Job Discussion Forums

[Ezra555]

What major language would be better for general life in Central Europe? I�m most interested in Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic, but am also interested in Romania and the Ukraine. For meeting people and practicing, as well as utilizing the language with locals, what would people suggest? German? Russian?

I remember reading something somewhere that speaking Russian can make people in this region of the world sour.

Tackling a native language to these countries would be awesome, but I'm looking to hit as many birds with one stone -- and also use the language outside Central Europe.

[SF21]

Many look at both as "sour", but Deutsch will get your farther...personally and professionally. If you're anywhere in the post-2004 EU countries, chances are you'll also visit Austria or Germany.

That being said, most of the 35 and over crowd speak or at least understand Russian.

Walk up to any ATM machine: English + Deutsch + target country's language are your selections.

[spiral78]

I disagree. SF21 appears to be based in Munuch, so he/she naturally sees German more often. I've been based in the Czech Rep for more than 10 years and I think Russian and German are pretty equal here - but English is more widely understood and spoken then either, for sure among the under-30 crowd.

For Romania and Ukraine, Russian would clearly be better - you should double-check this, but I think many students not only study Russian in school there, but study IN Russian. Not German.

And you could get in some trouble trying to speak German in Russia, given the fervent memories of the Nazi blitz on Moscow and points west - I was seriously impressed by the current awareness among young people of WWII and the vast celebrations of V-Day just a couple of years ago.

I really think that, in terms of conversation with locals, English is going to serve you better than either Russian or German.

[spiral78]

Sorry - an additional useful point - all of the countries except Hungary that you mention speak a Slavonic language. Russian is also Slavonic, so some knowledge of Russian can be helpful for your understanding of local languages in this region. My Czech skills were somewhat useful in Moscow, for example -

Hungarian, unfortunately, doesn't relate to anything except Finnish I can't remember which famous writer of the last century it was who wrote that Hungarians are among the strongest proof that aliens have visited our planet, because the language seems to have no apparent roots in the linguistic history not only of the region, but of the world. I'm not sure how much truth there may be in THAT, but Madyar doesn't belong to any of the major linguistic families, for sure.

[SF21]

Is the OP asking English vs. Deutsch vs. Russian... or just the latter two?

Can't speak for the Czech Repub and your 10 years there, but here in Budapest, after English, German is preferred over Russian (and Cyrillic).

[spiral78]

I think the OP is just asking about German vs Russian - but I"m suggesting that either may be of more limited use than the English he/she presumably already has command of.

And I'm not pretending to know the 'right' answer to this question - it's pretty subjective, really. I understand both basic Russian and basic German myself.

Anyway, yes, in my experience Russian would be more useful than German in most of the countries the OP mentions.

[Old_Liz]

I think it also varies as to the person to whom one is speaking.

For instance, my Slovenian SO - if I mix a clearly Russian word into his beloved Slovenian language when I am trying to speak it ----- oooohhhhh I don't hear the end of that for days! Many people I know in Slovenia and Croatia are the same.

Yet my basic Russian has served me very well in large parts of Central and Eastern Europe - certainly better than has my fairly fluent German.

[Mike_2007]

Hello,

[Ezra555]

Thanks for all the insight.

I won't be in the region for at least another year, and think working on a language in that time is a good idea. Problem is that --as much as i'd like to -- picking up individual languages like Czech, Hungarian (can you even learn it outside Hungary?) and the rest seems presumptuous since I don't know where I'll be exactly.

[spiral78]

I forgot Romanian!

Yeah, your choice, Ezra. Your iniative is commendable, whichever language you choose to study. Good luck!

[Mike_2007]

Actually being in the country is a great way to learn a language, so maybe the best thing to do would be to wait till you make your choice regarding your destination and then study the L1 of that country.

Admittedly it might not end up being a widely transferable skill, but I think ultimately it'll be more rewarding to have that linguistic experience. Besides, the other languages will not go away, you can learn them later.

Best of luck,
Mike

[sparks]

I think the point made about most languages in the region being of the same group as Russian is the most important. It will give a leg up in learning many of the languages. As far as just speaking with people from the start English--Duh!. Many of the older people that I have met tried to forget Russian ASAP and German is useful only in some regions or among student's of German, of which there are far fewer than of English.

[ecocks]

My suggestion is that Russian would be of more use to you than German in the FSU/CIS countries. I am thinking about 200 million + people speak Russian whereas German is much more localized in the western group of counties you mention. In Ukraine I can only recall meeting about 5 people who spoke German. Of course, the residents of a country appreciate it when you take the time to learn their language but your priority is communication, not politics or diplomacy if you are considering that wide a range of countries.

[Aussie Chick]

In the time I've spent in the Czech Republic (since Oct 2007), I've found that German is a more practical language to learn (besides Czech of course!). In the smaller towns outside of Prague, German is still widely understood. The older generation understands Russian, but IMO German is an easier language to learn and speak. Not to mention that the CR borders Germany and Austria, two countries which also use German!

[Mags_11]

I don't think it's important to learn German or Russian unless you are living in countries where those are the main languages.

Think about it. If you move to another county where the people speak a different language, you'd want to learn that language. If you move to the Czech Republic, you'll want to learn Czech. Do you have the extra time to waste learning an additional language that may or may not be useful? Do you plan to live the rest of your life in Central Europe so that learning German or Russian would be useful? Probably not.

You time will be stretched enough as is with teaching and finding ways to enjoy yourself in new environment. Don't complicate things.

Hope I'm not too harsh with the straight talk. I lived in Slovakia for five years and made the effort to go to Slovak language classes. Being able to communicate with the locals is what was important to me. German and Russian would have had no value at all.

Margarete Hurn
Author
The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia
www.fgslovakia.com