Swedes and English: when things go wrong
Published: 21 Nov 11 13:15 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/37474/20111121/
Swedes are generally thought of as speaking English fairly well, but for some, the pressure to perform can be too much, proving that not everyone can defend the flattering reputation Swedes have of being bilingual masters.
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This Swedish gentleman is trying his best to explain his political convictions in English. One wonders whether it's merely the language, or the views themselves that are muddled.
This next clip, from 2010, is perhaps one of the most famous examples of a language foul-up due to a small blunder by Swede Carl-Henric Svanberg, chair of energy giant BP, as he tried in vain to give voice to his company's compassionate side following a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
For many Swedes, being British is strongly associated with being polite. At least it was when English was first introduced in Swedish schools in the 1940s, and it’s easy to see that conception sticking after clips like this.
One might think that an accomplished news anchor with Sveriges Television (SVT) would have no trouble using English when interviewing people outside of Sweden. But as anchor Rikard Palm demonstrates, even people who speak out loud for a living can get tripped up by tricky words.
The clip is from SVT talk show Robins during which Palm is talking about a call he made to hotel in Tokyo to get news about a recent earthquake because the Swedish embassy wouldn't pick up.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
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Exactly.
even though these blows, their English is just good :)
The question is can you speak a seconds language well enough after 5 years tuition to be able to get a job and integrate with your new home.
For the thousands of swedes living in other countries, this seems not to be a probelm... Why then is it a problem for immigrants who have been speaking swedish for 5 years.
Communication is a two way process, but in sweden well meaned attempts fall on deaf ears.
Swedes should be flattered that others take the time to learn their language... or are they trying to use language as a barrier to opportunity.
As a teacher I told my evening group people to 'have a go' as mostly Brits, at least, would do their best to listen to what you had to say, and not how you said it, and would more often than not understand you quite well. The same can not be said of Swedes, however. Whether they are not aware of the difficulty for foreigners to master their å, ä or ö or not is a moot point. Try asking your way here in Munkedal to Bruddassvargen and see the reaction. They only know it as Brudåsvägen.
Intolerance, lack of patience or imagination, or simply sheer disrespect. I don't know which, but something is there that forms a barrier. If we, as foreigners, are to be understood, it is we who have to make the effort since they seldom will. And after 43 years here, I still come up against it, despite being relatively fluent in Swedish.
English is a very cumbersome language. People who speak *only* English often have trouble making themselves understood by others who also speak only English.
I am a scientist and *highly* skilled with English, but I don't understand insurance salesmen or economists at all.
The problem is as old as Babel, and there is no shame attached to it.
Anyone who makes the effort to use a second language is to be praised. Skill comes with practice.
communication is a two-way process, and this point should not be lost in multilingual multicultural settings -- in my experience and knowledge, scandinavians have done a spectacular job mastering the english language. it's high time native-english-speaking parties in this communicative setting meet them half-way...preferably (in my opinion) by getting-over-it
It came out to be that I actually said there were two owls who were in and out of the creek and that a poll taker (voting) might predict the storm.
"Back and forth", spoken in English, has nothing to do with a spine or the fourth occurrence of something. All we can do is smile and keep trying...forgiveness on both sides.