LL-L 'Language proficiency' 2006.08.01 (07) [E/German]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 01 August 2006 * Volume 07
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From: Theo Homan <theohoman at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L 'Language proficiency' 2006.08.01 (02) [E/German]

> From: 'Global Moose Translations'
> <globalmoose at t-online.de>
> Subject: LL-L 'Language proficiency' 2006.07.31 (08)
> [E]
>
> Here's a brief article I found on Spiegel Online
> regarding Dutch language
> proficiency:
>
> SPRACHKENNTNISSE
> Niederländer leiden unter Selbstüberschätzung
>
> Die Niederländer überschätzen sich nach einer
> Studie bei ihren
> Fremdsprachenkenntnissen. Viele halten ihr Deutsch
> für fortgeschritten,
> obwohl sie kaum über das Anfängerniveau
> hinauskommen.
>
> Hamburg - Acht von zehn getesteten Personen
> beherrschten die Sprachen
> weniger gut, als sie selbst von sich gedacht
> hätten, heißt es in einer
> Studie der Radbout-Universität in Nimwegen. Von 300
> Testpersonen habe fast
> jeder vierte höchstens Anfängerniveau gezeigt,
> obwohl diese Gruppe selbst
> ihre Englisch-, Deutsch- oder Französischkenntnisse
> als "mittel" oder
> "fortgeschritten" bezeichnet habe.
>
> "Die Niederländer denken oft, sie hätten wegen
> ihrer guten
> Sprachbeherrschung einen naturgegebenen Vorteil in
> der Geschäftswelt",
> erklärten die Leiter der Studie, Bert van Onna und
> Carel Jansen. Zumindest
> im Jahr 2006 beruhe dies allerdings auf einer
> "starken Selbstüberschätzung".
> Gabriele Kahn
...clip...

Hi,

Not just in 2006. I assume it has always been like
this.
Fact is: when in 1940 the Dutch government fled to
London, all the ministers were used to reading
Shakespeare, and thought they were real heroes in
their language proficiency. But no one of them was
able to order a cup of tea in English.

And I remember that some Dutch ministers were visiting
Paris. Among them a minister for environmental
affairs. She declined to have an interpreter as her
french was just outstanding.
When her french colleagues asked what her job was, she
said that she was 'une ministre du milieu'.
The french government was very surprised that such a
little country had a minister who was only dealing
with the underworld.

vr.gr.
Theo Homan

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