Full transcript
0:05I recently read a comment
0:07on YouTube
0:08and was inspired by this comment
0:12to record today's episode.
0:14Let me read it out loud.
0:36That's very kind.
0:37I'll of course show you the video on screen.
0:39It was this video.
0:41This is why you sound rude in German.
0:44So the point was
0:45that she talks to her colleagues
0:47and is perceived as strange
0:50or perceived as rude.
0:53And that made me think
0:55that people — and unfortunately often foreigners —
1:00are perceived as not serious or rude
1:03at work,
1:05just because they don't speak German well enough.
1:08What do you think about that?
1:10So the not being taken seriously
1:11or being perceived as a bit rude?
1:14Yeah, I think so.
1:15The not being taken seriously
1:16maybe not.
1:16I do think,
1:17I hope
1:18that most people still take you seriously.
1:21But depending on how you pronounce things
1:23or what you say,
1:23you can sometimes
1:25be labeled as rude.
1:26I wrote down here very clearly in red:
1:36However, the language is a big part of it
1:41and this part you can of course change
1:44and influence.
1:45But you have to be aware of it.
1:49You have to clearly know.
1:51Okay, maybe the pronunciation is the reason
1:55why I don't get a new job.
1:58Or why I
1:59don't get a promotion in my current job.
2:03Yeah, I don't know
2:04if it's only about the pronunciation
2:06or in general maybe
2:07about a lack of language awareness.
2:10But in any case,
2:12so pronunciation is always a big part of it,
2:14because of course,
2:16depending on how you pronounce a word or
2:18different words,
2:19they can also be interpreted differently.
2:22And that's of course a risk
2:24that you have
2:24when the pronunciation isn't optimal.
2:26But a big
2:27Or isn't good enough.
2:29Yeah, another part
2:30is also the hierarchy
2:33that you have in many companies in Germany.
2:37Prejudices and a bad team.
2:40It happens.
2:42Actually, the thing about a bad team is
2:44a good point,
2:45because I think
2:46when you have a good team
2:48and the people know
2:49that you're not a native German speaker,
2:53then the people should also respect that
2:56and take it into account in their evaluation,
3:00if you can say it that way.
3:01That means,
3:02In their work processes.
3:03Yeah, when you say something,
3:04that they simply take the time too,
3:06when you're already making the effort
3:07and trying it in German.
3:08You can only get better
3:10when you try.
3:10But I think there are also many people
3:12who don't do that.
3:13Yeah, guys, my team and I have been working
3:16for many months
3:17on a big pronunciation course
3:19and we've decided
3:21to unlock a whole lesson for you.
3:24That's the lesson
3:26on stress, pauses, and sentence melody.
3:29So exactly what
3:30makes a difference at work.
3:33How do you stress a sentence correctly?
3:35What sentence melody should you have?
3:38Where should you place the pauses?
3:39You can now test all of this
3:41completely for free
3:42in our course.
3:43Simply click on the link below the video
3:47and get the trial lesson.
3:50I now have three questions to start with.
3:53How do you notice
3:54that someone in a meeting
3:56is not being taken seriously?
3:57When people don't let him,
3:59or her, finish speaking.
4:00Interrupting.
4:01So exactly, not letting them finish, interrupting.
4:04When the things
4:05a person says
4:06are ridiculed
4:08or made fun of.
4:10And one more thing,
4:12when you bring up an idea.
4:14This idea is then not accepted.
4:19But afterwards the idea comes from someone else
4:21and is then perceived as super great.
4:24And that's pretty tough, I think.
4:27I've never experienced that, thankfully.
4:28Apparently I've always
4:30worked in good teams.
4:30I have a few more things here.
4:32You're spoken to more slowly
4:34than everyone else.
4:35Yeah well,
4:35but I mean,
4:37that
4:37when someone is really learning German,
4:39then it's good
4:40when someone is spoken to more slowly.
4:41Well, many already speak,
4:43already understand everything,
4:44just speak maybe a bit more slowly.
4:46And that
4:47Yeah, but I don't know,
4:48that's now,
4:49I think, not that bad
4:50when someone already makes the effort
4:52and tries
4:54to meet you where you are.
4:56As long as it's not excessively slow.
4:58So feel free to write in the comments.
5:00Everyone who works in Germany, Austria
5:03and Switzerland
5:05or somewhere else.
