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Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

theocharis.dev

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Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#281

Post by prmoustache »

tzs wrote: post #263
nephihaha wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dutch announcements in the Netherlands. Fancy that. Almost like it's the national language or something.

The Netherlands is in the EU. English is the most widely spoken language in the EU, even after the UK left, because it is by far the most common second language. Nearly half of the people in the EU can speak it. In Northern Europe the percentage is even higher. In the Netherlands there are almost as many people who speak it as there are Dutch speakers. Taking into account people from other EU countries who are there…

Thanksfully, dutch is reasonnably easy to understand (not to speak) if you know english and the actual context.

Or maybe that is just me having grown to understand dutch and flemish as a cyclocross rider and spectator.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#283

Post by raverbashing »

pjmlp wrote: post #215
bcye wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Splitting trains is a quite common thing in Germany (though more long distance) and communicated in the official app. If third party apps don't show that information that's on their part. Usually it's also said after departure inside the train by the conductor, though maybe just on long distance trains.

Yes, although quite often they forget not everyone speaks German. I once had a bit of Schadenfrunde while travelling in Netherlands, having the conductor telling us to switch trains in Dutch, and all my German fellow travellers wondering what it was all about.

I wonder what's the level of mutual ineligibility between DENL (probably DE is easier to NL) but it's funny how Germans sometimes seem to play dumb and not understand a thing in NL

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#284

Post by drnick1 »

And this is precisely why I don't use public transit when traveling on vacation and rent cars instead. I also don't fly unless the drive is longer than 7 to 8 hours. Driving in Germany is also reasonably fun.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#285

Post by gordonhart »

junon wrote: post #15

Meh. I have lived here for 7 years, and get a bit tired of these sorts of complaints about DB coming from the US. Germans have exceedingly little, if any, patience for anything going wrong. DB is always painted as this evil, completely broken system when in fact it's been a joy compared to e.g. San Francisco. I've only encountered flexibility and slight discomfort in a few cases where something has happened. I'm not…

Nothing here suggests that the author is American beyond his blog post being shared on an American website.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#286

Post by morsch »

huhkerrf wrote: post #4

DB is continually the worst train experience I have in Europe. I have never been on a train in Germany that's on time or that stops at the right station. Several times I've had to find someone young (and who speaks English) and say, "I'm just going to follow you to the next train." I've been told that the UK is worse, but I don't have much experience with it outside of Eurostar.

If you've never been on a train that stops at the right station, maybe the problem isn't with DB.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#287

Post by jakewins »

manarth wrote: post #225
wasmitnetzen wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cheap strawman. Travelling Swedes, Danes, Finns and Poles will be fine with English, Dutch with either/both English or German.

Mostly fair, I really appreciate the grasp that almost all Scandinavians have on English. Don't forget French though! I wouldn't make the assumption that travelling French people would have enough grasp of English or German to understand the announcements. My comment is mostly a poke at the two assumptions: that non-English speaking countries should universally support English-speaking travellers, and that English is…

I’m baffled that any other language would be considered - the only language that comes close to English in number of speakers is Mandarin, and Mandarin has nearly half a billion fewer speakers than English.

We should be happy there is a language that has emerged for people to communicate globally without borders, and support it’s role as the worlds second language rather than work to re-fracture how people communicate

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#288

Post by mft_ »

indiantinker wrote: post #17

DB is weird. They seem to make their own rules and then run the game and “dont tell the rules to anyone”. I was on my way to catch a flight from Munich to my home (Madrid). I didn’t knew that apparently at one point the train splits into two parts and the front part goes to the airport and the other part just goes to the nearby cattle farms and comes back in 3 hours. Google Maps - No idea Citymapper - what? English a…

Yeah, the S1 from Munich to the airport splits regularly, and you have to be in the rear half of the train. The first time (as a not-perfect-German-speaker) I'd have missed it but for the kindness of another traveller.

Now, at least, the announcements are also in English, which frankly is very positive - that DB are improving anything noticeable. (And to be clear, Bavaria/Germany are absolutely not given to accommodating non-German speakers, like, ever.)

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#289

Post by pflenker »

tedggh wrote: post #280

I rode DB many times, all over Germany and from Düsseldorf to Cologne weekly for months. Luckily, never had an issue. By far my worst experience has been Trenitalia. I lost a couple of connections during the same vacation because the train was late and in both opportunities no one could tell me what to do, let alone give me a refund. In one trip the teller while exhaling cigarette smoke on my face shrugged then sugge…

When was that? DB has gotten much worse in the past ~5 years

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#290

Post by Yizahi »

nephihaha wrote: post #114
stevage wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's really not too much to expect a train going to the airport to make important announcements in English.

[flagged]

Шановні пасажири, цей потяг який слідує від станції Івано-Франківськ Головний через Житомир до станції Київ-Дарниця буде розділено дві частини, вагони з першого по п'ятнадцятий прослідують до станції Київ-Головний, а вагони з шістнадцятого по двадцять перший поїдуть у пекло, муахаха. Дякую за вашу увагу.
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