Kellen Mayes
*edited for clarity
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/2/4/122435784/published/129393503.jpeg?1548727848)
1. What are the most common languages spoken in Albania?
The most common languages spoken in Albania are Albanian, English, Greek, Italian, and German. In my experience, the commonality of those languages is reflected in that order.
The most common reason that Albanians learn English is because they want to study or work in America. It is mostly the younger generation that speak English. Albanian high school students, and most Albanians for that matter, have an overwhelmingly positive, somewhat delusional view of life in America. They believe things in America are perfect and if they are able to move to America their lives will immediately become better. Learning English is viewed as one major step towards accomplishing this goal. Other reasons include wanting to work for a foreign or tourism-related company operating in Albania and wanting to travel abroad as a tourist. Greek is spoken by a significant portion of people living in cities in southern Albania that are near Greece such as Sarande and Delvine. This is because a lot of the people in these areas work in the tourism industry and a lot of Greek tourists come every summer. It is also because a lot of Albanians from this region work as seasonal workers in Greece. Italy and Germany are also major destinations for Albanians looking for seasonal work. However, this has become less common since the EU has placed more restrictions on workers from countries outside the EU working in EU countries. Some Albanians learn Italian or German in advance of traveling for work to these countries while others learn them while they are there through immersion. Additionally, some Albanians learn basic Italian or German through foreign TV shows with subtitles.
2. How important is it for Albanian citizens to learn English?
This really depends on two factors: age and area of Albania. It is fairly rare for anyone over thirty to learn English in Albania as the odds of them working in America or another English-speaking country are very slim. The US Embassy in Albania does do a yearly visa lottery, but very few are selected each year. While some Albanians work domestic jobs that require English proficiency, the vast majority don’t need it. For students in major cities such as Tirana, Korca, Pogradec, Sarande, and Vlore, becoming proficient in English is viewed as a necessity. The top students in each of these cities generally take the SAT or ACT and apply to schools in America. Peace Corps volunteers in these cities have told me more than half of their high school students had conversational proficiency in English. There is a stark contrast between the number of students that know English in the big cities and in the villages. I am placed in Kozare, Albania, which is one of the smallest Peace Corps sites. At my school, there only two students in the whole school that speak decent English. The vast majority of my students aren’t going to go to college and most will be farmers like their parents. This leads to them not taking English classes, and school in general for that matter, very seriously.
3. What is the opinion of Albanians toward English language programs in the country?
In terms of the curriculum in schools, many students find it inefficient and unnecessarily difficult. Due to a general lack of school funding, most schools use English learning books that are entirely in English and outdated. The teachers translate words and phrases into Albanian, but it is still quite difficult for students to gain any sort of proficiency from these classes alone. The two students at my school that managed to become proficient had to do a lot of studying in their free time on top of what was expected for their classes. It is common for higher-income students in larger cities to hire private tutors or attend classes provided by language learning companies.
4. Are there any difficulties in communicating in English with native speakers of Albanian? How so?
It can be quite difficult communicating in English with native speakers of Albanian. The main reason for this is because of their accents. Most Albanians that speak English haven’t lived in an English-speaking country. This causes them to mispronounce many English words. English and Albanian are very different languages, especially in terms of alphabet. For example, there is no w in Albanian and q in Albanian is pronounced like ch.
Another factor that makes communicating in English with native speakers of Albanian difficult is the difference in grammar between English and Albanian. Albanian possesses very complex grammar that shares almost no similarities with English. This leads to Albanians using Albanian grammar structure when speaking English.
The last major factor that makes communicating in English with native speakers of Albanian difficult is their inability to grasp a lot American slang. I didn’t realize how much slang I used until I got here.
5. In what situations is English most useful to Albanians?
The four situations where English is the most useful to Albanians are if they work in Albania’s tourism industry, want to work for a foreign company operating in Albania, are going to study or work in an English-speaking country, and if they are going to travel abroad as tourists. While there isn’t a substantial amount of English speaking tourists in Albania currently, I would say that every year more and more are coming. I have met tourists from England, America, Australia, and Canada in my time here. Albanians working for companies within the tourism industry such as outdoor adventure companies, hostels, and city tour companies, generally acquire at least basic proficiency in English. While these companies may not get a lot of tourists from English-speaking countries, most of the tourists they get from nearby European countries speak at least some English and no Albanian. Naturally, it is a necessity for Albanians planning on studying or working in an English-speaking country to learn English. Albanian high school students that are hoping to study in America have to take the SAT or ACT in English. To get a good score you would likely have to be nearly fluent in English in addition to being proficient in the necessary subjects. They also have to get a certain score on the TOEFL test to be considered. Those that want work in an English-speaking country have be proficient in English, but don’t necessarily have to be fluent. They often work for other Albanians and live in communities with a lot of fellow Albanians. Of course, knowing at least basic English for day-to-day tasks is certainly a necessity. Higher-income Albanians tend to do a lot of traveling to countries such as Italy, Greece, and the UK among others. It is very unlikely that staff at hotels, restaurants, and tourism companies in countries outside Albania will speak Albanian. This leads some older Albanians to learn basic English for the explicit purpose of traveling.
