• Question: do you learn languages?

    Asked by callommmm to Charlie 🚀, Col Op, Kirsty on 23 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Charles Laing

      Charles Laing answered on 23 Jun 2016:

      Hi callommmm,

      I moved from the UK to Germany a few years ago to work for the German Space Agency. At first I did not speak any German but I was able to slowly learn.

      I am now able to understand and speak a lot but most of my colleague speak great English anyway!

      Charlie 🚀

    • Photo: Kirsty Lindsay

      Kirsty Lindsay answered on 24 Jun 2016:

      I studied Spanish at school, Dutch when I lived in the Netherlands, and Japanese because my husband speaks it.

Comments

  • Photo: callommmm

    callommmm commented on :

    thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Photo: Andrea

    Andrea commented on :

    All the astronauts learn Russian and the European astronauts also learn Mandarin. These and English are the essential astronaut languages 🙂 All the current astronauts must be fluent in Russian and English as they sit classes in both. The next space station will be Chinese so that’s why the European astronauts are being prepared.

    In the European Space Agency most people speak 3 or more languages, just for general survival skills 🙂 But our paperwork thankfully is all in English! 😀

    I have Italian, English and ok Russian/French/German/Korean. If you live somewhere you can pick up the language no problem 🙂 It’s the fastest/best way 🙂