German MPs say some waiters only speak English and that it ostracises native population from life in the capitalA leading member of Angela Merkel’s party has lent his voice to a growing chorus of Berliners frustrated with the inability of restaurant staff to speak German. “You shouldn’t be ostracised from Berlin life just because you can’t speak English very well,” wrote Dominik Drutschmann, an author. Last week, three German MPs from separate parties wrote a letter to Merkel, calling on her government to support the use of German at official functions and within the institutions of the European Union. The German capital’s business senator recently called on institutions to improve their command of the English language. “Many haven’t clocked it yet that Berlin is also an English-speaking city,” said Ramona Pop, a Green party politician.

Source: The Guardian August 14, 2017 17:26 UTC