How many languages do most medical students/doctors speak?

[seasurfer]

Just want to do a rough survey.

How many languages can you understand? How many languages does a doctor in the US speak?

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[Megalofyia]

I suspect most only know one language but that would also depend on where they live in the country. On the other hand many of the doctors I know speak two languages but that's because they were raised in places where English was not the primary language.

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

Three...English (obviously), Dari, and Pashto. The latter two are languages of Afghanistan.

 

[sacrament]

ha... I was just about to post saying something about how--this being SDN--the only people who are going to respond are people who happen to speak crazy-ass languages.

 

[docbill]

3 languages fluently... Half knowledge of German. I don't speak english.

 

[efex101]

two

 

[THP]

I've never met a single doctor that doesn't speak at least 3 languages.

 

[Drugtech]

I'm fluent in two, but working on my third.

 

[Blade28]

Fluent in 3, passable in 2 others.

 

[Blade28]

I've never met a single doctor that doesn't speak at least 3 languages.

I've met plenty. 🙂

 

[tennesseejed]

just 1 (english) and hoping to learn spanish

 

[dr.z]

English and Japanese. Can get by with my French.

 

[fourthyearmed]

This is totally non-representative! With the exception of my classmates who are from a different ethnic background, I and most of my classmates are fluent in English only. Some of know a bit of Spanish or French thanks to high school and college classes.

 

[quideam]

Fluent in 2, basic conversational knowledge of 2 others (will be taking a year off to work on them though, so...!)

Q 🙂

 

[doc05]

7 fluent; 2 basic conversation. many docs end up picking up 1-2 add'l languages during the course of residency.

 

[dmitrinyr]

Fluent in English and Russian. Can understand and speak some Spanish thanks to high school spanish, but not enough to constitute fluency. I have met many doctors who are only fluent in english and many that are fluent in more than one. It really matters on where you grew up, went to school and did your residency. There is a high chance that if you grew up in a mostly english speaking area where most of the population is multiple generation americans and you did your residency in a similar area, unless you traveled, lived abroad or learned another language in your leisure time, you will most likely only be fluent in English. On the other hand if you grew up in large metropolises like NY, LA, Chicago, Miami, and much of the eastern and western coastal cities, there is a good chance that you are constantly in the presence of another language being spoken either in your neighborhood or surroundings are in your household. If you live in this type of environment there's a good chance you will end up being fluent or at least be able to undertand a little bit of anothe language.

As a doctor, being able to speak multiple languages is very useful and in some regions of the US it's borderline necessary. I live in New York city and wish to do my residency in NY and depending on where I work, knowing spanish, chinese, korean and/or russian is a very usefull tool in a physician's arsenal do to a large population of people in specific areas (Spanish Harlem, chinatown, Brighton Beach, etc.) that speak absolutely zero english. It is true that if you practice medicine in these areas, you will pick up some of the language but this might only result in slight understanding of your patients and ability to verbalize your instructions to them.

dmitri

 

[ms. a]

1 here - English. If I try really hard, I can remember a few rudimentary phrases of French from high school and college. Nothing that would help in a medical situation, though (unless it involved getting directions to a train station).

 

[fantasty]

I'm at a med school conference right now, and I was just told today that some programs (particularly in CA) are now screening applicants for Spanish proficiency and considering this as important as board scores. And, some programs are conducting rounds in Spanish.

 

[seasurfer]

Do you think that being able to speak 8 languages give you an advantage over residency selection?

 

[Code Brown]

Fluent in 2, conversational in 3.

 

[synapse lapse]

English only here, could get by with Spanish.

 

[ferzen]

Fluent in English and Spanish. Can read German and Italian with decent amount of comprehension. Group up in South, Spanish first language.

 

[G0S2]

English and Spanglish here.

 

[PMinty44]

Just want to do a rough survey.

How many languages can you understand? How many languages does a doctor in the US speak?

Spanish (native speaker), English (Fluent), Italian (was fluent...it would probably take me a week or so in Italy to get to fluency again), now I'm working on Portuguese (I'm going to Brazil before med school this summer).

 

[MSHell]

Fluent in 2, conversational in 3.

Same here.

 

[brightblueeyes]

I speak French and English and rudimentary German. I took several university courses in Mandarin and Japanese--but I'm lucky if I can understand 1/100th of a typical movie. 🙁

I think different people have different standards when they say they're fluent in a language. I suspect people from California or Florida who say they can get by in Spanish are probably fluent; on the other hand, I've met people who claimed they were fluent in French (having just completed French BA's at a Texas university) when...to put it nicely...they weren't.

For some reason, a lot of Germans seem to speak several languages and at a very high level. They really put the rest of us to shame. 🙂

 

[noncestvrai]

I speak and write French and English, I can understand and sort of communicate in Spanish, I have some elements of German, Italian. Hopefully, I will be able to be fluent in Spanish, but I need time to study that beautiful language!

noncestvrai

 

[WVmed]

I speak and write French and English, I can understand and sort of communicate in Spanish, I have some elements of German, Italian. Hopefully, I will be able to be fluent in Spanish, but I need time to study that beautiful language!

noncestvrai

wow, give this person a medal 👎

 

[eralza]

I can order beer in Korean, German, and Spanish! After ordering several, I'm confident that I can fluently carry on conversations in any of the above languages.

