A European language revolution, or the same old news?

Brit in Germany is one of the language-related vloggers whose videos I watch from time to time. He’s a thoughtful fellow and I recommend you subscribe to his channel. But I occasionally disagree with his take on things.

In a video entitled “The European language revolution everyone’s ignoring,” he discusses a “revolution” in European languages. But if this is a revolution, it’s a very old revolution that has been underway for quite some time.

First, there is the fact that most European countries now have a unified national language. This wasn’t always the case. But it’s hardly a new development. Various French dialects, to cite one example, began to disappear in the Napoleonic era. Swabian and Sicilian have long been marginal in Germany and Italy.

The video also mentions the prevalence of English as a second language in Europe, as if this is something new or revolutionary. I remember being told in the 1980s: “All members of the young generation in Europe speak fluent English!” The “young generation”of the 1980s are now in their 50s and 60s. Do they all speak fluent English? One doubts it. But then, I was also told in the 1980s that all the young people in Japan and South Korea speak fluent English. Go to Tokyo or Seoul in 2025 and try to speak English with a random 50-something. See how far you get.

Insofar as Europe and English is concerned, this is what can be said:

-Almost everyone in Europe studies English at some point, so a European with zero knowledge of English is rare.

-English proficiency is highest in the small Northern European countries like Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Finland.

-In Germany, your mileage may vary, depending on where you are and with whom you’re interacting.

-In Spain, Italy, Portugal, and France, proficiency in English is by no means to be assumed, though many people speak it.

-Wherever you go, more young people than old people are proficient in English. The young are the ones actually studying English in the classroom, after all!

-This doesn’t mean that all young people are proficient in English. But if you are talking to a proficient English speaker in continental Europe, the odds are high that you’re talking to someone under 30. This is true in 2025. This was also true in 1985.

-English-proficient youth do not  necessarily retain their English skills as they age. (Remember: I’ve been hearing about young people who speak “fluent English” for more than 40 years!)

-That’s the way it goes with any skill. You use it or lose it. When I was 15 years old, I could play a passable rendition of “Stairway to Heaven” on the guitar. But I haven’t taken guitar lessons or touched a guitar since 1984. Today I remember the basic chords, and a few fragments of songs.

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In defense of Brit in Germany, these “revolutionary” findings were presented on the internet by the European Commission, which is always eager to tout the narrative of European unity. Where language is concerned, this means: strong support of national languages with English as the unifying factor.

None of this is inaccurate, necessarily. But it doesn’t represent a major, recent change, either. What we have here is a headline from 1985, refurbished for 2025.

-ET

On my Japanese TBR list

Whenever I go to Japan, a book haul is always near the top of my to-do list. Japanese-language books are not impossible to acquire in the United States; but it’s seldom as convenient as placing an order on Amazon. 

This title would loosely translate as History of the Showa Era that Citizens Don’t Know.

As the cover image suggests, there are numerous chapters about the Japanese Imperial Navy and World War II.

One of the many rewards of learning a foreign language well is that your potential reading list will be vastly expanded. Some of my favorite books are Japanese-language titles.

-ET

 

Is Zelensky’s English up to the task?

Foreign language learning is one of my main areas of interest, along with history and current events. It is therefore no surprise that I was drawn to this video about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s level of English, and whether or not it is up to the many tasks he faces. (Zelensky’s native language is Russian. He’s learned Ukrainian and English.)

Zelensky speaks good conversational English, and his English skills would be adequate for many public speaking situations.

That said, Ukraine’s president would be well-served by an interpreter, especially when he is faced with a tense and competitive English-speaking situation, like his recent meeting in the Oval Office with President Trump and Vice President Vance. Can we all agree that communications went awry there?

This is no slam on Zelensky. He’s had a lot on his plate in the last few years. He can be forgiven if his English is stuck at an intermediate level.

Mastery of a foreign language is not a binary, overnight process. I speak a number of languages to a degree that is fine for conversational purposes. But international diplomacy requires a whole other level of proficiency.

Other than English, there are only two languages that I would feel comfortable conducting difficult negotiations in: Japanese and Spanish. If I had to conduct sensitive negotiations in Mandarin, Portuguese, or German, I would want an interpreter present, even if I understood most of what was being said.

-ET

Pet Sematary in Spanish

If you want to maintain your abilities in a foreign language, you have to use the language regularly. And one of the best ways to practice a foreign language is by reading.

Forget the “apps”—read an old-fashioned book.

(Note: Yes, certain apps can be helpful when you are first learning a language. I’m not anti-app. But once you’re proficient, real-world materials will help you make the most progress. If you’ve been studying a language for years, you should be well beyond the Duolingo stage.)

