OK, it’s not my sole ambition to be on TV! But I remember as a 16 year old thinking: some day I would like to be interviewed on television or radio speaking a language that’s not my mother tongue. To appear in such an interview would mean I was doing something useful with my life, and also that I had maintained my languages to an adequate standard to be able to get my message across.
So I’m therefore rather happy to have appeared briefly on RTL Nachtjournal talking – in German – about the Atheist Bus Campaign. Not sure my grammar or accent was much good, but hey, I managed it. So many thanks to Herr Kelly and school exchanges to the Realschule Lahnstein all those years ago.
Atheist buses are 11 minutes into the film below.
[UPDATE] Deutschlandfunk as well! So I’ve managed both radio and tv… š
[UPDATE 2] Also an interview online at cicero.de – and the telephone interview was in German.
[UPDATE 3] Also now in French on TF1 weekend news! Woo hoo!
[UPDATE 4] The best interview so far – more than 10 minutes in French on Radio Canada MontrĆ©al on SamĆ©di et rien d’autre with Jacques Bertrand. It’s 11 minutes 40 seconds into part 3 here.
Hi! Very Good Campaing and very good german! Congratulations to tyour success! I hope we can see this campain here in Germany! Cologne would definatly need a dash of it! Do you know if there are already plans here in Germany or even already plans for a fundraiser?
Ohhh, I’m scared now.
“In my most extreme fluctuations I have never been an Atheist in the sense of denying the existence of a Godā ā Letters of Charles Darwin
“Jon shall not surely die” – Satan
Wish my French was as good as your German. Losing it though. Perils of being a native English speaker in an increasingly anglophone work…
Ja wohl! š
Not sure too many of your previous students ended up on Deutschlandfunk and RTL…!
Of course, I will claim the credit for all the good German, whilst ignoring the rest!
All the more satisfying that it was in German, I’m sure.
What it is to be famous.
Excellent German (and very good accent) – Jon, I am proud of you!! š
(Just one hint for the next 20 interviews in German TV: The plural of “Bus” in German is “Busse”, not “Bussen. š )
Really nice that you made it into the German press, now I dont need to translate the story any more in German for my parents and friends what is going on here with the buses in England.
Very well done! I’m sure you’ll later be able to say that this was the FIRST foreign-language TV/radio appearance š