Hahaha sorry for laughing Andrew but that part when you sat in a circle with co-workers and going through what you did in the summer and getting more and more nervous was pretty hilarious! I hope you can laugh at the situation, with me, now as well! Good job feeling more and more confident! It's needed! Love the channel!

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

It's all good. You have to be able to laugh at yourself

I lived and worked in Dublin, Ireland, for fourteen months but my contract stipulated that I was allowed to go back to Sweden every 6th weekend. The Irish English was unknown to me, so I spent the first weeks trying to figure out what they were saying and how they pronounced some words. I had to take a couple of courses in the beginning before I could "go to work". The written tests after these courses were all ok, so it must have worked after all. On one trip to Sweden I decided to take the opportunity to take a shift at my Swedish job (I was "on lease" from Sweden to Ireland) to stay updated. At one point I had to use the radio and believe me when I say it was a disaster. I had not spoken Swedish on a radio for a couple of months, English only so I was suddenly unable to speak proper Swedish. What came out of my mouth was "Swenglish" and it was slightly embarrassing. Even more embarrassing was that I heard how stupid it sounded and began laughing at myself. Guess I didn't make a very serious impression on my colleagues and decided to get updated when I had moved back instead. I stayed longer than expected and got used to the Irish accent and speaking/working in English. I had Swedish colleagues and of course we spoke Swedish between ourselves at home and when no Irish staff was around. Summer and annual leaves began. I was the only Swede there for about a week and found that I had my dreams in English which was a new experience to me. When I finally went back to Sweden, it took me about two weeks before I could write in Swedish with the same ease and flow I was used to; I had read and written English for so long that it had got an impact on my Swedish that really annoyed me. Conclusion: the brain needs time to adjust from one language to another, so when you go back to the States, please allow yourself a week or so in Sweden before you go back to work so your mind is set on speaking Swedish again. I hope my story and experiences can provide some relief next time.

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

Been having panic attacks and anxiety all my life. Suxx.. Especially at work. Had a great doctor that told me that i'm just wired different and that this is a part of me. He said that it's nothing wrong with me but that i'm just a bit more sensetive. That took away alot of the shame about it. That it's OK. Just have to coop with it. And there are days that are worse then others... and on those days it's ok to be down. The next day will be better.

It is often so much easier to hear, read and understand English than to speak it yourself. You know what you want to say, but it takes so long to find the words you struggel to put together complete sentenses. I totally understand you had a hard time with Swedish when you just got back from vacation.

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

Tack!

When I was working with young people in Denmark, I tried to teach them that the accent doesn't matter as long as we understand what we are trying to convey. That being said, it took me a year and a half before I tried to pronounce things in Danish on a daily basis. The people I worked with could understand me, and was helpful with corrections. Eight years later I was told by other colleagues that I should learn to speak Danish (in front of children and parents). It all depends upon the people you are with. I was born and raised in Sweden, have a fairly advanced vocabulary, and some people still insist they know better than the dictionary, or common use of a word. Don't fret.

I remember when my missy (from Mexico) asked me what a specific word meant she saw while we went by car. Very close to Linköping Central Station there is a sign saying "Gåytorna" she prenounced it "gojtorna" which is kind of correct for you non-swedes. But I was thinking, God I don't know my own languge even. Then I figured it out, Gå-ytorna (en: walking areas). We have a lot of fun with swedish words. Other ones is Horlurar (hmm whores trixing or so in english) and Hörlurar (en: earpods for instance). She speaks fluid but still learns I guess every day or week something new. Keep at it Andrew, you and everyone else new here are awesomes!

I think you hit the nail on the head! It's really a lot about confidence. I've had this happen to me at work (a Zoo, so lots of different languages), and when it just hits you on the spot and nothing works in your brain and you're so exposed and have nowhere to go, it can really be scary.

I'm glad that your language comprehension has been growing, sounds like by leaps and bounds! I work in a hospital and have patients sometimes who don't speak English, so I try to learn some basic words so I can help them. Of course the hospital has translators but I think basics are important, because it IS frustrating not being able to communicate. Thanks for sharing your experience! Maybe you can do an updated language video sometime...all in Swedish(and with subtitles :D)

Thanks for sharing your experience! Knowing how people feel while learning a language is insightful!

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

thanks for watching!

I totally understand your feeling, I am living in Japan(Swedish person) and language-wise it can be very overwhelming at times but my advice to you is to practice your Swedish with people you know ( friends or girlfriend) it can feel more relaxing and if you do a mistake or don’t know something they can help you in a way that doesn’t put you in a anxiety building situation. And for when you are visiting America then get som Swedish language applications or watch Swedish KZread videos to keep up the language a little more. Keep up the good work!

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks and thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Don't panic Andrew! It was probably the same feeling I got when was in New York last year.

