People in Germany or France - HELP!

[Talyubittu]

I suppose I should start at the beginning. I've always wanted to travel, and have always wanted to talk to everybody in their native language, ever since I was little. I used to sit and memorize the french and spanish directions on the back of stupid things like shampoo bottles or any other thing that had another language on it, even if I didn't know what it was saying. I've always picked up on languages fast, accent and all, and even how to use the language's grammar. So naturally, I want to continue with a career in this area, language.

My school offers programs where you can travel to either, Germany, Spain or France - depending on the language(s) you are taking at school, and you are allowed to study their for a year. I'm most likely going to be in Germany for my senior year of high school, and hopefully stay there afterwards to attend school at the university. - The only problem is, I'm not sure what type of job markets are avaliable overseas? I know I want to work in translation using German, French and English - because those are what I'm currently studying, I plan on studying more languages later on as well, but for now thats what I'm mainly interested in. I know computer companies like Intel have locations all over, and at least 4 in Germany and they look for people who speak both English and German fluently. I'm really interested in a career like this where I can openly work in more than one language, it would be amazing to do! If anyone in either of these countries knows anything about job markets in translation between business or companies could you please inform me so I can do a little independent research and plan with my school counselors on what to do, one of the requirements for me to qualify for this overseas education program is that I need to plan on whether or not I'm going to stay in the country of my choice after high school, and whether or not I have a place to intern for it, so could someone/anyone help me, pweeeeze. Any information you have would be helpfull. That includes anything you know about being able to translate between business and etc in these countries. Please just inform me with anything you know :)

[volk1]

I do not live in either of these countries, but seeing as I am a senior in high school and have learned quite a lot about high school and college education, I feel as though I can offer some suggestions.

I don't know much about studying abroad in high school. I mean, I was planning on spending a semester in Russia, and my grandpa was so excited to pay for me to do it, but he passed away :( . However, if you spend a year in Germany for high school, I highly recommend doing it through your own school so you will be able to complete credit requirements and get your diploma from your home school. Then, you can get your diploma from your own high school, then head to college in Germany if that's what you TRULY want to do.

When you said "college in Germany" I assumed you wanted to flat out move there and go through your entire college education there? I'm not sure what you meant, but here I go rambling again... Anyways, I highly recommend simply doing a study abroad program. Colleges/Universities have amazing study abroad programs that make it VERY easy to make the transition into the lifestyle of getting an education in a different country. So you will be enrolled at a US university but you are able to go abroad for a year, even more if you want. For your own sake, in your junior and senior years, check out universities that are well known for their study abroad programs and talk to someone about it. It will really help a lot.

My German teacher spent a long time in Germany, and even went to a university there (through studying abroad): he had to take language proficiency tests, etc etc. Just be prepared to spend a lot on your education when going to a diff. country. He is in his early thirties and STILL paying off his school loans.

But yeah, I hoped I helped a little bit.

Basic summary of this whole thing: check out study abroad programs at colleges!!!
They are VERY convenient and are designed FOR people in your situation and with your very same passion. :D :coctail:

[freddie]

I think it's AMD who has it's plants in Dresden, Germany, not Intel. You should give them a ring. I'm sure they'd make good use of a native-english speaker who also speaks German.

[Talyubittu]

I do not live in either of these countries, but seeing as I am a senior in high school and have learned quite a lot about high school and college education, I feel as though I can offer some suggestions.

I don't know much about studying abroad in high school. I mean, I was planning on spending a semester in Russia, and my grandpa was so excited to pay for me to do it, but he passed away :( . However, if you spend a year in Germany for high school, I highly recommend doing it through your own school so you will be able to complete credit requirements and get your diploma from your home school. Then, you can get your diploma from your own high school, then head to college in Germany if that's what you TRULY want to do.

When you said "college in Germany" I assumed you wanted to flat out move there and go through your entire college education there? I'm not sure what you meant, but here I go rambling again... Anyways, I highly recommend simply doing a study abroad program. Colleges/Universities have amazing study abroad programs that make it VERY easy to make the transition into the lifestyle of getting an education in a different country. So you will be enrolled at a US university but you are able to go abroad for a year, even more if you want. For your own sake, in your junior and senior years, check out universities that are well known for their study abroad programs and talk to someone about it. It will really help a lot.

