German and English languages

Are you sure that’s what that sign means?

Signs are there for the express purpose of helping you find your way. They tell....

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A kindness repaid, 40 years later

After an overnight trip from Spain, I was thrilled to finally arrive at the doorstep....

Led astray by my naïve trust in a native speaker, but I should have known better

My trust in native speakers was boundless, and it caused me to maneuver myself into....

Three cheers for English: Concise, neutral, to the point.

English has its downsides. But when you compare it to German, French and Spanish it....

How chicken legs, triangles and sphincters will make you laugh

The German language is very precise and detailed, sometimes to the extent that it goes....

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Linguistic sleight of hand – bilingualism at any cost

After I had kids in Germany, I knew I wanted to raise them bilingually. But....

Trainin’ the Ukrainians – Refugees in the classroom

There are millions of Ukrainian refugees in Germany, and I decide to help out by....

What’s that schmuck doing in the jewelry store?

8 May 2022 The war in Ukraine has catapulted yet another German word into English....

The two dots that will make or break you

Speaking a foreign language can be tricky. Sometimes it can also get you into trouble....

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AI is cutting edge but it still ain’t perfect

Technology has exploded over the past decades. Artificial Intelligence is leading the pack, but even....

The queen turns out to be a football

Languages often adopt foreign words, but this can cause some odd situations, especially when the....

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