International languages table, once a month

Private Initiative: “A language needs to be spoken! ... And that regularly and with people who know it best because they were grown up with it. Munich is wonderfully international! Why don’t we use this promising fact to exchange our native languages in a regular manner? �

The Idea: To install regular meetings (some kind of “Debating Clubs�) in order to practice and speak English, French, Italian, Spanish and also German with native speakers.

Who is welcome? Everybody between 18 and 80 who likes to meet new people and mentalities and – above all – wants to make conversation in one of these five languages at least once a month.

The Plan: One meeting per language and month. Only one of the five languages will be spoken during the whole evening. In those months with lots of legal holidays – like December or January – only one “Round Table�, some kind of “Multi-Kulti-Meeting�, will then take place for all participants.

However: Of course this project will only succeed with enough native speakers for each of the five languages and is not meant to be some kind of “evening class� or “tuition�.

Actual State: The first “Multi-Kulti-Table� has already taken place in December. Next one will be end of January 2007. It’s planned to start with the single “languages’ tables� in February.

Thus join us and increase this starter group of approx. 25 - 30 people.

Contact/Registration/News:
mailto: CherieBitter@aol.com (Subject: „International “Languages’ Round Table� Munich“)
Website
News-Diary & Comments

Sounds nice.

Don't take this the wrong way but you seem to have missed out some languages that are much more widely spoken in Munich as mother tongues than English or Spanish.

Turkish? Croatian/Serbian?

Dear MonksTown,

don't worry, I do not understand your question in a wrong way... Everybody is welcome in case he/she wants to practice one or more of these five languages... So, if a Turkish girl/guy wants to practice Spanish - fine! She/he will also be welcome, as is any Indian, Thai, etc.

The reason why I chose these languages is quite simple: I once studied them and want to practice them regularly with people who would like to do this as well.

Great Idea I would defo be interested for German and Spanish. My Chinese is pooh at the moment.

One point..hope you could do some round tables on the weekend as I away during the week!!!

Edited: Looks like the last one was a Thursday!!! bummer...

Can I bring Haggis Junior? She is graduating this year and needs to speak and hear French. And I wouldn't mind getting some Spanish practice - not that I ever learned it ...

@ Standford: Next "Multi-Kulti" will be a Thursday. Last one was a Tuesday. Having round tables on weekends is not scheduled yet and depends on how many participants (and "key native speakers") would prefer this proposal. However, it's of course imaginable to have one table/month on Sundays, e.g. for brunch. I wouldn't mind to consider that for the German one - as "key native speaker" for German.

@ Sarabyrd: No problem to bring Haggis Junior to the French one (We've already three French "key native speakers" on board). Would you'd also be interested in the English one as native speaker? We've already an Irish and an American Girl participating.

@ Everybody: To be put on the mailing list for invitations and actual news, please send me an e-mail.

Glad to see there are 3 French speakers signed up! I was a bit dubious about this as I used to go to a French Stammtisch (on Tuesdays) at Cabus, but got fed up with speaking French with mostly Germans (sorry!) who would often eventually go over into German in the end anyway.

I'm from London & lived around 8 years in France, so would like to join the French group, as long as there really are native French-speakers there!

Started learning Italian twice, but kept mixing it up with French! Would like to try again, but would have to start from the beginning again!

I have registered myself and Haggis Junior as native English and perfect German speakers who need/want to practice French. BUT: She is not 18 yet, so no fair buying her des trous normands.

I am not sure how this thing work. The explanation above appears ambiguous with regard to the functioning of the meetings. The weblink refers to a German webpage (which I have yet learnt).

For e.g., during this month's meeting, will the debate be done in the five languages? It will be like the EU parliament no, i.e. chaotic.

What will happen to people (like me) whom only speak and understand 3 of the 5 languages? Will these ppl be left out when the discussion lapses into the 2 foreign languages? Will these people be left out for future meetings involving these 2 languqges?

I am eager to meet the real polyglotte who could perfectly master all the above named languages. Nevertheless, the definition of "mastering" a language is also a question for debate. Can one really be fluent in more than 3 languages without sacrifising on the quality and appreciation of the nuances in one particula language?

Just curious.

I'm not sure about the quality of language suffering from speaking three or more fluently. Of the five languages mentioned I speak two perfectly, two fairly fluently and understand the fifth and never have the feeling that my two main languages (English and German) are lacking in any way. Maybe I am the "polyglotte" you have been wanting to meet all your life .

Ah but lets be honest Spanish, Italian and to a lesser Degree French are all of the same family. (French is still Latin but seems to be lesser of a closer language (spelling is pooh) as Spanish and Italian!). So not so difficult to get by (problem is seperating the languages!!!).