6. Is there a lot of English in the media in Albania?
I would say that there is still a pretty minimal amount of English in the media in Albania. All the domestic news is provided entirely in Albanian. There is generally a small ticker on the bottom of the screen during news broadcasts that lists major world news in English. Albanian news organization do cover American news pretty often, but they generally dub any speech or interview they show. Most Albanians don’t get foreign news channels, but I have been in some Albanian households that had CNN and BBC.
There is quite a bit of entertainment-related media in English in Albania. Most notably, there are three Albanian channels that play American movies of different genres in English with Albanian subtitles. There is also a channel that plays American music videos. Additionally, theaters in Albania play major American films in English with Albanian subtitles.
I have noticed that it is pretty common for advertisements in major cities to be in English. This is especially true of foreign company ads, but also quite common with domestic ads. I believe Albanians perceive knowing English as being a status symbol and thus perceive companies that advertise in English more highly.
7. Has the rise in popularity of English changed the popular culture of Albania?
I would say the rise in popularity of English has significantly changed the popular culture of Albania. With a substantial amount of young people in Albania knowing English, more and more Albanian youths are reading publications, following news, listening to music, and watching movies and TV shows from English-speaking countries. This has led to Albanian popular culture starting to look more and more like the popular culture of America. You can most easily notice the effect of English-language popularity on popular culture when you compare the popular culture of Albanian’s capital, Tirana, to that of a small village like Kozare, where I currently reside. In my village, only two students are proficient in English and I have yet to meet and adult that speaks it. The students here mostly listen to Albanian singers and rappers and watch Albanian TV shows. The adults here generally listen to traditional Albanian folk music, watch old Albanian movies, and follow Albanian news. Additionally, my village is very conservative. Women never go to cafes or bars and only really leave the house to visit stores. People here get married young and I’d say there is a quite negative perception of LGBT people.
Tirana possesses a vastly different culture. In Tirana, I would say that it is uncommon for a high school student to not have at least basic English proficiency. Additionally, I would say most of the many university students living in Tirana have conversational English proficiency. The students here mostly listen to American music, watch American TV shows and movies, and follow foreign news like BBC and CNN. I would say the adults here also consume a significant amount of American media while also consuming Albanian media. Tirana is much more progressive than most Albanian villages. Women go to cafes, bars, and clubs and often break traditional gender roles. People rarely get married young and every year Tirana has a gay rights parade. I would say the rise in popularity of English and, consequentially, the rise in popularity of media from English-speaking countries is the reason for Tirana currently having similar popular culture to a city in an America or the UK.
The most common languages spoken in Albania are Albanian, English, Greek, Italian, and German. In my experience, the commonality of those languages is reflected in that order.
The most common reason that Albanians learn English is because they want to study or work in America. It is mostly the younger generation that speak English. Albanian high school students, and most Albanians for that matter, have an overwhelmingly positive, somewhat delusional view of life in America. They believe things in America are perfect and if they are able to move to America their lives will immediately become better. Learning English is viewed as one major step towards accomplishing this goal. Other reasons include wanting to work for a foreign or tourism-related company operating in Albania and wanting to travel abroad as a tourist. Greek is spoken by a significant portion of people living in cities in southern Albania that are near Greece such as Sarande and Delvine. This is because a lot of the people in these areas work in the tourism industry and a lot of Greek tourists come every summer. It is also because a lot of Albanians from this region work as seasonal workers in Greece. Italy and Germany are also major destinations for Albanians looking for seasonal work. However, this has become less common since the EU has placed more restrictions on workers from countries outside the EU working in EU countries. Some Albanians learn Italian or German in advance of traveling for work to these countries while others learn them while they are there through immersion. Additionally, some Albanians learn basic Italian or German through foreign TV shows with subtitles.
2. How important is it for Albanian citizens to learn English?
This really depends on two factors: age and area of Albania. It is fairly rare for anyone over thirty to learn English in Albania as the odds of them working in America or another English-speaking country are very slim. The US Embassy in Albania does do a yearly visa lottery, but very few are selected each year. While some Albanians work domestic jobs that require English proficiency, the vast majority don’t need it. For students in major cities such as Tirana, Korca, Pogradec, Sarande, and Vlore, becoming proficient in English is viewed as a necessity. The top students in each of these cities generally take the SAT or ACT and apply to schools in America. Peace Corps volunteers in these cities have told me more than half of their high school students had conversational proficiency in English. There is a stark contrast between the number of students that know English in the big cities and in the villages. I am placed in Kozare, Albania, which is one of the smallest Peace Corps sites. At my school, there only two students in the whole school that speak decent English. The vast majority of my students aren’t going to go to college and most will be farmers like their parents. This leads to them not taking English classes, and school in general for that matter, very seriously.
