Too late to move abroad?

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Jthi97
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Too late to move abroad?

Postby Jthi97 » Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:05 am

Hello, people. This is my first post on this forum. Please bear with me; I am currently 21 years old and from Norway. I have had German in school for a total of 6 years, and I am way above the expected level. I have already passed both a C1-course from the Goethe-Institute as well as a DSH-test from a German university with the grade of DSH-3 (top grade). Now my ''problem'' is the following; I really want to study medicine. And I really want to study medicine in Germany. I have quite good grades from High School, but I still need to add a few subjects to be able to apply for Medical School in Germany. So I have decided to enlist in the norwegian army. This enlistment will allow me to pursue the subjects I need, BUT; and this is basically the whole point of the thread; I wont be able to start medical school and thus move to Germany before after five years (Which means I'll be 26-27 when I move there). This petrifies me, as I am afraid that I won't have the same ability to learn German and properly immerse at that age as opposed to now. I really like Germany, so I would seriously consider to stay there , but I would like to learn the language as good and fluent/perfect as possible. Is this even possible at that age?

I am not looking for motivational ''you can do ANYTHING!! :)'' kind of speeches, but more objective answers from experiemantal and/or''scientific'' points of view; please be realistic. And of course - in situations of uncertainty, like these, nothing is better than a story of success! :)

Thank you in advance!
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Re: Too late to move abroad?

Postby IronMike » Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:36 am

Yes. 26-27 is not too old. Many on here have learned languages older to a high level. Worry not.

Now for the info you wanted: I learned BCS to a 2+ (high B2) level at the age of 30. And two years later was at 3 (C1). So no, 26-27 is not too old, especially with the proficiency you have already in German.
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Re: Too late to move abroad?

Postby Deinonysus » Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:50 am

I think there is a certain age where you can no longer truly pick up a language as a second mother tongue (ie, absolutely no accent or other detectable difference from a native speaker). I'm not exactly sure what that age is, but I am sure that you're already well past it. That's the bad news.

The good news is, I don't believe that your ability to learn a new language decreases at all from your teens into old age. I was a useless language learner as a teenager because I wasn't using the right methods. I started seriously learning languages as a hobby when I was 28, around 5 years ago, and my learning abilities have only improved as I've gotten older and more experienced. My father recently started learning Polish at around age 70. It's his 6th language.

I know that you're already at the C1 level, but living in the country will still give your fluency a huge boost. That really should not change at all in 5-6 years.

Edit: I was wrong, you can absolutely lose a foreign accent at least into your late teens. I no longer believe that there's an age where you can't learn a foreign language to a level indistinguishable from a native. See:
https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 48#p105106
Last edited by Deinonysus on Wed May 09, 2018 3:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Too late to move abroad?

Postby reineke » Mon Apr 30, 2018 3:44 am

<16 years of age
The younger you are, the higher the chance of native competence across the board.

>16
Learners still have a shot at native-like levels of competence but results will vary. Age no longer plays a crucial role. It no longer matters if you're 21, 27, 37 or 47.

Given that the two languages are closely related and that your level of competence is already high you have nothing to worry about. If you want to be able to pass for a German you may need to temper your expectations.
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Re: Too late to move abroad?

Postby Brun Ugle » Mon Apr 30, 2018 5:31 am

It shouldn’t be a problem, especially since you already know German. I moved here when I was 26 and did fine with the language. And there are lots of foreign doctors and nurses here, some of whom have a rather strong accent, without it being a problem, so why should it be a problem in Germany?
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Re: Too late to move abroad?

Postby Cainntear » Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:10 am

As others have already said, it won’t make a difference. Some suggest that the ability to acquire language naturally declines during childhood, but that from adolescence you start learning new languages as second languages, and that this process is just as easy throughout adulthood. Only in old age does it get harder again, as general cognitive decline sets in (although some people dispute the existence of general cognitive decline.)
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Cainntear
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Re: Too late to move abroad?

Postby Cainntear » Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:13 am

I only got into language learning seriously at 25.
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Re: Too late to move abroad?

Postby tarvos » Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:12 pm

Should be fine, the only language I sound native in other than Dutch is probably English and I started that one in childhood, but no one will deny me speaking Spanish or something
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Re: Too late to move abroad?

Postby 白田龍 » Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:38 pm

Five years that is more than enough time to learn fluent German in your home country.
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Re: Too late to move abroad?

Postby reineke » Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:54 pm



Mary Hobson, 77, gained a degree in Russian in her sixties and a PhD at 74. In 1999 she won the Pushkin gold medal for translation.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a-li ... cvj2mxx702
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