E-Bike Battery Destroys Apartment in Germany.

[flecc]

I'm not talking about everyone in the UK being fluent in Mandarin, it's about the available talent pool to be able to call upon and ours in the UK (in terms of foreign language speakers) I would say is much smaller than that of other countries which we have to compete against.

Sorry, but i have to disagree again in fluency terms. Given our very long history of trading with the Chinese and our well over 99 year relationship with Hong Kong, neither of which our competitors have, I believe we are better placed in all respects, including language.
.

 

[Andy-Mat]

Exactly Andy, it's common sense to use those sufficiently fluent due to having lived in the location as you have with Germany.

However, given that English is the de facto universal language, I look at this issue logically. Which makes more sense?

1) Those not native English speakers completing their learning the one additional language of English.

or

2) We native English speakers each learning all of the world's other 300 languages of people who already know lots of English.
.

I know quite a few who have more than one language, I know a few who have mastered up to 6, but I have never ever met or heard of anyone who needed so many as you mentioned.

If I throw a number in the air, its 4 languages, with English being one of the first two, and the others being what you pick up as you go though life.....
Your 300 does not hold water, when you live in a country with basically only one......they miss a lot!

Furthermore, its amazing what you hear, and how people react to someone who tries to fit in, language wise. But if you are unable to experience it, you cannot know!

Have a great day
Andy

 

[flecc]

I have never ever met or heard of anyone who needed so many as you mentioned.

We do need to have 300 other languages to have an equal facility as that of anyone having English

With English someone can communicate with enough individuals of those using any of the 300 languages.

With any other languages but excluding any English there is not that facility.

So others learning the one language of English is far more logical and rational than us learning multiple other languages yet still having compromised lingual ability.
.

 

[Andy-Mat]

We do need to have 300 other languages to have an equal facility as that of anyone having English

With English someone can communicate with enough individuals of those using any of the 300 languages.

With any other languages but excluding any English there is not that facility.

So others learning the one language of English is far more logical and rational than us learning multiple other languages yet still having compromised lingual ability.
.

Having lived outside of the UK for almost 50 years now, in many lands, and seen this problem from both sides, I disagree. I do see how you are thinking, but you are thinking theoretically, but not practically.
Its a harmless error to make here on Pedelec, but an error nonetheless.
Another thought, over the next few decades, its eminently possible that Chinese (more than one language of course!) will start to overtake English in general usage, our children and grandchildren, and their advisors, should keep this possibility in mind.....
Cantonese is fairly easy to learn and has the advantage that it is written easily with the normal alphabet we all know, and spoken widely over China and other countries like Singapore and Malaysia.
I picked up quite a lot in the 60's, but its mostly gone now, as I did not keep it up properly.....
Anyone, under 40 years old today, might be very strongly affected by such changes in the world with regard to languages.
Having more than one language to converse with, kept me in well paid technical jobs in the computer industry, entirely with US companies, once I left the RN.
So I have no regrets, and I also know the advantages as well...
American companies have great difficulty, generally speaking, in finding technical staff with a wider fluent range than just English and Spanish.....
Andy

 

[PC2017]

youtube search rossmann bike fire, that was mighty! He's from the US-NY so kinda speaks English.

 

[BazP]

Having lived outside of the UK for almost 50 years now, in many lands, and seen this problem from both sides, I disagree. I do see how you are thinking, but you are thinking theoretically, but not practically.
Its a harmless error to make here on Pedelec, but an error nonetheless.
Another thought, over the next few decades, its eminently possible that Chinese (more than one language of course!) will start to overtake English in general usage, our children and grandchildren, and their advisors, should keep this possibility in mind.....
Cantonese is fairly easy to learn and has the advantage that it is written easily with the normal alphabet we all know, and spoken widely over China and other countries like Singapore and Malaysia.
I picked up quite a lot in the 60's, but its mostly gone now, as I did not keep it up properly.....
Anyone, under 40 years old today, might be very strongly affected by such changes in the world with regard to languages.
Having more than one language to converse with, kept me in well paid technical jobs in the computer industry, entirely with US companies, once I left the RN.
So I have no regrets, and I also know the advantages as well...
American companies have great difficulty, generally speaking, in finding technical staff with a wider fluent range than just English and Spanish.....
Andy

I'm from Yorkshire so nobody can understand me and I can't understand anyone from Birmingham or Newcastle let alone Mandarin but it's not affected me running a business for 53 years.