My German teacher spent a long time in Germany, and even went to a university there (through studying abroad): he had to take language proficiency tests, etc etc. Just be prepared to spend a lot on your education when going to a diff. country. He is in his early thirties and STILL paying off his school loans.

But yeah, I hoped I helped a little bit.

Basic summary of this whole thing: check out study abroad programs at colleges!!!
They are VERY convenient and are designed FOR people in your situation and with your very same passion. :D :coctail:

Are you positive he attended school in Germany?

Both the German professors at my school told me that it was free. Odd... either way I'll go hopefully. Thanks Lisa :)



& Freddie - I'm sure it's Intel. I already contacted them :) I'll look into AMD as well, thank you guys :)

[QueenBee]

Talyubittu, I think it's the same as in Sweden - you only pay for college.

[Talyubittu]

Okk, thanks for clearing that up :)

[QueenBee]

Talyubittu, but wait! I'm not sure 100%... so please don't yell at me if I'm wrong :p

[volk1]

Are you positive he attended school in Germany?

Both the German professors at my school told me that it was free. Odd... either way I'll go hopefully. Thanks Lisa :)



& Freddie - I'm sure it's Intel. I already contacted them :) I'll look into AMD as well, thank you guys :)


Well, it's very very low tuition if you're living there, being a German citizen, attending a university. Unless you're a German citizen, I am pretty sure you have to pay some sort of out-of-the-country fees/tuition (but I dunno tho, don't quote me, cuz I'm no expert). German Universities aren't free, they are just very very low cost compared to US universities, I believe, partly due to having to pay higher taxes. For example, Humboldt University in Berlin - "The study costs for the full twelve-month study program will amount to 7,700 Euro."

Oh and my teacher went on a study abroad program for a couple of years. Studying abroad is what you have to pay a bit for, because, you're paying US university prices, to go overseas.

I'm just suggesting, it would be a much easier transition and a much more logical route to do a study abroad program instead of going there flat out (IMO). And you can always do all of your grad years at a German university. :coctail:

[freddie]

As far as Europe is concerned we have the Erasmus foreign exchange student program through which you can study in most EU countries and you also get a scolarship (a friend of mine went to Niemegen, Holland 4 years ago through Erasmus). All classes are in English and our law school in Slovenia is involved in that program as well. The only real problem is the lodging which you have to arrange yourself, but the scolarship pretty much covers that. I'm sure you have a similar program in the States.

[coolasfcuk]

most EU universities (if not all) have different - understand that as higher - tuition for NON-EU members .....

also, getting a job as translator for a business or a company like Intel would require absolute mastering of both languages and usually we are talking technical languaes - so I assume preference goes to applicants with University degrees and at least minimum work experience (if not a lot) and preferebly in that given field. unless of course you have some solid and FAT personal connections.....
I would guess any internship after high school at a foreign country your councelor is expecting you to get is... at the ice-cream shop for example?

[freddie]

most EU universities (if not all) have different - understand that as higher - tuition for NON-EU members .....

also, getting a job as translator for a business or a company like Intel would require absolute mastering of both languages and usually we are talking technical languaes - so I assume preference goes to applicants with University degrees and at least minimum work experience (if not a lot) and preferebly in that given field. unless of course you have some solid and FAT personal connections.....
I would guess any internship after high school at a foreign country your councelor is expecting you to get is... at the ice-cream shop for example?

Yeah, sadly that's the harsh reality. You can't just get a corporate job on another continent with a friggin' high school degree. There are thousands of people with master's degrees waiting in line to get those same jobs and most of them are EU citizens at that. So no chance...
Your best bet is foreign exchange student option.

