requirements for membership so long as the minimum age of membership is 18 and members can prove German residency. The law also gives states the ability to limit the number of clubs according to population density. 

Can you consume cannabis in public?

Yes, but there are some parameters. You cannot consume weed within 100 metres of schools, sports facilities or around minors. You can also only smoke cannabis in public between the hours of 8pm and 7am. 

How does the public feel about the law?

Germans remain divided on the new legislation with 47 percent in favour of the plans and 42 percent against the legalisation, according to a YouGov poll published on Friday March 22nd.

The law was also met with sharp criticism from doctors, legal professionals and representatives from some of the nation’s 16 federal states. The conservative CDU and CSU parties expressed consistent opposition to the bill on the Bundestag floor. 

READ ALSO: Why is Germany’s cannabis draft law so controversial?

What happens if you break the rules?

Minors who are caught consuming cannabis will be required to take part in prevention programmes. It is unclear what rules will apply to cannabis in road traffic, shipping and air traffic because it is still under review by expert committees.  

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