I first read Pet Sematary—in English—in 1984. Back then, the book was new to all readers, and widely billed as, “the novel that scared Stephen King while he was writing it.”

Like The Dead Zone, which I recently discussed, I remembered the basic plot line and main characters of Pet Sematary. But I have forgotten enough to make the book entertaining the second time around. Also, when I first read this novel, I was a teenager. I’m now in my mid-50s. That makes a big difference.

What about the Spanish?

I sometimes get tongue-tied when chatting in Spanish, but my reading and aural comprehension abilities are quite high. I can read just about any modern text in Spanish, with only an occasional reference to a dictionary.

Lest this strike you as braggadocio, I will also point out that I had my first exposure to Spanish as a high school student more than 40 years ago. I took one year of intermediate Spanish in college. I used Spanish on the job during frequent trips to Mexico in the 1990s and 2000s.

My Spanish is good, by the standard gringo yardstick, and it should be, after all this time. I’m not a language-learning virtuoso, by any means. But I am a dedicated language learner, and one who has been at it for a number of years now.

-ET

P.S.: If you would like to try reading Pet Sematary in Spanish, you can get the book on Amazon. Pet Sematary is also available in English, of course.

Language learning goals for 2025

Zoe.languages is one of the language YouTubers whom I like. Below she speaks about her language learning goals for 2025.

What about me, you ask? I love learning foreign languages, and could easily spend all my time doing so. But for me, learning languages (especially new ones) is now a sideline.

My goals for 2025, therefore, will be somewhat limited:

  1. Maintain my Japanese and Spanish
  2. Become more articulate in Mandarin
  3. Become fully proficient in Russian and German

I.e., I’ll be focusing on five languages this year, four of which I already speak and understand to a significant degree.

I am sorely tempted to take on Polish, Korean, and Arabic, too. But these are three difficult languages that would require more time than I can justify at present.

In the past I have studied French, Italian, and Portuguese. I may pick French back up near the end of this year. We’ll see. As for Italian and Portuguese: they are so similar to Spanish that I tend to mix them up, when I’m not spending a lot of time in a Spanish-speaking environment (as I’m not doing now).

-ET

Audrey Hepburn’s languages

I study multiple languages, and I worked for many years as a professional translator. I love foreign languages, and I love learning them.

Nevertheless, I don’t have much interest in the online “polyglot” community, as it has come to exist on social media platforms like YouTube. 

Nor will I ever create one of those cringeworthy YouTube videos in which a language learner displays his or her various languages for the virtual claps of fellow language learners.

(On that note: I am particularly dismayed by the “polyglot” YouTuber who employs randomly chosen native speakers as unwitting”props” in public spaces.)

I am far more impressed with people who combine multilingualism with a full slate of personal and professional interests. Foreign language study should be a part of every well-rounded, well-educated life. But not the sole focus of it…and certainly not an excuse to engage in constant public preening.

This is why I’m genuinely impressed by the linguistic achievements of the late Audrey Hepburn (1929 – 1993). Her first language was Dutch. She also spoke fluent French, English, and Italian. She was proficient in Spanish and German. 

Watch the above video, and you’ll see what a natural multilingual she was. You’ll also note that, unlike so many of today’s YouTube polyglots, she did not make a big deal of her attainments. She did not say, “Hey, watch me speak X language now!” Rather, she used the languages she had learned in a situationally appropriate and unpretentious manner.

-ET

Japanese salaryman dramas

A quick personal reading note: I’m on volume 6 of 課長島耕作 (Kachou Shima Kousaku). I’m rereading the whole series, which I read for the first time in the mid-1990s.

And yes, I’m reading it in the original Japanese. I was a Japanese language translator throughout much of the 1990s. I started studying Japanese back in 1988.

But if you don’t read Japanese, you can probably find the long-running Shima Kousaku series in English. (I’ve definitely seen it out there.)

People who know about my Japanese-language background often ask me about manga. Do I like it?

Well…yes and no. In general, I don’t care for the (often) sexualized fantasy tropes that comprise so much of the manga sphere. I much prefer the more realistic Japanese manga; and Shima Kousaku is my favorite.

The Shima Kousaku series begins in the 1980s. It follows the journey of a Japanese corporate employee, or salaryman, as he moves up the ladder of his employer, Hatsushiba Electric.

Not much happens in these stories, in terms of high-concept plot. These are basically soap operas, but they’re exceptionally well-done soap operas, with plenty of microtension.

A story doesn’t need zombies and car chases to be enthralling. (Though a story certainly can be enthralling with zombies and car chases; don’t get me wrong.)

-ET