A fresh debate about whether foreigners should be able to speak German in the service industry has been reignited following a post from a cafe in Munich that defended staff over their language skills.
The Instagram post by Kanso Coffee Lab, a cafe in the Bavarian capital of Munich, called for respect to be given to all staff members, including those who spoke English rather than fluent German.
“We’ve seen some comments and reactions lately about members of our team speaking English, so let’s make one thing clear,” the cafe said in the post published on Sunday.
“Kanso is an international team and we are proud of that. The majority of our team speak German. Some speak English as their first or strongest language. If you are more comfortable speaking German, just ask for a German-speaking team member. It’s that simple.
“What is not acceptable is expecting every person on our team to speak perfect German, questioning their ability because of their language or treating them differently because of it.”
The cafe, which sells coffee from around the world, went on to say that it hires people for “their skills, experience, attitude and passion, not for the passport they carry or the language they happen to speak”.
“Our team works hard every day to create the experience you come to Kanso for,” the post added. “They deserve the same respect we expect them to give every guest.
“German is welcome. English is welcome. Different backgrounds are welcome. Disrespect is not. If language is a barrier, ask for someone who speaks German. But never confuse a language preference with a licence to disrespect our people. We stand behind our team. Always.”
READ ALSO: Should public venues be allowed to ban people who don’t speak German?
‘Respect should be the universal language’
As of Tuesday August 11th, the post had been liked more than 17,600 times and received well over a thousand comments.
Most of the feedback seemed incredibly positive, with some people sharing their experiences of trying to communicate in German.
One person said: “I have experienced it first hand how intimidating it can be for someone not speaking perfect German to go somewhere in Germany and order some food. And people are having issues because there’s a place that’s being inclusive and welcoming towards all? Unbelievable!”
Another said: “As an English-speaking person, living in Munich and struggling to speak German (often treated poorly here because of my language skills), I absolutely cannot wait to support your business.”
“I can’t count the number of times that I have been told that I live in Germany, I should speak better German,” added another commentator under the Instagram post.
Many people congratulated Kanso for sticking up for their team.
“What an amazing post!” another commenter said. “Good on you for standing behind your employees and colleagues. Language is something you learn your whole life.”
“Bravo. Respect should be the universal language,” said another person.
Some people, however, suggested that German was necessary in public service settings.
“If you’re customer-facing in Munich, speaking at least basic German seems like a reasonable expectation,” said one person. “Not fluently, but enough to serve local customers.”
Language is a hot topic in Germany
The cafe row is far from the first time the issue of foreigners’ language skills (or lack thereof) has reared its head in Germany.
Just a few weeks ago, a lakeside swimming pool in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt hit headlines for banning non-fluent German speakers from entry. The operators cited safety concerns – but were later told the rule could be perceived as xenophobic and were forced to backtrack.
The capital Berlin, where about a quarter of the population does not hold a German passport, is often the battleground of these debates.
Famously, high profile CDU politician Jens Spahn said in a media interview in 2017 that he felt “increasingly annoyed that in some Berlin restaurants the waiters only speak English”.
Meanwhile, an article published by the Berliner Zeitung in 2023 claimed that refusing to speak German in Germany is a form of “arrogance” and “colonialism”.
READ ALSO: Is it ‘arrogant’ to live in Germany and not speak German?
“Why do so many people in Berlin not learn German?” Marcus Weingärtner asked in the article, adding: “Where does this arrogance come from?”
In recent years, those on the right of the political spectrum – such as the Christian Democrats (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party the CSU – have called for foreigners to learn German more quickly, which they argue would help them integrate better into daily life and adapt to cultural norms.
But critics say that German society needs to be more friendly to immigrants without good German language skills and acknowledge that learning takes time, especially in light of the skilled worker shortage as well as problems like increasing discrimination and racism.
READ ALSO: Germany’s draft budget halves funding for integration courses
What do you think? Leave a comment or send an email to news@thelocal.de and share your thoughts.
Discussion about this post