The first Language by Doing event happened on March 6, a warm Thursday in Berlin-Tiergarten, where, contrary to popular belief, some people actually live. A small group of five hungry dudes and dudettes got together to take on the ultimate culinary challenge: Bratkartoffeln.
Anna, master of Bratkartoffeln.
We had a great time cooking and chatting, ate well and sat at the table with drinks late into the night. Stories of faraway places and nearby museums were swapped, jokes were made, and we tried to make sense of traffic around the world. Should roads have fewer rules or more? Fewer rules works surprisingly well in some places.
What the first event taught us
- People in Germany tend to speak English with Americans, even when the Americans would like to practice their German.
- Bratkartoffeln are tasty.
- Rotkohl needs bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves.
- Markus is allergic to peanuts.
- Events like this work best if you already speak the language a bit.
We talked for a long time, but we switched to English so everyone could join in, which isn’t really the spirit of the project.
So what do we do about it?
It’s probably best if you already speak the language you want to practice a little. You don’t need to be fluent. An easy conversation is enough. Everyone’s there to learn, so nobody minds if it takes a while to get your point across.
If you don’t speak the language at all, some activities are better than others. If there’s a lot of sitting, you’ll mostly be talking, and that’s easier with a basic grasp of the language. The host should make room for patience and practice, but you need some foundation to build on.
For sports it matters less whether you catch every detail, and you pick up simple expressions and commands quickly. Sports are also a great way to learn how to curse. Maybe one day we’ll run an “insult the referee” class.
We had a great time, and I’m looking forward to the next one.