Many Spaniards claims to speak Italian which means putting on an accent in Italian whilst speaking Spanish and vice a versa for Italians and sure enough it works..last time I was in Barcelona Station I saw an Italian girl talking to a Spanish Train Staff and getting across what she wanted without even stepping out of Italian...

As for learning more than 3 languages - alas it is possible with dedication and interest or even better luck: international parents, you started during your holidays when you were young (shit young) or your au pair was hot and Spanish; your second au pair was hot and French and so on!!! Pity that I started at the ripe old age of 22 and never had an au pair - schucks...

As for the substantive question there will be (I suppose) German Nights, English Nights or people will split into their target language sections...so no EU chaos with translation service costing billions!!! : )

It is not so much of the question in which the quality of one language may suffer from the presence of too many other languages, but more the question of whether the quality per se can be attained.

Further parameters which could be brought into the discussion would be:
a. Is it fair to compare a normal layman with a professional translator?
b. Is it conceivable that a professional translator be able to appreciate Göethe, Shakepheres and Proust with equal depth?
c. Is the master of two indo-european languages can be considered "polyglotisme" in view of the immense variety of really different languages that one sees these days? The effort to master English-German may not commensurate with the effort to master Spanish-Tibetan, no?

A Linguistics dicussion for first thing in the morning - Wow "Tower of Babel and or that".

@Kenichi,

You make some interesting points and I tend to be on your side as when people say they are fluent in a language normal I take that with a pince of salt - as in What does that mean and how do you quantitfy it?

English Mother Tongue (educated!) allows you to switch effortlessly from the Sun to Shakespeare...but I can hardly do the same in German or Spanish for that matter... Even though on the scale of CV* fluent..then I'm defo fluent in German and lesser so in Spanish

So whilst my German is very good - as soon as I step out of my comfort zone (German complicated comedy - word plays; Scifi movies with lots of pyscho-bable, Literature, Sports etc) then I'm lost again...

CV* fluent is the modern tendency for all in sundry to right on their CVs fluent in a language even if it means that have only just waded thru the book German/Spanish in Three Months!!!

Hi,

I think this is a good idea I´d love to join to some languages and help others with Spanish, although Thursday is a bad day for me..

Anyway, I saw your webpage and there is a mistake:
Diridido: Hispanoablantes! Should be:
Dirigido a: Hispanohablantes!

(Please, don´t take this wrong, just wanted to be help!)

I took Russian courses while at law school but gave it up as Russian needs more dedication than I could give it at the time. I do agree that Slavic languages are more difficult to your average Westerner than those based on Latin.

Checking up my Topic this morning, I am pleased to see that it obviously produced inspiring discussions.

@ Night Owl: You definitely joint the wrong table in “Le Cabus�. I know about this Tuesday “French Meeting� and it indeed does not deserve its name. And it definitely was not ours (we only met once for the French table so far, and “Le Cabus� was just a first trial - which worked well, by the way). And of course for our languages' tables there must be the strict rule to speak nothing but that language (besides translation / vocabulary assistance of course).

@ Everybody: Even I do not yet know whether the “Thing� will work. Everything new usually starts with an idea and a rough concept. Next step is to start to realize it. That’s the point were we are at present.

The concept is quite simple: Finding several native speakers of each of the five languages who are willing to share their mother language with others in order to practice it and thus allow the others to improve their knowledge of this language - in separated / single meetings (one meeting per language and month/or all six weeks, we'll see).

In order to make sure that the single languages tables can take place in a regular manner, there will be a need of several native speakers of each of the five languages, because you cannot postulate that each of the “key native speakers� will find time to participate in every meeting. And of course, these single languages's tables would not make any sense without a native speaker!

Now, where is the benefit for those “key native speakers�? They of course may come to any other of these five languages tables, provided that they at least have basic knowledge in one or more of these languages. Thus it can but must not happen to meet the same people there.

And of course the principle will just work, if every native speaker will be prepared to participate in meetings -at least once in a while - where his own mother tongue is spoken.

This “Multi-Kulti�-thing is just meant to be something like a “Get together� of all people who are interested in this idea – in order to get to know each other personally, perhaps to built up some kind of "network" and to discuss and fix up things for the single languages tables. Furthermore, to find out whether people like each other/fit together - and for me to get a general idea on the actual status. It’s not planned to have it monthly… but perhaps two or three times a year. The language/s to be spoken there is indeed up to the participants but should mainly be German. Anyway, can’t see any problem in having some kind of “multiple languages’ table�… as the whole project is accounted as “International languages’ round table� and thus also aimed to create an international atmosphere. Can be funny!

+++

And it’s of course not presumed or assumed that everybody has studied and/or speaks fluently all five languages!!!