5:06How do you feel about it
5:08when at work
5:10you're spoken to more slowly and clearly
5:12than everyone else?
5:15I think
5:16you always want to be treated the same way
5:19as the other employees.
5:21And that way you feel a bit like ...
5:24I think
5:25it also depends
5:26on what maybe happened before.
5:28Whether it's already happened a few times
5:30that someone still
5:31didn't understand something
5:32because it was said too quickly.
5:34You know,
5:34then people might start:
5:35Okay,
5:36I'll speak a bit slower for now
5:38so that it's understood.
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7:02So I thought about
7:03what you can
7:04definitely avoid,
7:06what is really language-related.
7:08So we want to discuss in this podcast
7:11what you can do better linguistically.
7:13And one thing, so point 1,
7:16I have written down:
7:17apologizing too much.
7:19Yeah.
7:19That is definitely not typically German.
7:23No, just talk.
7:25And if something is wrong, then
7:28hopefully you'll be corrected
7:30and if not,
7:30then just keep going.
7:31It'll be understood.
7:32And you can for example say:
7:41Sorry for that ...
7:43Yeah, exactly.
7:43So that's one thing
7:45that makes you seem insecure
7:47or presents you as such.
7:48But you can say:
7:54Then there's another thing
7:56that has to do with
7:58pronunciation:
8:02Guys, make sure to remember this!
8:04When you go up at the end of a sentence.
8:07That's a question.
8:09Even if you want to say it
8:11as a statement,
8:13but go up at the end,
8:15then that's a question.
8:16That doesn't sound confident, not self-assured.
8:19I have an example for you here.
8:21When I say:
8:27Or I say:
8:31Okay.
8:31The first sentence is a question.
8:34You end this sentence with a question mark.
8:37That means you're not sure.
8:39Should we do it differently or not?
8:41The second sentence is a statement.
8:44You end this sentence with a period.
8:47You are sure.
8:55You don't even notice things like that, do you,
8:57as a native speaker?
8:58You don't think about ...
8:59I don't think about that.
9:00Yeah, so, uh.
9:02So, that's authentic for you
9:04that you go down at the end of a sentence.
9:06When it's a statement...
9:07Unless I'm not sure.
9:09So think about it.
9:12When you,
9:12when you're sure,
9:13when you're not asking a question,
9:15then the sentence is neutral
9:17and gradually goes down.
9:19When you're not sure,
9:21then you can go up
9:24with your intonation.
9:25And if you want to learn even more,
9:27then get the free lesson
9:29from the pronunciation course now
9:32and give us a thumbs up.
9:35And point 3,
9:36so we had:
9:41so going up with the intonation.
9:42And point number 3:
9:45So whoever justifies themselves
9:48before being asked
9:49comes across as insecure.
9:50Yeah, just say
9:52what you want to say.
9:53And if something is unclear,
9:55the other side will hopefully ask.
9:59The next section in our podcast is:
10:01What is not your fault.
10:04What is not the fault of the language?
10:07So we already talked about that too.
10:09The teams are too hierarchical.
10:11I generally wonder:
10:14How do you find your way
10:16as a non-native speaker
10:18in a 100% German team?
10:20And I actually think
10:22that this situation is happening more and more.
10:25Because,
10:26well, in Germany there are now very, very
10:28many foreigners who speak good German
10:32and then do get jobs in German teams.
10:36But it doesn't necessarily mean
10:38that they're immediately welcome
10:40in these teams.
10:42But that also doesn't
10:43necessarily only have to do with foreigners.
10:45If I now join a team somewhere,
10:47it also doesn't necessarily mean
10:48that I'll be welcomed right away.
10:51I think it doesn't matter
10:51whether it's Germany or elsewhere.
10:54I mean,
10:54I've
10:55only worked once in the USA
10:56in an American team.
10:59There were all kinds of people there too.
11:02And I think
11:03that's how it is in Germany too.
11:04You always have,
11:05or hopefully most of the time,
11:07a few people
11:08who are open about it,
11:09who welcome you,
11:11who want to help you.
11:12And you just have to recognize
11:13those people and then orient yourself around them.
11:15You work in Austria.
11:18Are there differences
11:20between Germany and Austria?
11:21And I know that you
11:23also have a few people on the team
11:25who only speak English, right?