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

I'm ok"

Very Nice video Andrew. Ses imorgon

You Will be alright! Quite apart from me, once upon a time in Paris, when I tried - in my best - though not very good French, to say something, the answer being: "Monsieur, vous avez un accent!" indicating -correctly - that my French was awful. I do not think that would ever happen to you in Sweden, because most of us know that Swedish is a small and rather difficult language to learn and that every effort to do so is worth an applause. Besides, with so many immigrants with mother tounges from other cotinents, we tend to be rather open to accepting small - or not so small - mistakes. Hans Strömberg Farsta Sweden

The best is when you speak to a Swede in Swedish or your version of it and they reply in English which in no way helps you. They often joke and say they need to practice their English, you smile politely and fight the urge. Working with the language is not easy for an English native speaker, as there is no much access to it in daily life in Sweden. You will find that many non native English speakers learn a lot faster than you, as unlike you they do not have English to fall back. Linköping is a very English friendly city due to the University and IT industry, so you always have that English safety net, but working in a Swedish speaking workplace will be the best way to full adapt. I noticed massive improvement in a very short time. They don't expect you to be perfect so don't worry about perfect pronunciation and always ask them to clarify in English if you don't fully understand. Relax, enjoy and fika.

Hey Andy! I pressed the like button! I rarely do that other than on music videos, cuz that means the liked video is added to my music playlist. But what the heck, now you are on my music playlist, not even singing!

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

Have you checked out my music go to spotify andrew austin in my dream and thank!

I understand that it is difficult for you not to speak english in Sweden because english is comfortable for you. Moreover Swedes are good at english and love to practice. I am French and have been living in Sweden for 15 years but i forced myself to learn swedish directly, even if my english was pretty good (for a French). It is uncomfortable at the begining but you learn fast that way. It opened many doors, especially to get a job but also to understand and be a part of the society. Otherwise you stay a tourist and miss a lot. Lycka till och ha det bra!

Hi, Andrew! It's ok! It takes time to learn a language. I had to learn English from scratch. I think now when you come to visit the US, you will have compassion for the people that struggle with the English language. Accents are our charm. I live in ATX for 28 years and I still have a Brazilian accent.

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Hi, Andrew. I'm from the US too and I live in Denmark. Speaking Danish can be very anxiety-inducing for me too. Are there also state-run language schools for foreigners in Sweden? In Denmark, it is called LærDansk and one can study there for pretty affordable prices. I myself go in the evenings since I have my studies at the university in the day

Here is a trick you can use. I know I did when growing up and learning English from TV. At first I did have support from subtitles but over time I was able to manage on my own and this helped me develop my English skills, of course going over to the U.K. for language school several times was a big boost. When you are the U.S. you could tune into SVT Play, and listening to others here on KZread speak Swedish. If you get problems with blocking, use a VPN and you can access all content on the play service. That way you will stay in touch with the language even if you are "away". Also finding people in the U.S. close to your location that speak Swedish or is learning Swedish could help, perhaps there are schools in your area, they might have students learning the language and you might be able to hang out with them at events and such speaking Swedish.

I have spoken english at such a young age that I cannot remember when I learned the basics and used for real for the first time. But I still spoke my english with an annoying Swedish accent sounding like Elin Ersson, and my grammar sucked and my vocabulary was suffiecent but lacked advanced words. Things would however change when I started to watch youtube videos from economic experts every day during 2009 to 2011. Then I learned words like "credit default swamps", "colleteral debt obligations", "mortage backed securities", "toxic assets" and "financial derivitives". So I think my english is much more specialized now and I have shaved off most of my ugly accent and stopped to constantly do grammar errors (even if it still happens) and I can now even hear when Americans use sloppy english with incorrect grammar. I think my fanatic dedication to learn about economics have had an unexpected spinoff effect on me that I now don't have any problems with reading 120 pages out of an English book in a single day. And I have also learned odd english expressions and phrases like "joe sixpack" (medelsvensson) "wishy washy", "kool aid drinker", "party pooper" and such. Chat roullette have also learned me much english slang like brb, STFU, gky, afk, ASL and so on. And I think everyone needs a time in life when they can do all trolling and asking stupid questions anonymously online so that they then can go on with their lives after they have been playing around a little bit. Learning have always been easiest for me when it have been fun or interesting. Drilling grammar have never been my thing.

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Listen to audiobooks in Swedish. I listened to the last Harry Potter book in English when it came out and man. I think that made like 50% of my listening comprehenshion. Speaking is harder. You just have to keep at it. edit: You can tell you've gotten more at ease speaking English even, from the KZread videos.

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

I feel much more relaxed

I can understand Danish fine, but not when I'm tired. I speak German ok, but there are times when I would not get any words out at all. Also, I learned some Spanish in school but soon after gymnasium I learned some Swahili: one language in, one out. Not to mention the two dead languages I've scratched the surface of, they are very easily forgotten. I guess the brain and our capacity for learning and using multiple languages is a complicated thing mixed of energy levels, interest, need, practice and confidence.

