https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The term "lockdown," which has become common for closures and contact restrictions during the coronavirus crisis, has been chosen as the 2020 "Anglicism of the Year." https://www.thelocal.de/20210202/lockdown-voted-on-as-german-anglicism-of-the-year Tue, 02 Feb 2021 12:51:48 +0100 lockdown-voted-on-as-german-anglicism-of-the-year As much as English-speakers might feel insecure about their Deutsch skills when faced with Germans' comparatively widespread grasp of English, Germans themselves often mess up English - in some pretty hilarious ways. https://www.thelocal.de/20150902/10-times-germans-get-english-completely-wrong Wed, 02 Sep 2015 19:34:06 +0200 10-times-germans-get-english-completely-wrong Germany has snagged a top 10 position in an annual study of English proficiency worldwide. But some regions have mastered the language better than others. https://www.thelocal.de/20191107/how-do-germans-compare-to-the-rest-of-europe-when-it-comes-to-speaking-english Thu, 07 Nov 2019 13:56:05 +0100 how-do-germans-compare-to-the-rest-of-europe-when-it-comes-to-speaking-english Those of you who’ve lived in Germany for a few years can surely relate - once you’ve picked up the local language and it encompasses your daily life, you slowly start to notice signs that your English is deteriorating. https://www.thelocal.de/20180525/how-german-has-completely-fuddled-up-my-english-and-how-ive-dealt-with-it Fri, 25 May 2018 16:57:32 +0200 how-german-has-completely-fuddled-up-my-english-and-how-ive-dealt-with-it For education experts, English language lessons have proven valuable in primary schools in North Rhine-Westphalia. But the Alternative for Germany’s state parliamentary group in NRW have a rather different view. https://www.thelocal.de/20180208/more-german-and-math-afd-against-english-in-primary-schools Thu, 08 Feb 2018 11:01:44 +0100 more-german-and-math-afd-against-english-in-primary-schools Debate has recently flared in Germany as to whether the prevalence of English in urban areas is a nuisance. We spoke to expats who told us why they have not learned the local language. https://www.thelocal.de/20171025/why-some-foreigners-live-in-germany-without-mastering-the-language Wed, 25 Oct 2017 13:28:11 +0200 why-some-foreigners-live-in-germany-without-mastering-the-language Sometimes when you're learning German, you have that eureka moment - and realize something you never knew about your mother tongue. https://www.thelocal.de/20161116/7-german-words-secrets-about-english-etymology-list Wed, 16 Nov 2016 19:06:23 +0100 7-german-words-secrets-about-english-etymology-list Jens Spahn from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party has spoken out against the use of the English language in Germany yet again. But not everyone feels the same way as him. https://www.thelocal.de/20170824/speaking-english-is-not-cosmopolitan-politician-argues Thu, 24 Aug 2017 12:19:20 +0200 speaking-english-is-not-cosmopolitan-politician-argues One of Angela Merkel’s closest allies has caused controversy by complaining about waiters in Berlin restaurants who only speak English. But the Berlin tourist board is more relaxed about the spread of the global language. https://www.thelocal.de/20170814/is-too-much-english-spoken-in-berlin-restaurants Mon, 14 Aug 2017 19:46:00 +0200 is-too-much-english-spoken-in-berlin-restaurants Students in western Germany launched an online petition in protest at an English test with a speech by Prince Harry that neither they nor native-speaking teachers could understand. https://www.thelocal.de/20170522/students-demand-retake-of-english-test-with-mumbly-prince-harry-speech Mon, 22 May 2017 17:47:55 +0200 students-demand-retake-of-english-test-with-mumbly-prince-harry-speech An annual study of English proficiency worldwide shows that Germany has made it back into the global top ten. But which Germans have best mastered the language of the Bard? https://www.thelocal.de/20161115/heres-where-germans-speak-the-best-and-worst-english Tue, 15 Nov 2016 13:31:46 +0100 heres-where-germans-speak-the-best-and-worst-english Most English speakers understand Schadenfreude or Zeitgeist, but Gemütlichkeit should be added to the English lexicon too. https://www.thelocal.de/20161017/one-german-word-english-speakers-need-this-winter-gemuetlich-gemuetlichkeit Mon, 17 Oct 2016 18:29:37 +0200 one-german-word-english-speakers-need-this-winter-gemuetlich-gemuetlichkeit Most Germans don’t understand English phrases when they appear in advertising but find them cool and interesting anyway. https://www.thelocal.de/20160229/english-in-adverts-confuses-yet-impresses-germans Mon, 29 Feb 2016 17:25:24 +0100 english-in-adverts-confuses-yet-impresses-germans Germany has dropped out of the top ten in an annual study of English proficiency levels worldwide despite improving its performance, a study published on Tuesday showed. https://www.thelocal.de/20151103/germany-slips-in-english-proficiency-table Tue, 03 Nov 2015 14:14:58 +0100 germany-slips-in-english-proficiency-table As 'Sommerschule Wust' celebrates its 25th birthday, The Local asks how this English language school in an East German village of 500 inhabitants has remained so popular for so long. https://www.thelocal.de/20150812/25-years-of-learning-english-in-east-germany Wed, 12 Aug 2015 10:00:52 +0200 25-years-of-learning-english-in-east-germany Development Minister Gerd Müller recently captivated crowds at the Global Citizen Earth Day in Washington, D.C. with his enthusiastic - if erratic - English. The speech has since gone viral. https://www.thelocal.de/20150427/development-minster-wows-crowds-with-denglish Mon, 27 Apr 2015 17:45:01 +0200 development-minster-wows-crowds-with-denglish UPDATE: One of Germany’s top universities wants to ditch German and switch almost all of its master’s programmes to English in the next six years, prompting fears that the academic standing of the German language is under serious threat. https://www.thelocal.de/20140724/for-a-masters-in-munich-english-required Thu, 24 Jul 2014 13:49:00 +0200 for-a-masters-in-munich-english-required Most English-speakers will know exactly what words like bodybag, peeling and timer mean. But in German these familiar words are used to mean something completely different. How many of the English words in our Local List can you guess the meaning of? https://www.thelocal.de/20140507/ten-english-words-that-only-germans-use Wed, 07 May 2014 15:42:00 +0200 ten-english-words-that-only-germans-use The online English language section of famous German news magazine, Der Spiegel, is to be drastically cut. It is not making enough money, magazine bosses decided. https://www.thelocal.de/20131220/spiegel-online-makes-cuts-to-english-section Fri, 20 Dec 2013 14:20:00 +0100 spiegel-online-makes-cuts-to-english-section English-speakers may feel that everyone they try their German on replies in perfect English - but in fact just 16 percent of German adults who speak English said they were proficient. This is one of the lowest rates in Europe latest figures show. https://www.thelocal.de/20130926/52117 Thu, 26 Sep 2013 18:39:00 +0200 52117