11:26Is the communication different there?
11:29Yeah, in English.
11:30Yeah well,
11:31but when you have a bigger meeting,
11:33then still everyone in English.
11:36Yeah, when that person is there, yes.
11:37Okay.
11:37And do you have the feeling
11:38that the person also feels
11:40100% comfortable with
11:42everyone having to switch to English?
11:44I think so, yeah.
11:45But I also know people
11:47who always say
11:48yeah, sorry that we have to speak English now.
11:52Not at my current one,
11:54but at former employers I've experienced that.
11:57Are there people
11:58who speak German
12:00but not that well yet?
12:01Yeah.
12:01But then the meeting is in German.
12:04No.
12:04Also in English.
12:05When the,
12:06well it depends
12:07on how well they speak German.
12:08When it's "good good,"
12:10then it's also in German.
12:11But when it's "okay"
12:12and they're still at the beginning,
12:14then in English.
12:15But otherwise there's no big difference.
12:17You just have to develop a mindset
12:21or develop an attitude
12:23that you say, okay,
12:24I know what I can do
12:26and I stand by that
12:27and then I'll sometimes say it
12:28maybe in English
12:29and then in German again.
12:30That's just a transition.
12:31People say,
12:33when you're learning a new language
12:34and you're in that country,
12:35you say,
12:36that was just in Germany now,
12:38you mostly say that in German.
12:41But when you get stuck,
12:42then you can also say it in English.
12:44When the other person
12:45speaks a bit of English,
12:46then you switch back to German.
12:50That's how you learn.
12:52Yeah.
12:52But you have to develop this attitude.
12:54And of course, in the beginning
12:55you might not necessarily have it.
12:57But in the beginning you probably
12:58want to do everything perfectly.
13:00Yeah, but it helps
13:01when you have this attitude
13:03and, as I said,
13:04also orient yourself around the people
13:05who are nice to you.
13:07So if now someone,
13:09in the USA for example,
13:10had somehow constantly
13:12made fun of me
13:13because I didn't speak English that well yet,
13:14then I just wouldn't have
13:16worked together with that person
13:16as much anymore.
13:18Well, you don't always have that choice.
13:20But I also have to say,
13:21a few months ago I had a podcast episode
13:24with Lera from DeutschLera
13:26and she told me about her student
13:28who was in such a toxic team
13:31and the whole time
13:32had the feeling
13:33her language is so bad,
13:35she speaks German badly
13:37and nothing works.
13:38And then she simply
13:39switched teams
13:41or rather switched employers
13:44and then?
13:45That makes a difference.
13:47I think she then
13:49found a new job
13:50and then suddenly
13:51everything was a thousand times better.
13:53That's exactly what I mean.
13:55When you,
13:55and most of the time you have the opportunity
13:58to look for another job
14:00and before you get sick,
14:02on the topic of our last podcast,
14:04because you're mentally
14:06under so much pressure at work.
14:08You shouldn't immediately,
14:09just because it's a bit exhausting,
14:11switch to a new employer.
14:12But when it doesn't stop
14:13and the people aren't nice to you,
14:15then maybe,
14:15even if you speak German,
14:17the people aren't nice to each other either
14:19and are toxic with each other.
14:20So ...
14:20Nevertheless,
14:21I would still say
14:23that it's important
14:24to work on your language
14:26and pronunciation
14:28to have generally better job opportunities
14:30on the job market.
14:32Not only, so that and also additionally
14:35all the documents
14:37are maybe also in German
14:39and the safety briefing
14:41is done in German
14:42because that's required by regulations.
14:45But I don't have an example right now.
14:47It would be interesting,
14:48because I think
14:49there are also a lot of terms
14:52that you can mispronounce,
14:54that then really
14:56are misunderstood.
14:57Yeah, I also can't spontaneously think
14:59of an example,
15:00but so a typical ...
15:01Can you overlay it later if we think of something.
15:03A typical example is Miete (rent) and Mitte (middle).
15:08Yeah, so if you say:
15:11Well, nobody understands that.
15:13Yeah, exactly, or:
15:18Ich stehe in der Mitte (I'm standing in the middle) and
15:20ich zahle viel Miete (I pay a lot of rent).