A lot of language is subconsciously absorbed and especially in the learning phase you bit by bit go over to thinking in the new language and then after a while you can think in multiple languages and interchange but that is a learning process as well , a Very specific skill- the trick to it is not to translate but change thought process ... Put on your Swedish brain or your Spanish brain. So not think in English how do I say this in Swedish but swap and think to yourself “ hm hur fasiken säger jag det här nu - det jag menar är ungefär det här ....” and you can do that regardless how much or how little of a language you know use the words you do remember at that exact moment to help you swap thought processes and secondary to that is saying things in the vocabulary you have at that moment including hands and feet and that also gives an example to people around you that its ok to learn and not be perfect and weirdly that is actually more impressive - pretty much like this clip and for the same reasons ie ”att du bjuder på dig själv “ you are just going for it and showing them trust. And anxiety -for me it’s easier being abroad because then I can be an eccentric and interesting Swedish person and re-invent myself. At home I’m just different -though it’s easier if people know that I’ve lived abroad so they expect that some of the foreign ways may have rubbed off ;) ( which they also have) doesn’t mean that I don’t love sweden which I do from the bottom of my heart but heartachingly enough ....

Chillax is the answer my friend, most Sweeds are forgiving when it comes to langue barriers. Take the time you need, when stressed your learning curve is more or less flat. I know, stress, anger, fright is a killer when it comes to learning (personal experience). If you fail, most Sweeds talks excellent English.. :) Peace out Bro

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words peace back!

My one and only panic attack in my life was one day when I had to deal with NAV and go to a meeting with them. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Labour_and_Welfare_Administration As for headaches etc when dealing with another language. Yeah, I *definitivly* recognize that feeling... I get that all the time when trying to understand Icelandic or Faeroese. Especially Icelandic as I actually understand a lot more of Icelandic but it takes *so* much effort to do so. And I have to *constantly* be alert and make logical connections to make that work. And then when two or more people are talking at once... Man, that's almost impossible to deal with. And I find myself unable to take part in the conversation as by the time I've actually worked out what they're saying and thought of a reply someone else has already taken that spot in the conversation and i'd be interrupting...

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

@Luredreier

5 жыл бұрын

+@@AndrewAustin Or in other words you *definitivly* have my sympathy there -_- And yeah, you're welcome. =)

Det är så med alla som inte använder språket hela tiden, som nu i veckan jag var och åt på en restaurang och träffade en fransktalande person som inte kunde engelska, då fick "chans" att visa mina i stort sett obefintliga språkkunskaper, men jag kunde iaf göra mig lite förstådd, så jag fick önskat henne bonne chance. :)

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

tack!

Hej prova på att lyssna på ljudböcker har hjälpt mig med min eng, har blivit bättre på meningsuppbyggnader.

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

tack!

I'm still anxious EVERY time I have to speak Swedish and I've been here 8 years! I have huge problems concentrating and understanding anything that's said to me too. I've come to the conclusion that I must have some kind of learning difficulty, but getting it checked out as an adult is proving to be really difficult. I've been waiting for a referral from Vårdcentralen for at least a couple of years now. Hopefully I'll get it sorted eventually.

@cryptochef70

5 жыл бұрын

Vad var anledningen för dina flytta till Sverige? Jag gillar veta om jag skulle vilja där mig själv.

@mozcab

5 жыл бұрын

@Xantippa1000 Yes, most Swedes do understand when I speak English with them, but I still feel embarrassed and ashamed that I can't communicate properly with them. Even my Swedish girlfriend sometimes gets pissed off that she can't speak Swedish in her own home! And thanks, I will keep trying, I don't really have any other option lol!

@mozcab

5 жыл бұрын

@@cryptochef70 I moved to Sweden for the same reason that most Englishmen do... a Swedish woman!

@mozcab

5 жыл бұрын

@Xantippa1000 We don't watch much Swedish TV, but I do listen to a lot of Swedish music even though I don't understand what they're singing most of the time. Part of my problem is I've never been able to concentrate on reading more than a couple of paragraphs, even in English, so studying just isn't something I'm at all good at unfortunately. My inability to learn the language has made me realise I've never been very good at education, hence the need to get it checked out. We've tried the talking Swedish at home thing many times as well, but even that doesn't work with me, which frustrates both of us no end. The upside is that my girlfriends English is now superb lol! I'm not going to give up, I love living in Sweden, so I can't give up.

What games you play man? You play ps4 by any chance? Could you imagine two Americans playing battlefield 5 but speaking Swedish. I think it would be hilarious. Lol

It will be easier in a few years, when you start thinking in Swedish. Svenska lär vara ett av de svåraste språken att lära sig.

Whoah, for real man?!

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

for real!

Do you ever regret moving to Sweden?

@AndrewAustin

5 жыл бұрын

No

Hej!

Panic attacks! Yes of course, but not considering languageses. Just other things. I don't think you should be so worried as your motherlanguage i English. Piece of cake for most people. Guess it's from other issues. Saying you are a teacher. Very interesting. In what subject or subjects. Talk a little more about that. I have a suggestion for you. Make short videos e.g. once or twice a month 2-5 minutes posting in Swedish with topics that feel comfortable for you to talk about. That would be a real challange for you. I also think you should love it. Come on, six years in Sweden and no swedish performance. Looking forward to it. Supportive regards from a fan. Best rgds Robert