[coolasfcuk]

Yeah, sadly that's the harsh reality. You can't just get a corporate job on another continent with a friggin' high school degree. There are thousands of people with master's degrees waiting in line to get those same jobs and most of them are EU citizens at that. So no chance...
Your best bet is foreign exchange student option.

i mean that aside, being that the native language is English... well, thats pretty tough luck, because it is such universal language, now-a-days pretty much everyone knows English, and they know it WELL! so any native German that knows english well (millions of them) and with a higher education and experience would be the desired candidate

[Sunrider]

I don't know if it's what you're looking for, but you could check this

http://portal.hhs.nl/portal/page?_pageid=125,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

It's not in Germany, France or Spain, but they do offer all-English programs (European Studies, for example) where you can actually study these languages, as well as Russian, Turkish and some Chinese. However, I know from my own experience these language programs are very demanding, and I don't know if having basic knowledge of these languages is mandatory.

I'm sure there are similar programs in other European nations. Maybe they can help you find them. You could email them or something.

[Talyubittu]

Thank you all for the information!

I'm not planning on translating right out of HS as well, thats why I want to live for awhile and take language classes IN one of these countries, to perfect my language skills in that language. I'm prepared for demanding course work, I'm very very very interested in language, so thanks again!

Cool: i know you work here and don't speak english primarily. Would you mind PM'ing me telling me a little about your native language and how you came to work here?

[coolasfcuk]

Cool: i know you work here and don't speak english primarily. Would you mind PM'ing me telling me a little about your native language and how you came to work here?

I am not sure what you mean - i speak English primarily now, i live in the USA ... I ended up here by chance 10 years ago when my dad came to do lectures around the country - i had just graduated from high school and got a tourist visa (which at the time was REALLY hard to get for a bulgarian) only thanks to my dad ... i came, toured with my dad from Miami to Santa Barbara for 3 months... and of course like lots of Eastern Europeans in the mid 90s that was a great oportunity to try to get away from the misery back home - so my dad managed to work his magic and change my visa from tourist to student and i enrolled in the university he was reasearching in ... i didnt actually work until junior year in college or something - we eastern euros are spoiled and dont work when we are YOUNG! LoL .. and even then i worked doing research for a professor... or in summers for another professor of mine... so all of my work has always come through University and connections ive made.
what else... well, you forget that English is very universal, pretty much eveyone in the western world knows english in the younger generation... we had pirated cabel tv when i was in high school full of British and American muvies... not to mention i had been studying english since 3rd grade ..... i only use bulgarian to talk to my parents now and when i go back home every summer.... and lemme tell you that every summer the language changes quite a bit, slang and all, so there are always new things to pick up... and my friends in BG tell me that from time to time i structure my BG sentances like english! :lol:
Bulgarian in a Slavic language.. and NO, Bulgarian is not like Russian, Russian is like Bulgarian :heh:
good to see you have ambitions, make sure you dont just talk about them.... PUSH fwd, but push smartly and not blindly .... and TRAVEL lots ;)

[Talyubittu]

!!! I want to travel so bad!

I was invited to go with one of my best friends to Germany and Bosnia this summer, I'm really interested in going, I just have to make sure my parents are convicned I won't get raped and cut up into a fillet.

Interesting though, that you form your Bulgarian sentences like English. I think it's really cool that you know both languages though! Learning how to say something in English & in another language is so important. Like in German, when you use the words for "Because" you can either say "_____ denn(Because), ____" but if you use "Weil" you have to pitch your verb to the end of the sentence. It's something that I've caught onto easily. :) Thanks for the info.

[coolasfcuk]

English is one of the EASIEST languages to learn.....

[Sunrider]

we eastern euros are spoiled and dont work when we are YOUNG!

This is true even for third generation immigrants, I am afraid! :p

Bulgarian is not like Russian, Russian is like Bulgarian :heh:


:nunu: :p

[coolasfcuk]

This is true even for third generation immigrants, I am afraid!
its in the blood, my friend

:nunu: :p
what? go wikipedia slavic language history... :heh:

[Talyubittu]

English is one of the EASIEST languages to learn.....

I am in a student mentoring program at school. I actually have to go and give a speach on the 5th of may...but anyways. A lot of them are from Africa and some from Russia and Bosnia and Bulgaria. A few of them think English was a little diffiicult to learn, but a lot of them think it was a breeze. The ones who thought it was easy usually grew up in an eastern European country where English was known to some extent like you said, from cable tv or something like it.