15:21That's why
15:22so there are some little things
15:24in the German,
15:25well "a few little things,"
15:26a lot of them,
15:27that you also have to pay attention to with pronunciation.
15:30And I think
15:30generally you have better chances,
15:32even when you're sitting in an interview,
15:34when you can
15:35speak in the official language
15:37of the company.
15:39So if the company
15:40mainly communicates in German,
15:43then that makes it
15:44easier for the company too
15:45when you also speak German.
15:48Definitely.
15:49Feel free to write in the comments
15:51what German level you have now.
15:53We speak pretty quickly
15:55and also not exactly
15:57simple German.
15:58And I
15:59would really like to know
16:00whether you're now at a higher level,
16:03so B2, C1, or
16:05just starting out, maybe A2, B1.
16:10I have a few more things
16:12prepared for you,
16:13a few tips.
16:14So, when you're being interrupted
16:15in a meeting,
16:16but you want to finish your sentence,
16:18then you can say:
16:22Then:
16:22Your suggestion appears under someone else's name.
16:26Bad luck.
16:28So, I wrote down
16:29you could say:
16:35Yeah, that's good.
16:37Yeah, right?
16:38Yeah.
16:38So write that down!
16:40And:
16:41You have a different opinion than someone above you.
16:43That's difficult, right?
16:45Are you crazy?
16:48So, you have a different opinion
16:50than your supervisor.
16:51And what's your answer to that?
16:53Well, I would try,
16:55or rather I would say,
17:00and then directly give the reason, right?
17:03Or say:
17:10Always remember
17:11that in these situations
17:13you should use a lot of Konjunktiv II (subjunctive).
17:16So you would say:
17:24Then everything sounds a bit nicer.
17:27Yeah.
17:27What else do you think?
17:29Yeah, I'm thinking right now.
17:30When someone misunderstands you,
17:32then you also just have to say,
17:34in case the word ...
17:35No, that's actually stupid too.
17:36You have to ...
17:37That's hard.
17:38Yeah!
17:38You have to develop a feel for
17:40whether the other person
17:41understood you.
17:42But honestly, I have that
17:43sometimes in German with people too.
17:46But imagine
17:47how much more complicated that is
17:49for someone
17:50who has to focus on the language
17:52and then also
17:53at the same time on this
17:55interpersonal relationship.
17:57Yeah, very hard.
17:58I have to tell you,
17:59I also find it difficult sometimes.
18:01Me too, when I speak in English.
18:03I work.
18:04I also have a team
18:05and I work with lots of people,
18:07with freelancers, with full-time employees, etc.
18:11And then,
18:11when you have 1000 things to do in one day,
18:14it could happen
18:16that you write something quickly,
18:18maybe don't use Konjunktiv II (subjunctive)
18:20and then suddenly it comes across
18:22completely differently to the other person
18:24than what you had in mind.
18:27So the best thing is
18:28when you send a voice message
18:30and stress it correctly!
18:32Or just accept
18:33that not everyone sends smileys
18:35and you can always consider for yourself.
18:37Did he mean that negatively or not?
18:39But I know
18:40that many people unfortunately don't work that way
18:42and they prefer
18:43to interpret things negatively.
18:44That's the problem.
18:45I think
18:47rarely does one
18:48or the other side
18:50mean something malicious or negative,
18:52but depending on the situation
18:54it can often
18:55be read negatively.
18:57Yep.
18:57So, yeah, you have to pay attention
18:59to a lot of things.
19:01Feel free to write in the comments
19:03whether you've experienced this before,
19:04whether you were once not taken seriously
19:07at work
19:08or were misinterpreted,
19:10were misinterpreted,
19:11exactly, and then:
19:12How did you deal with it?
19:13It is, yeah, as I said,
19:15sometimes not that easy.
19:17You just keep at it
19:19and stay diligent
19:20and diligent.
19:21So keep at it, stay diligent,
19:23learn German.
19:24It's a long road,
19:26but the road
19:28is the destination.
19:31It's a long road.
19:32But you can also have fun
19:35and keep developing yourself
19:37and see:
19:37Oh yeah, I'm getting
19:39better every day, right?
19:41And when you keep at it, then
19:43you do get better.
19:44Exactly.
19:45Exactly right.
19:46Okay, thank you so much
19:47for being here today.
19:50We'll see each other next week.
19:51Bye.