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READER INSIGHTS

‘Speaking little German is not a barrier to integration, it’s just a technical problem’

Reader Louigi Verona has spent years learning German and can just about get by but he argues there are far more important factors for integrating into German life than speaking the language fluently.

foreigners office
People go in and out of the Foreigners' Office - which has become a symbol of German red tape - in Berlin. Photo: picture alliance / Kay Nietfeld/dpa | Kay Nietfeld

I think we first need to acknowledge what is usually kept unsaid, that all these conversations about foreigners not learning German are not about solving a real problem, but just a way to give shape to frustrations about foreigners.

In reality, there are rarely any real problems and the only problems that do exist are self-inflicted by the German government that mandates officials to only use German in any dealings with foreigners. Which is a bizarre idea and obviously hostile towards foreigners. You come to Auslanderbehörder and can’t find even a sign that would be in a lingua franca.

If we were to be extra charitable and take concerns about “integration” at face value, obviously there are multiple systemic ways to significantly improve the situation.

READ ALSO: ‘Traumatising’: Foreign residents share stories from German immigration offices

So why do all of the proposed solutions place the whole burden on the foreigner?

Not only should one learn to live in a new country, understand its customs, bureaucracy, and work hard at their new job, but they also need to get into the project of learning a completely new language, a language that is immediately required at basically native level in all the establishments that the foreigner must deal with.

For instance, some countries in the EU designate English as their second official language. Is that such an unthinkable proposition? Wouldn’t that immediately make Germany a much more prosperous country, where people would be able to integrate much faster, too?

Not to mention that defining integration as “learning German” is superficial and dramatically undermines the idea of integration that they seem to care so much about. Integration into society is a complex process where one’s system of values is at the core. As long as you value democracy, human dignity and all those other things so proudly pointed out in the Einbürgerungstest, I shouldn’t care which language you speak. Not being able to speak the language is a technical problem that has multiple solutions. Instead, it’s made into the core problem.

Many of us do learn German. We really do. The fact we can’t string together a proper sentence together doesn’t mean that we’re not spending an inordinate amount of time trying.

‘I’ve spent three years learning German… I can understand the basics’

Someone hearing me trying to talk to my neighbour in German might assume that I’ve hardly spent any time learning the language, and boy will they be wrong.
 
This May I have received what could’ve been one of the most important letters in my life – I got my B1 certificate.

Someone hearing me trying to talk to my neighbour in German might assume that I’ve hardly spent any time learning the language, and boy will they be wrong.

I came to Germany in 2015. After I more or less established myself at the job, I went to evening courses in one of those big language schools at Alexanderplatz. Four days a week, three hours per day, 4 months, covering A1 and around A2.1.

It was brutal. Imagine a full day of work and then having to go to school. And there’s also homework! And the language is far from easy.

So, 4 months at this school were then followed by 8 months at Volkshochschule – 3 or 4 days a week, 3 hours each time.

Textbooks were not very effective, unless you worked in a German-speaking company, which I hadn’t. Many tech people work in companies where the working language is English. Going through a grammar exercise once and never coming back to it meant that by the time the course is over – you remember almost nothing.

I then received my permanent residence and was able to give myself a bit of a break. Finally, I could have “just work” for a while.

Finally, I began my preparations for the B1 exam. This time I opted for a private teacher. I had one and a half years of lessons. This time it was much more effective. At least I felt I was getting a bit better. This time the homework was being checked properly and there was a lot of it. I had 2 lessons per week. Which doesn’t seem like much, but it basically means that every second day you have homework. And you always feel guilty if you are not studying.

After the lessons were over, I then spent 3 additional months preparing for the exam on my own.

The exam felt very difficult and as I said, I was prepared that I wouldn’t pass. It’s been 3 months now, and I am still celebrating! This B1 certificate was stamped with my blood.

So, all in all I’ve spent around 3 years of my life learning German. Right now I am capable of understanding really basic sentences, especially if they are spoken slowly. I still get easily confused by an unexpected question when ordering in a cafe. I can hold a limited conversation at a reception at a doctor’s office.

‘I will never scold a foreigner for not speaking German’

At the same time – am I a foreigner who doesn’t learn German?

I am pretty sure many people who hear me trying to speak think so. Especially when they find out I have lived here for 8 years now. But I really did learn German, spent loads of my time doing it, while being fully employed. I pay my taxes. I share democratic values of this country. I belong here. And I am calling this my home.

Learning a language is a very serious undertaking. There are a lot of hurdles, many self-inflicted, like not allowing people in an official capacity to speak English.

We’re not kids, we perform serious jobs and speak using adult vocabulary. Jumping to that level of proficiency in a couple of weeks is impossible. For me it was impossible in three years. So either an adult has to revert to kidspeak or else they try to find ways to use the language they do have the command of.

When I become a citizen of this wonderful country, I will never scold a foreigner for not speaking German. I will focus on what their values and contributions are, and the vast majority of foreigners I know are the secret sauce that will continue making Germany a prosperous, free and fantastic place to live.

Louigi Verona, Berlin

This comment was in response to a recent article on The Local titled: Is it ‘arrogant’ to live in Germany and not learn German

Do you agree with our reader? You can give you own opinion in the comments section below or if you have any tips, insights or views about an aspect of life in Germany you want to share with readers then email us at [email protected].

Member comments

  1. Thank you for this wonderful article. Makes me feel that I am not the only one in B1 level who does not understand locals.

