Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

OFF TO THE WORLD CUP - DON'T GET LOST IN TRANSLATION

OFF TO THE WORLD CUP? DON’T GET LOST IN TRANSLATION!

It is no secret that the English are well behind their European counterparts when it comes to making the effort to speak another language and according to Euro London Appointments, the specialist language recruiter, there's likely to be a definite over reliance on English by UK visitors to Germany this June. “Contrary to popular belief, loudly speaking English in a German accent accent won’t help the locals understand you”, says Director Steve Shacklock. So, for those of you whose German only stretches to “Zwei bier bitte”, here’s Euro London’s guide to the top ten phrases – with translations- you may need while cheering your team on:

I think I have damaged my metatarsal
Ich denke ich habe mir den Fuß verletzt

They think it’s all over – it is now
Sie glauben es ist alles aus - Es ist tatsächlich vorbei

It is a game of two halves
Nicht zu früh freuen, das Spiel hat zwei Hälften!

We were robbed
Wir sind ausgeraubt worden

We won the cup, we won the cup ee ay adio we won the cup!
Wir haben den Pokal gewonnen, yuhu!

And on a slightly more serious note….

Have you any rooms – how much are they?
Haben Sie ein Zimmer frei? Und was kostet es pro Nacht?

What time does the game kick off
Wann faengt das Spiel an?

How do I get to the stadium
Wie komme ich am besten zum Stadion ?

Can I get there by bus/train?
Kann man mit dem Bus/mit der U-Bahn zum Stadion fahren?

Is it within walking distance?
Ist es moeglich zu Fuss zum Stadion zu gehen?


And once the football is over, from a business point of view, Euro London, which specialises in recruiting multilingual personnel across Europe believes that there’s a real need to develop our language skills. “While its true that English is becoming a global business language, there's possibly more demand for a second language now amongst professionals than ever before, particularly if you want to work for a major international company or financial institution”, says director David Shacklock. If you have a good understanding of the local language, you gain tremendous advantages in day to day business meetings, in negotiations and in building relationships with clients and colleagues. It makes it so much easier to pick up on cultural differences and nuances and to become a genuine part of a team rather than just a tolerated outsider.”

-Ends-

Tracey Dunn
BlueSky PR
Tel: 0845 3700125
Email: tracey@bluesky-pr.net