Language problems

[Anonym bruker]

Hi,

 

I have a question to all of you “foreigners” who have moved to Norway with your Norwegian partner: how did you go about the Norwegian language? I’m thinking in regards to jobs but also making friends.

I’m Norwegian and my husband is English and we will move to Norway sometime this year but he’s quite scared as he doesn’t speak any Norwegian and will have to give up his job (he’s a lawyer).

 

Thanks for any comments or advice...

 

 

 

[Anonym bruker]

Unemployment is low in norway at the moment, so the chance of finding work is better than in many years. When my husband moved here a few years ago it was difficult, unless you found an international company to work for. I know many of his friends struggled, but they've gotten work:)

 

As a lawyer it could be difficult for him to find work, as he would be expected to work with norwegian law. I would suggest contacting some of the bigger firms who are more likely to represent norwegians and firms abroad, i.e. deloitte, kpmg, thommesen, ernst&young, pricewaterhousecoopers, selmer.

 

My husband got to take norwegian classes (i think that's changed now and you have to pay for the class). See http://www.velkommenoslo.no/

The best way to learn is if you start speaking norwegian to him, hm.

 

It might be a little hard to find friends at first, my husband is involved with sports and got a lot of friends through that. He also has a lot of friends from his own country:) It is also usual to hang around with people you work with, so if he finds a job that would be good for that too:) From my experience, it's not recommended that he only "shares" your friends. The good thing is that most norwegians like to speak english so he'll be understood here:)

 

I don't know if this is helpful, and don't make him more scared:) I wish you all the best on the move though:)

 

 

 

 

[Ladypau]

I arrived in Norway only three months ago (from Argentina) but I already feel a bit frustrated. My husband is Norwegian and even though his friends have been great at welcoming me to their group, I often feel "left out" a lot.

I haven't been able to work yet, cus I arrive being 5 months pregnant, so I guess that lowered my chances but as a Language Teacher, even working for international schools I was always required to be fluent in Norwegian. A lot of people had told me that being fluent in English (I lived in the US and UK for over 4 years) I wouldn't have a problem, but most companies seem to still require you speak Norwegian.

If your husband will be applying for a residency permit trough family, he will get free Norwegian classes.

I just don't find it easy to make friends here, although I know it would be different If I had a job.

Norwegian, even though are very nice, are not the chatty kind...It's really hard to start conversations, I don't find it easy at all!

Hope my experience helps!

 

 

[DelabeB]

The job market is not easy in Norway. He has to learn Norwegian, really. Even if he finds a job that allows him to use only English, socially and culturally, it will be very difficult without Norwegian.

 

The legal world I imagine is even more dependent on language--but I guess it depends on what kind of law he practices. I hope he has some familiarity with international law, or some related field, because his chances of finding a job will be greater. If not, he might have to go back and study Norwegian law. Also, if he does find a job in some firm, or an industry job, he would still need to negotiate between laws of whatever countries he will be working with.

 

If I were him I would contact international headhunting firms for some advice, and some idea of what kind of lawyers norway might need....I would bet money that it would probably surround the oil industry, things such as contracts and shipping and other such things....especially as that is the main "export" as it were. Check around Stavanger--they have a HUGE international community born completely from the oil industry.

 

Otherwise...I have many international friends that got jobs immediately, if they were in fields that were in need here...although they needed Norwegian. But MOST of my international friends have had a LOT of trouble finding a permanent job...it is not easy.

 

[lucifine]

When we came to Norway I had some help learning the language from my mother. She could speak the language, but not read it so we helped eachother learn.

 

*We attended a norewegian course to learn the language.

 

*we used to turn off the sound(or at least way down low) on the tv so that we had to read the text to understand what people were saying. I hated it- but it helped. In the beginning I couldn't read half of the text on the tv, but now I think the texting is slow!!

 

*we borrowed books on tape from the library- and tried to get the books too so that we could hear and see the pronounciation of the different words. I didn't always understand the words, but I copied the sound of them and that helped with pronounciation..

 

*we played a lot of word games together, and always carried a mini nor/eng dictionary in our pockets.

 

*we watched a lot of norwegian tv and movies, and we would read outloud from norwegian books. I would often read to my familiy -trying to sound out the words as I went along- and then had someone translate to me what I had read. I didn't know what I was saying, and I sure didn't say things right, but it helped get the feel of the lanuguage. It's almost like teaching the blind about shapes or colors- they have to feel, hear, and taste the words, nevermind if you don't understand them all at first. It comes with practice.

 

*Make signs with the norwegian word for things and hang them up all around the house.

 

If you try some of this stuff (as frustrating as I know it is) I think he'll get a lot "free".. Nevermind grammar to begin with, just concentrate on learning the names to things and most of all: start using the language. It'll end up churing in the back of your mind just like that song you heard on the radio that got stuck on your mind..

 

Start now (even if you decide not to move yet. It's good for him to learn some og "your world"). Good luck!

[suziguzi]

Hei!

 

I'm married to a Norwegian and moved to Norway in January last year. I guess I was lucky to be living in Stavanger where they have an excellent school where foreigners can learn norwegian, it's Johannes skole. I learned the language so well that alreday in May I started working in a position where it was obligatory to speak the language. So, if your husband has a little time and will, he can make it too. It also helped that, from the moment I landed in Norway, my husband and I started using only norwegian in communication with each other. Of course, some things had to be done in English, but we tried to avoid that.

An excellent book for English speakers is a box with 2 CDs and a book (I think it's called Teach yourself Norwegian, I'll have to check), I used it before I moved to Norway and after couple of months I could communicate in Norwegian, even though I learned it by myself. You can order it from Amazon.uk, it's not very expencive.

It's important to use the language all the time and not to be shy. Nobody will lough at him. Everyone I've ever met has been just positive and supportive when it came to the language. Norwegians like to see people trying to learn their language and are always willing to help.