Exactly that’s the point! In order to keep a foreign language alive you need to practice it regularly! And to my experience the knowledge of a foreign language consists of three totally different struts: Writing, understanding and speaking!

If somebody can understand a language, and maybe also write it quite well, it does not necessarily mean that he/she can also speak it fluently (and vice versa).

So, maybe these tables can make some kind of contribution to change that …

Please, do not consider this little project more serious than it should be: Just an occasion practice one or more of these five languages in a regular manner and an international atmosphere with nice/new people who know one language best because they were grown up with it.

I for one think it is a great idea...and look forward to a German or Spanish Brunch one Sunday!!!

Suggestion:

You could extend it to include writing/book reading club as well. I am currently looking for a course that includes writing German and Spanish (but it hard to find as most private courses are focused on Speaking (Cheaper to administer!).

So if there was the pos. to exchange between people i.e. I help them with English writing for German or Spanish writing that would be great.

I will register since I've not done it yet...

Laters

@Citizen M: It would be great if you could serve as a "key native" in Spanish, and/or still know other "Hispanohablantes" (or a similar Internet Forum for Spanish) as up till now we only have a girl from Argentina on board, who will unfortunately not be able to participate regularly (young mother).

The certain days of the single languages' tables are not yet fixed and will always depend on the particular Native Speakers.

Thus just let me know, which day of the week would fit for you in order to find a date and make a trial with a first separate/single table for all people who are already announced there interest in Spanish.

By the way, thanks a lot for the correction! I'll change it. I'm far away from understanding this wrong. Go ahead. My Spanish is a mass

Referring to

"Stanford-Mail" "Jan 5 2007, 12:43 pm Post #17
Munich I for one think it is a great idea...and look forward to a German or Spanish Brunch one Sunday!!!
Suggestion: You could extend it to include writing/book reading club as well. I am currently looking for a course that includes writing German and Spanish (but it hard to find as most private courses are focused on Speaking (Cheaper to administer!).
So if there was the pos. to exchange between people i.e. I help them with English writing for German or Spanish writing that would be great. I will register since I've not done it yet..."

Sorry, did not yet find out how to insert these post-windows, maybe somebody can help


Anyway, here's the repy:

Dear Stanford

Nice Trial

If I'd do that as well in a serious way, I had to give up my present job and make this thing commercial... or ask you to pay my apartment...

But in earnest, it's per se quite a nice idea, but this would definitely blow up my sparetime. However feel free to instigate this idea yourself! That's what - e.g. - are these Mulit-Kulti-Meetings for: Besides having a "get together" also built up any sort of networks... Perhaps there will indeed be somebody who'd like to do/get the same in English... You thus could kill two birds with one stone and support each other.

As you will probably not be able to participate these tables during the week, the only thing I can do is to perk up my ears and to put this thing across to you if you want.

Hello,

I´m interested to come. I´m German so I will take part at the German language table and I would like to take part at the English language table. Let me know when and where you have planed the next one.

LG
Uli

@ Uli: Send me an e-mail, I'll put you on the mailing list. Next one will be a "Multi-Kulti"-Meeting (no particular language) for all - on Jan. 25th. Meeting point still to be annouced soon via mail.

Hi internationals!

I have recently arrived to Münich and am very interested to get to know new people...especially I like when around one table there are many cultures...
could you let me know if the international language table is still taking its place or it dissapeared...or transformed to anothr activity...?

many thanx

Hi, I'm American and would be interested in participating in the English and German round tables. This is a great idea!

Dear Friends of this project/idea, I placed here several months ago.

I was rather surprised (and of course also pleased) about the fact, that some of you digged up this old Message

However, just to confirm: Yes this project has successfully been set and it's running for all five languages. The only thing that changed, ist the e-mail-contact address: StammtischMuc@aol.de (the old one "Cheriebitter@aol.com" still exists, but will be shut down in the long run) for registration.

So, if you feel like talking German, English, French, Italian or Spanish once a month, contact me under "StammtischMuc@aol.de". Regards, M., alias CherieBitter

Hi M,

When and where is the next one and what language is being hosted?*

*Actually, I ran across this thread because I've been asked to start a French-language parents/children speak/play-group and was wondering if anyone here would be interested (yes, I know about the French forum site)

Next one this week (Thursday) will be the Italian one, Sunday the German one, next week will probably be the French one.
Watch the following Diary-Site: http://tagebuch.aol.de/cheriebitter/sprach...mtischmuenchen/

Please send me an e-mail if you would like to come (StammtischMuc@aol.de) in order to add you to the invitations distribution list.

By the way, can you (or somebody else) give me the link to the said French site? I do not know that one yet.
Tbanks & Regards. M. (alias "CherieBitter")