In this interview, we speak with Bertrand Mothe, a French professional currently living in Germany and working as Chief Procurement Officer for Metro Group, a global food wholesaler. To refresh his Spanish skills ahead of the move, Bertrand enrolled in an intensive course at Regina Coeli, eager to revitalize his language abilities for both professional and personal growth.
Why did you choose Regina Coeli for your Spanish language training?
I had the chance in my life, for work or pleasure, to travel in many countries and to even live in 6 different ones: France, USA, England, Switzerland, Germany and China. I’m very curious to discover and experience different cultures and nothing is better than speaking the language to connect with people, specially when you work there.
I will be moving to Spain for 3 years and I wanted to refresh my Spanish before moving to the country. The 5 days intensive course was for me a great and fast opportunity to revitalize my passive knowledge. Besides, my company has used successfully the school to train some of our expats that were moving to another country and their feedback was excellent. In these moments of nominations and handover, you have very little time and a 5 Days intensive training makes sense. So, going to Regina Coeli was a no brainer.
What were your expectations before starting the training, and how has the experience matched up?
I was a bit nervous at first to experience a full week in a different language, with teachers in one to one, exercises and discussions. As a beginner, I was fearing to be confused, to mix different languages and that my brain would tilt… And I have to say that Regina Coeli has fulfilled all these expectations brilliantly. More seriously, I was expecting a total immersion in Spanish, to be able to have a solid base of knowledge and to make simple sentences and I think it worked very well. I was even surprised to already switch and to start thinking directly in Spanish from time to time.
Are there specific language skills or cultural insights you've learned that you think will be particularly useful?
Interacting with native speakers as teachers was very important to catch the music and the short sentences. At my beginner level, the most important is to be able to introduce myself, my family, my age, my job and my hobbies; describing who am I, what I have been doing in the past and what I would like to do in the future. Furthermore, to be able to listen and to understand the people and to respond with simple sentences. Studying the basis of grammar, the future, past and present tenses, the articles and the adjectives, the numbers, dates, colors… are strong basis to make short conversations with locals, break the ice and to integrate myself better and faster.
You've worked in various countries and cultures; have you ever experienced any cultural misunderstandings?
A major cultural difference for me was to live and work in China. It is a fascinating country, with an immense history and a lot of cultural diversities within the country. Working there, managing local teams, teaches you to listen, humility and patience. The language spoken and written is already a first barrier, but the culture is even more difficult to understand for a European. As a “Laoban” (Boss), if you speak first, nobody will dare to counterargument with you, in short, that would be an offense. And in China, the execution is immediate. So, in a country you don’t know, you better listen to your people first and speak last to make sure you have heard their opinions if you don’t want to take the wrong decisions.
Besides the language training, how are you preparing yourself for working and living in Spain?
Before the training, I was already using a professional app on a daily basis. I will be back in Regina Coeli end of November for a second week, and in between I will have individual lessons with a teacher in Spain every week. My colleagues are already writing to me in Spanish, I listen to podcast and try to read “simple” adapted e-books.
Is there any advice you would give to someone embarking on a similar international career journey?
Be curious and open minded. The world has a lot to offer and if you can experience working and living in a different country, do it without hesitations. You’ll remember these experiences as the most enriching and exciting ones and you’ll make friends and connections for life. Enjoy!