  2. I personally think that a native speaker could help foreigners who are trying hard to learn German by telling them the right expression or sentence. Why not ask a German neighbour to do so? It might be difficult or shameful to ask for some help, but I am sure that a kind neighbour would not hesitate to help out.

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CITIZENSHIP

‘Get in early’: Your tips for applying for German citizenship

Are you ready to apply for naturalisation in Germany? We asked readers about their experience applying for citizenship so far, and what tips they could share.

'Get in early': Your tips for applying for German citizenship

With Germany’s new dual citizenship rules officially coming into effect on June 27th, some prospective new Germans-to-be have been gathering documents and taking their language tests.

Yet, plenty of other candidates for naturalisation are still waiting to hear back about applications submitted months or even years ago.

The Local recently polled readers who were either already in the process of applying, or planning to apply for citizenship soon. Of 121 readers who took our survey, 81 percent intend to apply for citizenship compared to 12 percent that were still unsure.

Additionally, six percent said they will not apply, and the remaining few had already naturalised.

READ ALSO: What would German citizenship mean to foreign residents?

Here are some concerns and helpful tips from readers who have already started an application for citizenship.

How are current applications going?

Asked how the application process has been so far, those who have already applied or started putting together their applications had radically varied responses.

It seems that applying for naturalisation can be pretty straightforward or wildly frustrating, depending on where you live.

Some readers are having a relatively easy time with it, such as Nauman, from Pakistan, who notes that “in Berlin it is online, so all is good.” In the capital, the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA) opened up a central office at the start of the year and has entirely digitalised its processes, from the initial screening to the application itself. 

Not too far away in Brandenburg, Elshafie, who is 35 from Sudan, told The Local: “I’m getting quick responses by email – sometimes same-day responses.” So far Elshafie, who has lived in Germany since 2017 and is married with one kid, has secured an appointment for submitting papers in June.

Another reader also called out the ease of applying via a new digital portal. A 30-year-old reader who has lived in Germany for six years called the process “smooth”, adding: “I am lucky to be a resident of Hamburg which is one of the few cities that now have a digital application process.”

But even in places where a new, digital application process exists, people who applied prior to the digital process are sometimes left waiting while newer applicants . Such is the case for thousands of applicants in Berlin, many of whom have been waiting for years already.

READ ALSO: ‘I’ve waited four years’ – Foreigners in Berlin furious over German citizenship delays

“I applied in September 2023, and heard nothing back so far,” said Dilara, 30, a Turkish-born resident living in Berlin. As a bit of a sarcastic tip to other readers, she suggested applying as soon as you enter the country because “it will take years anyways”.

Dilara is not the only applicant left waiting without an explanation. In fact, a lot of readers had some choice words for the process, which in many cases can be very quite long and opaque. 

Daria, 26, from Russia said she applied in August 2023 in the city of Gießen. “They said to wait 20 months for the work on my application to start,” she told The Local. “Now they’re saying to wait 22 months. They don’t tell the name of the person in charge of my application and don’t answer any questions regarding my case. I think of suing them a lot.”

Another applicant consulted a law firm after the naturalisation office in Landkreis Harz said that they weren’t offering further consultations this year due to the high demand.

“I had my citizenship test and B1 language certificate ready. The last document I need now is my pension insurance history, and I just found out that the reason I don’t have it, despite requesting it twice, is that my address on file was wrong,” said Ryan Thomas Sanders, 35, from the US.

Even for those applying from outside of Germany, long delays with no communication seems to be the norm rather than the exception here.

Veronica Dierick, 66, said she handed in her application for citizenship by descent to the German Embassy in Belgium on March 5th and is still waiting for a response. 

A citizenship applicants reads the German constitution.

A citizenship applicants reads the state constitution in Germany. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marijan Murat

Advice from readers: gather your documents and start early

Bureaucratic processes in Germany are known to drive people crazy – even plenty of native-born Germans. 

So in some sense, the fraught process of applying for citizenship can be seen as the last, painful but vital step, toward truly becoming German.

That said, it’s definitely worth taking any and all extra precautions to make the process as easy as possible. So with that in mind, here are a few tips that might help.

Daria, who is still in the middle of a long wait on her own application, recommends making copies of all of your documents before sending them in, noting that she regrets not having done so herself – both to retain her own copies and also as means of proof of when and what she had submitted. 

She added, “We’re sitting in the same boat. Try to apply as soon as possible… as later you’ll regret that you haven’t applied sooner.”

Ryan Thomas Sanders suggests getting your language certificate and citizenship test out of the way early, even if you don’t yet meet the residency requirement: “These are probably two of the most time-consuming documents and you can and should get them taken care of early.”

Dani, 34, from the US said, “Always ask your local Amt about their current rules because they often differ from what is happening in Berlin or other larger cities.”

Meanwhile, Jon, 34, who has lived in Germany for five years provided an unsolicited endorsement for The Local, adding: “Because of this site, I’m feeling prepared and informed. I have everything ready to go once the applications are accepted for dual citizenship in June.”

He added that applicants should “stay organised and allow extra time for each step like getting test results, documents from an employer, or translations of original documents.”

All of which is great advice, and is aligned with the advice told to The Local by immigration lawyer Andreas Moser, who advises making sure your application is as neatly organised as possible.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED – How to get a speedy response on your German citizenship application

If you’ve met all the requirements, gathered all the papers, and presented it all as neatly as possible, the only thing left to do is wait and hope or pray for the best. 

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