 

[Drugtech]

For some reason, a lot of Germans seem to speak several languages and at a very high level. They really put the rest of us to shame. 🙂

This is true for many european countries. Unfortunately, the US is behind on the times when it comes to multiple language fluency. Countries like Germany start teaching English in kindergarden and continue all the way through high school and college. Many Euro countries could put a lot of Americans to shame because they speak English better than we do. I do think the current trend in America is changing. I know here in South GA, they are starting to incorporate Spanish at kindergarden levels since we have such a high Hispanic population. 👍

 

[Winged Scapula]

I speak jive. 🙂

(Really just English, some French and a smattering of Spanish).

 

[Gimlet]

This is true for many european countries. Unfortunately, the US is behind on the times when it comes to multiple language fluency. Countries like Germany start teaching English in kindergarden and continue all the way through high school and college. Many Euro countries could put a lot of Americans to shame because they speak English better than we do. I do think the current trend in America is changing. I know here in South GA, they are starting to incorporate Spanish at kindergarden levels since we have such a high Hispanic population. 👍

Our school district had us start Spanish in kindergarten, so I took it for 8 years until we could choose to continue Spanish or start German or French in 8th grade. I opted for German, and now I couldn't tell you dick about Spanish. You really need the high-school level language education to make anything stick. Sometimes I really wish I had stuck with Spanish, since I am much more likely to come across Spanish-speaking patients in the US than German ones!

I definitely hear you about European countries putting an emphasis on foreign languages. The German sophomore who stayed with me as part of an exchange program spoke German (of course!), English, French, Italian, and was learning Latin. I don't know if I have the capacity for that much language. 😱

 

[Slowmo214]

From what I've seen "fluent" for many Americans means "I know a few words." Obviously, there are exceptions upon exceptions.

 

[liverotcod]

Zero. I'm still working on English.

I do speak the language of love. My wife translated this message, as she does all my postings.

 

[DrGarfield]

English
Hindi
Gujarati
Punjabi
German

 

[Geronimo]

Spanish, English, and some French. Good stuff!

 

[Blade28]

7 fluent; 2 basic conversation. many docs end up picking up 1-2 add'l languages during the course of residency.

Damn, dude, that's impressive. 👍

 

[superdavykinz]

According to the Brits we speak American not English. 😵

This is true for many european countries. Unfortunately, the US is behind on the times when it comes to multiple language fluency. Countries like Germany start teaching English in kindergarden and continue all the way through high school and college. Many Euro countries could put a lot of Americans to shame because they speak English better than we do. I do think the current trend in America is changing. I know here in South GA, they are starting to incorporate Spanish at kindergarden levels since we have such a high Hispanic population. 👍

 

[eralza]

According to the Brits we speak American not English. 😵

Strangely, a lot of language schools in Asia prefer "American" instructors over British. While I was in Korea, I had one school tell me that I looked like a good language instructor. I thought only models could get by on looks, but I guess that in Seoul, the same goes for people who teach!

 

[Perrin]

English and Spanish for me. I plan on picking up the medical terms over the summer.

 

[kyriacos01]

For me, three…

Fluent:
English (native)
Greek (Modern & O.T.)

Conversational:
French (remedial)


All the best,
-ky

 

[zeloc]

7 fluent; 2 basic conversation. many docs end up picking up 1-2 add'l languages during the course of residency.

How do people pick up 1-2 languages during residency? Where is the time for it?

quideam, I am thinking of taking a year off to live abroad and learn languages. What is your plan?

 

[Nathan Steed]

Three fluently. By the way, once you learn Spanish, you can read all of the romantic languages and pretty much understand. Often times you can even undestand spoken portugues and italian.

 

[Queenshawtii]

Primary lang- english
Native lang- Yoruba ( i only understand)
Conversational spanish

 

[NotADocYet]

From what I've seen "fluent" for many Americans means "I know a few words." Obviously, there are exceptions upon exceptions.

No kidding. At my school, it's a badge of honor to speak another language (or at least claim to.) In one of my small group classes we had a "get to know you" session where everyone was supposed to say something interesting about themselves. Of course, somebody had to mention how many languages they (supposedly) spoke, and from there it became a brag-fest. And OF COURSE the most chic language that everyone claimed to know was Spanish. I lived in Spanish-speaking countries growing up, and am supposedly fluent (whatever that means), but I didn't claim it because it's not my first language, and if I don't absolutely own it, I'm not going to pretend to. However, I believed many of them because they are first generation immigrants (from India, Middle East, etc.) and I figured that since they're probably fluent in their parents' language as well as English, they must know what it means to be fluent in Spanish too. The funny thing is, that later we had a medical Spanish class where I sat next to these people, and they were absolutely horrible! They were at a first year high school level. So, yes, I agree that people claim fluency when they have absolutely no idea how to speak a language.

