Danish / English
I started studying Danish for fun in 2016, and then it got out of hand.
I’ve lived and worked in Copenhagen for the past five years now. As a native English speaker who’s also fluent in Danish, I’m used to bridging the two languages at work and in my personal life.
In the office, I’m a nimble interviewer and researcher in Danish, and my Danish colleagues are able to express themselves and their ideas in their mother tongue. It’s important for me that nobody feels like they’ve got to change languages for my sake.
Here’s a bit about how I came to speak Danish, and what I do with it.
The fast facts
- Years spent speaking Danish: 6
- Skill level (listening): Fluent
- Skill level (speaking): Fluent
- Skill level (writing): Eh, good enough
- Times someone has asked me to say “rødgrød med fløde”: 13 million
- Have I seen Blinkende Lygter: Yes
- Will I eat herring to be polite: Yes
- Can I vote in EU elections: No
“Nå, men hvorfor kan du egentlig snakke dansk?”
Turns out you can get a whole degree in Danish.
I went to one of two universities in the US that offered a degree in Scandinavian Studies, though I didn’t know that when I enrolled.
I picked up Danish one semester because I was interested in learning a new language. I didn’t select Danish for any particular reason, it could just as well have been Dutch. None of my family is from Denmark.
Anyway, now I’m here, so I guess it paid off.
Danish at the office:
translations for print, web and broadcast
Working at Henning Larsen, which was often a Danish-language workplace, I learned to set Danish ideas to English writing, making sure nothing gets lost in translation.
Among other language-bridging projects, I translated the foreward and introduction to Henning Larsen’s 60th anniversary monograph book, It Begins with Curiosity.
Click here to see more of my work at Henning Larsen.
Among other language-bridging projects, I translated the foreward and introduction to Henning Larsen’s 60th anniversary monograph book, It Begins with Curiosity.
Click here to see more of my work at Henning Larsen.
Workin’ on that green card
I’d like to live in Denmark for a long time to come, so I’m currently pursuing permanent residency. If all goes to plan, I’ll be able to apply in January 2024.
In June of 2021 I passed the medborgerskabsprøve, which is like the shorter version of the indfødselsretsprøve. In May 2023 I passed the Prøve i Dansk 3 (PD3) exam with full marks across the board.
Things are looking pretty good here. :)