As someone from one of these top proficiency countries, Sweden, it’s not just the educational system. Learning english in school will only get you so far. You need to be exposed to english much more than that to become proficient. I was lucky enough to be incredibly exposed to english due to having an aunt that lived there, however.
I remember being on vacation in Germany as a kid. On the boat to Germany, there was a TV and no one around, I was bored, Terminator was on, cool. Except… They spoke german. I flip the channels, find the Simpsons, and they speak, german. After we had gotten through Germany and made it to France, I once again saw something on a TV somewhere, and they spoke French, though I could see the lips didn’t quite match what was said. I realised it was dubbed to French.
And that’s when I understood how I, as a 12 year old kid, could speak english better than most german and french adults.
These days are different I’m sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there are some traces remaining.
Mid proficiency - the countries wanting to learn anything but Russian. Top proficiency - the countries with excellent education systems.
As someone from one of these top proficiency countries, Sweden, it’s not just the educational system. Learning english in school will only get you so far. You need to be exposed to english much more than that to become proficient. I was lucky enough to be incredibly exposed to english due to having an aunt that lived there, however.
I remember being on vacation in Germany as a kid. On the boat to Germany, there was a TV and no one around, I was bored, Terminator was on, cool. Except… They spoke german. I flip the channels, find the Simpsons, and they speak, german. After we had gotten through Germany and made it to France, I once again saw something on a TV somewhere, and they spoke French, though I could see the lips didn’t quite match what was said. I realised it was dubbed to French.
And that’s when I understood how I, as a 12 year old kid, could speak english better than most german and french adults.
These days are different I’m sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there are some traces remaining.
I think TV is still completely dubbed in Germany, but who watches TV these days anyway.