It's amazing how whenever there's an opportunity to brag, these same people come out of the woodwork. Don't get them started on how many marathons they've run this year...

 

[oompaloompa]

No kidding. At my school, it's a badge of honor to speak another language (or at least claim to.) In one of my small group classes we had a "get to know you" session where everyone was supposed to say something interesting about themselves. Of course, somebody had to mention how many languages they (supposedly) spoke, and from there it became a brag-fest. And OF COURSE the most chic language that everyone claimed to know was Spanish. I lived in Spanish-speaking countries growing up, and am supposedly fluent (whatever that means), but I didn't claim it because it's not my first language, and if I don't absolutely own it, I'm not going to pretend to. However, I believed many of them because they are first generation immigrants (from India, Middle East, etc.) and I figured that since they're probably fluent in their parents' language as well as English, they must know what it means to be fluent in Spanish too. The funny thing is, that later we had a medical Spanish class where I sat next to these people, and they were absolutely horrible! They were at a first year high school level. So, yes, I agree that people claim fluency when they have absolutely no idea how to speak a language.

It's amazing how whenever there's an opportunity to brag, these same people come out of the woodwork. Don't get them started on how many marathons they've run this year...

I noticed you are located in Houston where I go to med school too (UT) and we realize that here that Spanish is not just a "nice extra," it's a NECESSITY! Obviously this isn't the case for a lot of people up north or in the Midwest, so the lack of this skill doesn't hit them as hard as it does down here. In Houston, especially at some of the county hospitals, a 1/3 of the patients not only speak Spanish as a primary language, they speak it as their ONLY language. Every non-Spanish speaking med student down here has had the embarrassing situation of staring awkwardly at their patient until the interpretor arrives or worse, having the attending roll their eyes at you and send in the spanish-speaking student/resident for the nth time. You are definitely favored down here if you are bi- or multilingual. My question is, for those of you that learned non-native languages, when did you do it? I would love to gain this skill but when will I ever have time to??

 

[Doctobee]

Native - Serbocroatian (now people would probably call it either Serbian or Croatian - depending on where they're from);
Primary - English
Conversational - Spanish and German

 

[dmitrinyr]

I noticed you are located in Houston where I go to med school too (UT) and we realize that here that Spanish is not just a "nice extra," it's a NECESSITY! Obviously this isn't the case for a lot of people up north or in the Midwest, so the lack of this skill doesn't hit them as hard as it does down here. In Houston, especially at some of the county hospitals, a 1/3 of the patients not only speak Spanish as a primary language, they speak it as their ONLY language. Every non-Spanish speaking med student down here has had the embarrassing situation of staring awkwardly at their patient until the interpretor arrives or worse, having the attending roll their eyes at you and send in the spanish-speaking student/resident for the nth time. You are definitely favored down here if you are bi- or multilingual. My question is, for those of you that learned non-native languages, when did you do it? I would love to gain this skill but when will I ever have time to??

oompaloompa,

It's very hard, almost impossible to learn to speak another language to the level of fluency without actually living in an area where only that language is spoken. You can get a book and learn how to make basic phrases and sentences and the other person will sort of understand what you are trying to say, but to truly speak a language you have to live it and interact with people in that language and watch them interact with you and others in that language. I am a native or the Ukraine and I lived in a number of other European countries and it's amazing how much you pick up in a short amount of time by just listening to others speak a language. TV also helps a lot and can make this take less time. I can honestly say that I learned my english with TV shows such as Teenage Mutant ninja turtles, Charle's Incharge and Married...with children. Well, i was a 10 year old kid and so at that age, language can be learned quite quickly. In your situation with school and a lack of free time, I would suggest that a simple way to learn a language would be to get a "learn spanish" book and then once you have learned how to form sentences and confident about which words to use, then turn on a spanish soap opera or a movie. It's not the best method, but given the lack of time, it's not bad. You can learn little pronunciation or slang terms that one can't get from a book and you can just pick up things. i think this might work if you put in the time. What do you guys think?

I would do this considering i want to practice in NY in which many communities have only spanish-speaking latino patients, but i don't have the time. we only get a month off this summer.

good luck

dmitri

 

[noncestvrai]

wow, give this person a medal 👎

Your rude ironic behaviour is not needed in this thread.

noncestvrai

 

[brightblueeyes]

...My question is, for those of you that learned non-native languages, when did you do it? I would love to gain this skill but when will I ever have time to??

I know another poster claimed a lot of his colleagues learn new languages during their residencies. 😱 But I think this poster has some fairly gifted friends. I could see this happening if someone was doing their residency in another language, but that in itself would be pretty tough.

And I don't think this has much to do with intelligence; I think it's simply a matter of a language being a big part of your life at the time. If it remains a novelty used to accessorize the occasional dinner party or holiday excursion, then I really don't think we learn much. But if seen as an integral part of a future career or private life, especially if frequently spoken with classmates or a significant other, then I think a language can be learnt fairly quickly.

Good luck.