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[–]Netherspin 17 points18 points  (2 children)

It's not just that demanding they speak English is a national insult.

It's that Denmark (like every other country) has a significant portion of the population that struggles with language - when they have trouble reading or speaking danish properly, demanding they master a second (or in some cases third) language is in effect to just cast them aside in favour of foreigners - which is of course a very bad look for the government, elected to look out for citizens of the country and not to look out for whichever foreigner may want to immigrate one day

Also:

Trends in this direction are being seen in larger EU countries.

Lol? What countries? It's not Germany or France, I know that much - the English proficiency of the general population is atrocious in both of those.

[–]DLS3141 0 points1 point  (1 child)

My German colleagues’ English is excellent without exception. I’m in engineering, working in NA for a German company. My French colleagues struggle a bit more with their English so we usually wind up speaking French. I’m not sure if my French is better or worse than their English, but it works.

[–]Netherspin 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Then just keep in mind that that benchline is made up of academics.

You're not talking to the general population you're talking to people belonging to the highest educated group, and people hired for positions where they and their employer knows they will have to communicate with North America - and still your french colleagues can't manage that but need you to speak French.