Language

Why is it important to know the language of the country you live in well?

Along with other skills, a good knowledge of German or another language if you live in another country (in France, French; in Sweden, Swedish; in Croatia, Croatian) is important to integrate (fit in) into that society. Not necessarily to assimilate (blend in). It is important to be able to communicate normally with neighbors, at work, in the store, on the street, in the hospital. It's important to be able to follow the newspapers, listen to the radio, watch television and other internet media that write, speak. It is important to know what is happening around you, in your city, country, and the world. Following social networks across Europe, I noticed that every day hundreds of people from our areas are looking for a job without knowing the language and often looking for anything. My dear Balkan, I believe that you are aware that without sufficient knowledge of the German language, you don't have many opportunities. Today, it is more or less accepted that the English language is the most important for international communication. Indeed, English is taught in all countries of the European Union and in many countries around the world. Probably, each of us knows it to some extent. In many countries in the world, it is the official language. In many international companies, whether they are owned by German, Croatian, or Austrian owners, and regardless of where they are based, English is the official language. Good knowledge of English is probably one of the main reasons why thousands of young people from Croatia moved to Ireland after joining the European Union. They obviously didn't have a language barrier.

Practice, practice, practice and when it matters – react spontaneously. Author unknown.

Many companies in Germany require knowledge of the German language at a certain level, A.2 or B.2, and some even at a much higher level. Probably, my Balkan, you are aware that with a good knowledge of the German language, along with other skills, you can more easily find a better-paid job. Today it's not hard to find people from our areas working in German schools, at faculties, in scientific institutions, in banks, in insurance or even in the German parliament. So, my dear Balkan, if you want to live and work in Germany or Austria, besides your mother tongue and English, you must start learning German if you haven't already. Today you have opportunities like never before. You can learn live in foreign language schools, which I wholeheartedly recommend, but you can also learn from your home, online. Both ways of learning foreign languages have their pros and cons. The key advantage of online courses is time-saving. Most foreign language schools and institutions today issue certificates with labels: A.1, A.2, B.1, B.2, C.1, C.2. These labels are further divided as follows: A.1 into A.1.1, A.1.2; A.2 into A.2.1, A.2.2; B.1 into B.1.1, B.1.2, B.1.3, B.1.4; B.2 into B.2.1, B.2.2; C.1 into C.1.1, C.1.2, C.1.3, C.1.4; C.2 into C.2.1, C.2.2. On this link of our blog: LINK, you can assess where you are with your knowledge of a foreign language. If you have some prior knowledge, most foreign language schools will test you when you register to place you in the appropriate group. Furthermore, at the end of the text, you can see how many school hours of instruction and semesters are required to be ready for a certain level. So, A.1.1 is the lowest level, and C.2.2 is the highest level – the level of a native speaker. Both services for readers of our blog are – FREE!

DISPLAY OF LEVELS

Common European Framework of Reference

for Languages(CEFR)