Is the grasp of English by our foreign posters here humbling?

[The Mikado]

I'm constantly amazed at how Lewis, Gustaf, and Tender, just for a few examples, not only write "fluent" English, but actually write better than 95%+ native speakers.  It's one thing to learn a foreign language and be able to be understood in it, it's another thing to achieve the level of skill in it that rivals a well-educated native speaker.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

It is very impressive.  They probably write better than 90% of the native posters here.

[Ban my account ffs!]

The best way to become proficient in a language like they have is to either live there or come to places like this that offer idioms and other things that help to polish their understanding of the language.

I learned the grammar of German in a classroom and learned to have a semi-confident speaking ability before I ever went to a German speaking country.  It was a shock when I arrived in Salzburg and couldn't understand a damn thing they were saying... which is funny... I wouldn't be able to speak the Salzburg dialect if you held a knife to my throat... but I can understand the dialects of Upper Austria and South Tyrol very well because that is where most of my friends are from.

It is sad that Americans don't take foreign languages...
But don't give credit where it isn't due... hand it to the German speaking people and the Scandinavians for learning English so well.  You need almost no understanding of German to get along in Germany just fine.

France, Spain, and Italy are a different story.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

This isn't uncommon. It's largely due to them learning English only in a very formal setting, as opposed to native speakers.

[Lief 🗽]

Something like 10% of the population at my school is international students. And every day they make me feel bad with their perfect English.

Foreigners suck.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     It's pretty amazing. Sometimes I forget that Lewis's native language is German.

[Keystone Phil]

I really do admire it. I almost everyone in question learned English in school from an early age (making it a lot easier but certainly not easy) but as someone who just doesn't think I can ever master another language, I'm always amazed.

I talk to italian-boy privately and his English is perfect. Again, his schooling and other pressures are why he knows the language but I've never once noticed an error.

I have this Italian friend (that I mentioned here before because I was trying to find good translation websites) that knows English as well. He's a very different case though. He knows English. It's not that great but it's enough to understand him. What was always humbling was how he would tell me that he didn't mind speaking (typing online) English when we were "talking." He would try his best and then simply use Google translation when he didn't know otherwise. It was never the other way around. When I apologized for not knowing much Italian and asked if he'd prefer that I use the translator, he simply didn't care.

Savor this, English speakers. It won't last forever.  

[The Mikado]

OK, this is embarrassing.  I clicked on this thread from the main page, as it was on top.  I forgot this was my thread, looked at the title, looked at the comment the page went to (featuring a Red Minnesota next to it), and prepared to write a "Ha, look at the stupid BRTD poll."

[Smid]

I constantly forget that English is not their first language, they speak it so well. In that sense, it typically isn't humbling - because I forget how impressive it really is. Then you put this up and yes I am humbled. The only chap who you realise doesn't speak English as his first language is that french chap with the orange avatar, who has recently been posting under the username "B." Even though his sentence structure sometimes is a little different (which I believe is because french sentence structure is quite different) he speaks very good english and since I don't speak any other language even a little bit, I'm certainly not one to judge.

[RosettaStoned]

Thank you. How flattering.

[The Mikado]

Thank you. How flattering.

I didn't mention you by name, but, yes, you too.  My blood leads me back to your land yet I can't speak a word of your language.

[RosettaStoned]

Thank you. How flattering.

I didn't mention you by name, but, yes, you too.  My blood leads me back to your land yet I can't speak a word of your language.

Oh really? What part of the Motherland are your ancestors from?

[justfollowingtheelections]

I certainly agree with Obama when he said that he was embarrassed by americans who refuse to learn foreign languages.

[jamestroll]

I am taking Spanish right now, and am really enjoying it.

I speak mostly fluent Serb-Croatian (whatever they feel like calling it), and speak it with my grandmother a lot.

Americans simply find it hard to retain a foreign language because our geography really. A large landscape of mainly English speakers, and it is sometimes extremely hard to practice any foreign language you know.

But still, that doesn't explain the UK and Australia. Ever noticed that most English speakers do not know a foreign language? It might have to do with the fact that it is seen as so important that few anglos feel like learning a foreign language.

[The Ex-Factor]

But still, that doesn't explain the UK and Australia. Ever noticed that most English speakers do not know a foreign language? It might have to do with the fact that it is seen as so important that few anglos feel like learning a foreign language.

That is certainly the case. Remnants of the British colonial empire live on with the near-universal application of the English language worldwide.

I made a Dutch friend in China who told me that in Holland, he had learned English/French/German for approximately 6 years and Dutch for 5. Go figure. All of the Europeans I met there - English all very impressive. It was just like back home, albeit I had to explain some scurrilous American slang to them. And to be frank back home many of my high school classmates were barely literate, so standards weren't too high

Now, for the Asians I met in China, different story completely. It's understandable though, I was able to pick up French relatively easily since it's so similar to English already. I instead had a daily aneurysm trying to memorize Chinese characters, and I'd imagine the feeling is mutual for Chinese speakers trying to learn English.

[Smid]

But still, that doesn't explain the UK and Australia. Ever noticed that most English speakers do not know a foreign language? It might have to do with the fact that it is seen as so important that few anglos feel like learning a foreign language.

I took Japanese classes at school when I was thirteen, but really sucked. I would love to learn french and italian (my soon-to-be sister-in-law actually did her schooling in french, so perhaps I should ask her) but I have a feeling I will be terrible at it.

[Hash]

I learned English in KGI and Grade 2, and I've been in an English curriculum since then. I don't really have an excuse to speak/write atrocious English. Even though, I still have a strong French accent in English, which is surprising considering I got into English at a very young age.

[minionofmidas]

OK, this is embarrassing.  I clicked on this thread from the main page, as it was on top.  I forgot this was my thread, looked at the title, looked at the comment the page went to (featuring a Red Minnesota next to it), and prepared to write a "Ha, look at the stupid BRTD poll."

Now that is humbling!