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Building Dialogue Between Cultures: Expats’ Way of Coping in a Foreign Country and Their Willingness to Communicate in a Foreign Language

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New Perspectives on Willingness to Communicate in a Second Language

Part of the book series: Second Language Learning and Teaching ((SLLT))

Abstract

During recent years there has been an increasing focus on student mobility and English as a foreign language. Willingness to communicate in a foreign language (L2 WTC) other than English is an issue less discussed. This chapter is based upon a study of expatriates’ (expats’) willingness to communicate in German as a foreign language in naturalistic settings. It is an attempt to listen to expatriate voices and to look for trends in how they experience their sojourn abroad, intercultural communication and foreign language learning. The study was carried out in Germany and the following groups were addressed: expatriates working and/or studying in Germany, all members of the network “Expats in Germany”. The methodology applied comprises a quantitative and a qualitative approach. The findings show that using English as a lingua franca influences expatriates’ German language communication. In addition, the expatriate situation in terms of cultural immersion strongly enhances their willingness to communicate in German dependent on expatriate age, education, gender, language skills, occupation and country of origin. The study argues for the importance of paying attention to individual and societal factors in foreign language learning and communication.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Møllevejen 25, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark

    Gertrud Tarp

Authors
  1. Gertrud Tarp
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gertrud Tarp .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of English, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

    Nourollah Zarrinabadi

  2. Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz, Poland

    Mirosław Pawlak

Appendix: Questionnaire

Appendix: Questionnaire

General Info

Q1. How old are you?

Q2. Gender: female or male?

Q3. In which country were you born?

Q4. Higher education: please mention all degrees/ diplomas

Q5. Your current profession

Q6. What was the main reason for your moving to Germany?

The Languages you Speak

Q7. What is your mother tongue/native language?

Q8. Which other languages do you speak?

  • First foreign language

  • Second foreign language

  • Third foreign language

  • Other foreign languages

German Culture: Then and Now

Q9. What was your impression of the German culture before you came to Germany? and how does that impression compare with your cultural experience now? please provide us with a short summary. (Feel free to write more, if you would like to).

Expat Statements

Q10. Adaptation & Identity

Please rate the following statements originating from expats living in Germany. The statements have been slightly adapted.

Please use the scale ‘Agree, Agree somewhat, Neutral, Disagree somewhat, Disagree, N/A’.

For those that don't know, N/A stands for not applicable.

  • Before I came to Germany, I knew the stereotypes: Germans love to drink beer, Germans love to eat Sauerkraut, Germans love soccer. But nothing about their way of life.

  • I do not feel so foreign any more. It is a question of mentality and personality, somewhat.

  • I am interested in working together with different cultures.

  • Be careful: do not forget your own identity.

  • Increasing cultural awareness is important and can be achieved through good education.

  • You should adapt yourself to the culture and not expect to change it.

  • You can keep your eating habits, but not your own country’s legal system.

  • Getting along with Germans depends largely on your attitude.

Expat Statements

Q11. English as a Lingua Franca (common foreign language)

Please only rate the following statements if you use English as a common language when you speak to other people in Germany, e.g. to other expats or Germans.

Please use the scale ‘Agree, Agree somewhat, Neutral, Disagree somewhat, Disagree, N/A’.

  • I would say that English is quite a simple language to learn on a basic or intermediate level, but many people do not master it sufficiently to communicate effectively beyond their own field of business. This is disturbing, and in the case of Germany for example, gives a false image of how well local people speak English.

  • I encounter more positive situations than negative ones, and it is always an amazing feeling, connecting with someone in a common language that is neither of our mother tongues.

Expat Statements

Q12. English as a Lingua Franca (common foreign language) … continued

The following are all statements from a native English speaker. Please only give your opinion on the following statements if you use English as a common language when you speak to other people in Germany, e.g. to other expats or Germans.

Please use the scale ‘Agree, Agree somewhat, Neutral, Disagree somewhat, Disagree, N/A’.

  • The English we develop together as expats is not the kind of English I speak at home.

  • I have to improve my British English when I go back to England.

  • English as a lingua franca is a simplification of the English language.

  • You cannot really associate English as a lingua franca with any culture.

  • When expats use English as a lingua franca, they use a lot of German words.

  • Germans tend to use a German word when they do not know the right word in English.

Expat Statements

Q13. The German Language

Kindly rate the following statements, made by fellow expats.

Please use the scale ‘Agree, Agree somewhat, Neutral, Disagree somewhat, Disagree, N/A’.

  • I would like to improve my German, but I mostly speak English with other expats.

  • I would like to speak more in my German class, but I do not feel confident enough.

  • During German class, I like when the teacher helps me to finish my sentence.

  • German is still a huge problem for me: I still can’t roll my tongue when I pronounce some difficult words, so it could lead to a new word with a different meaning.

  • I practice my German when I socialize with the other students because for me, that is how I improve my German.

  • When I am with other students, especially with someone close to me, then I feel more comfortable to speak German, because I know that they will listen, try to understand me and help me to pronounce German words correctly.

Expat Statements

Q14. The German language … continued

Kindly rate the following statements, made by fellow expats.

Please use the scale ‘Agree, Agree somewhat, Neutral, Disagree somewhat, Disagree, N/A’.

  • I find it very useful to use body language to express what I mean.

  • I find that Germans make very little attempt to understand foreigners if they pronounce German words incorrectly.

  • Start using German right from the beginning of your stay in Germany.

  • German class environment helped me to learn the language.

  • I found it easier to learn German by attending a German class than by going to work in Germany.

Challenges and Opportunities

Q15. What kind of challenges have you encountered as an expat in Germany? Name three.

Q16. What kind of opportunities have you experienced as an expat in Germany? Name three.

Cultural Awareness

Q17. Where has your German cultural awareness increased the most?

Please use the scale ‘Not at all, Low, Medium, High, N/A’.

  • At work

  • During German class

  • When socializing with other expats

  • When socializing with other Germans

  • When studying informative material about the German culture

  • When reading German literature

  • When comparing your own culture and the German culture

Comments.

German Language Lessons for Expats

Q18. How helpful have your German language classes been in the following situations?

Please use the scale ‘Not at all, Low, Medium, High, N/A’.

  • Cultural events

  • Communicating with Germans

  • Communicating with other expats

  • When applying for a job in Germany

  • At work/ in the office

Comments.

English Language Ability

Q19. How much have you benefitted from your ability to speak English?

Please use the scale ‘Not at all, Low, Medium, High, N/A’.

  • At cultural events

  • When communicating with Germans

  • When communicating with other expats

  • When applying for a job

  • At work/ in the office

Comments.

Socialising with Other Expats

Q20. Where do you mostly socialise with other expats?

Please use the scale ‘Not at all, Low, Medium, High, N/A’.

  • At public get-togethers/ social clubs

  • At work

  • During German class

  • At the gym/ during sports activities

  • At private parties

  • Privately arranged get-togethers

Comments.

Your Advice to Others

Q21. What kind of advice would you like to give future expats heading to Germany?

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Tarp, G. (2021). Building Dialogue Between Cultures: Expats’ Way of Coping in a Foreign Country and Their Willingness to Communicate in a Foreign Language. In: Zarrinabadi, N., Pawlak, M. (eds) New Perspectives on Willingness to Communicate in a Second Language. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67634-6_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67634-6_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-67633-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-67634-6

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

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