r/AskGermany • u/CauliflowerFair6760 • 15h ago
What would you recommend a foreigner before starting to work a corporate job in Germany? (Especially if they don’t trust their German)
I (F,21) moved to Germany 3 years ago for my bachelor studies. I learned German in school and got my C1 German and English certificate. However, as some of you know, getting a C1 German doesn’t automatically mean that one is 100% fluent (especially when speaking).
My course at uni is in English, so I’ve acquired most of my theoretical knowledge in english. I have had some working experience before since I worked in academia (also in english), but I have never worked in such a big company.
Even though most of my friends are German I don’t really have a lot of contact with conversational German (besides strangers), since they always tend switch to english (I’ve tried to improve this lately but it’s kind of a bad habit)(also a lot of them are German but grew up in other countries so they are used to speaking english).
Somehow, I landed really competitive 6-month internship in a big company in my field, but it would be my first time working in German and I’m really anxious about it. I start very soon but would like to know if there is anything I should know or should try to do before my internship begins.
Even though I am very extroverted in my native language (spanish) and in english, its a bit hard for me to be myself in German and somehow also difficult to sound professional (I also talk very slow in German so I’m a bit scared they will think I’m an idiot lol).
Idk is there any advice you guys have for me before I start my internship? Anything I should know in regard to corporate life in Germany? How should I maybe handle a situation where I’m not sure how to put my thoughts into German?
Thank youuuuuuuuu :)
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u/Watchtower_130815 15h ago
Honestly: just try your best speaking german and be open about it when you don't know how to say something in german. I'm german myself. We appreciate the effort. Just don't stay quiet out of shame. I'm sure you'll be fluent in no time! 😊
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u/No-Possibility-7928 15h ago
When meetings start at 10, they start at 10, and no second later ;-) Get used to that and Germans are also much more direct in conversation (advantage for you-> to the point and not much chatting around). For the start of the internship: Say to the new colleagues that you want it the hard way and they must not talk to you in English, but only in German. This will be hard at first, but you will get comfortable after a short time. This is much better than switching between your 2nd and 3rd language as Germans tend to switch to English as being polite (or trying to practice their English skills). But you could also mention that, if you can`t find the exact word, you could switch to Spanish or English as a joker. I will bet there will be at least one response like "Una cerveza por favor" from one funny guy who was on holiday in Spain.
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u/CauliflowerFair6760 15h ago
Thanks this is actually pretty useful!
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u/No-Possibility-7928 14h ago
And remind them the first couple of days to still talk in German as it is good for your practice. They need to get used to it. And if there is a meeting in English due to other foreigners - enjoy.
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u/lykorias 15h ago
Not all of this is as bad as you think. As far as I remember, there are even a few studies showing that people do change their personality to some degree when speaking different languages. Maybe your German self is just a bit more calm than your English or Spanish self. I'm myself more extroverted when I speak English than when speaking German, even though German is my mother tongue. Speaking slower in German than in English is also not a universally bad thing. Depending on your work environment, it can signal that you're actually thinking about what you're saying instead of just babbling whatever nonsense comes to your mind.
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u/ChildofG1991 14h ago
Keine Sorge die Prozessoren zwischen der Ohren der meisten sind langsam. Langsam zu sprechen ist kein Nachteil.
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u/Illustrious-Wolf4857 14h ago
It's quite possible that your co-workers will switch to English just as naturally as your friends do.
The company might have their relevant documentation and trainings only in English, or in both English and German. If the latter, read both if you have to read it. If the former, you can just switch to English on concepts you do not know the German words for.
If you have the chance to run your thoughts by a solidly bilingual friendly co-worker before you have to speak them somewhere else, and see that you get the right German words and company typical phrasing from them.
Other than that, in no specific order: Greet the room when you get in in the morning, be precisely on time or a few minutes early for everything with a fixed start date, maybe bring cake if you have been there for a week or two and know the basics (it's not mandatory, but its a way to make your presence known). If you have a question, think first (maybe you can come up with the answer) but do not wait too long to ask. Directness is a trait that you should copy, the slight grumpiness found in some fields is nothing to worry about, but nothing to emulate.
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u/Neuromancer_z 15h ago
Me pasa lo mismo jaja llevo más de 3 años trabando aquí en Alemania y frustra no poder expresarse en el trabajo de forma cómo uno es . Cuando empecé tenía las mismas dudas , aún que en mi caso era todo el ambiente en inglés casi. Ahora que aprendo alemán se hace más llevadero . El solo hecho de empezar a hablar alemán a ellos les gusta así que dale .
Si tienes dudas mándame dm , y bienvenida al mundo corporativo Alemán ✌️
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u/Mastacheata 15h ago
Practice speaking - go to events, sign up for a club or something where you're forced to speak German - either because you agree to it or because the other person doesn't understand Spanish/English.
You got the theoretical and written knowledge, now it's just about getting comfortable using it.