3. What is the opinion of Albanians toward English language programs in the country?
In terms of the curriculum in schools, many students find it inefficient and unnecessarily difficult. Due to a general lack of school funding, most schools use English learning books that are entirely in English and outdated. The teachers translate words and phrases into Albanian, but it is still quite difficult for students to gain any sort of proficiency from these classes alone. The two students at my school that managed to become proficient had to do a lot of studying in their free time on top of what was expected for their classes. It is common for higher-income students in larger cities to hire private tutors or attend classes provided by language learning companies.
4. Are there any difficulties in communicating in English with native speakers of Albanian? How so?
It can be quite difficult communicating in English with native speakers of Albanian. The main reason for this is because of their accents. Most Albanians that speak English haven’t lived in an English-speaking country. This causes them to mispronounce many English words. English and Albanian are very different languages, especially in terms of alphabet. For example, there is no w in Albanian and q in Albanian is pronounced like ch.
Another factor that makes communicating in English with native speakers of Albanian difficult is the difference in grammar between English and Albanian. Albanian possesses very complex grammar that shares almost no similarities with English. This leads to Albanians using Albanian grammar structure when speaking English.
The last major factor that makes communicating in English with native speakers of Albanian difficult is their inability to grasp a lot American slang. I didn’t realize how much slang I used until I got here.
5. In what situations is English most useful to Albanians?
The four situations where English is the most useful to Albanians are if they work in Albania’s tourism industry, want to work for a foreign company operating in Albania, are going to study or work in an English-speaking country, and if they are going to travel abroad as tourists. While there isn’t a substantial amount of English speaking tourists in Albania currently, I would say that every year more and more are coming. I have met tourists from England, America, Australia, and Canada in my time here. Albanians working for companies within the tourism industry such as outdoor adventure companies, hostels, and city tour companies, generally acquire at least basic proficiency in English. While these companies may not get a lot of tourists from English-speaking countries, most of the tourists they get from nearby European countries speak at least some English and no Albanian. Naturally, it is a necessity for Albanians planning on studying or working in an English-speaking country to learn English. Albanian high school students that are hoping to study in America have to take the SAT or ACT in English. To get a good score you would likely have to be nearly fluent in English in addition to being proficient in the necessary subjects. They also have to get a certain score on the TOEFL test to be considered. Those that want work in an English-speaking country have be proficient in English, but don’t necessarily have to be fluent. They often work for other Albanians and live in communities with a lot of fellow Albanians. Of course, knowing at least basic English for day-to-day tasks is certainly a necessity. Higher-income Albanians tend to do a lot of traveling to countries such as Italy, Greece, and the UK among others. It is very unlikely that staff at hotels, restaurants, and tourism companies in countries outside Albania will speak Albanian. This leads some older Albanians to learn basic English for the explicit purpose of traveling.
6. Is there a lot of English in the media in Albania?
I would say that there is still a pretty minimal amount of English in the media in Albania. All the domestic news is provided entirely in Albanian. There is generally a small ticker on the bottom of the screen during news broadcasts that lists major world news in English. Albanian news organization do cover American news pretty often, but they generally dub any speech or interview they show. Most Albanians don’t get foreign news channels, but I have been in some Albanian households that had CNN and BBC.
There is quite a bit of entertainment-related media in English in Albania. Most notably, there are three Albanian channels that play American movies of different genres in English with Albanian subtitles. There is also a channel that plays American music videos. Additionally, theaters in Albania play major American films in English with Albanian subtitles.
I have noticed that it is pretty common for advertisements in major cities to be in English. This is especially true of foreign company ads, but also quite common with domestic ads. I believe Albanians perceive knowing English as being a status symbol and thus perceive companies that advertise in English more highly.
7. Has the rise in popularity of English changed the popular culture of Albania?
I would say the rise in popularity of English has significantly changed the popular culture of Albania. With a substantial amount of young people in Albania knowing English, more and more Albanian youths are reading publications, following news, listening to music, and watching movies and TV shows from English-speaking countries. This has led to Albanian popular culture starting to look more and more like the popular culture of America. You can most easily notice the effect of English-language popularity on popular culture when you compare the popular culture of Albanian’s capital, Tirana, to that of a small village like Kozare, where I currently reside. In my village, only two students are proficient in English and I have yet to meet and adult that speaks it. The students here mostly listen to Albanian singers and rappers and watch Albanian TV shows. The adults here generally listen to traditional Albanian folk music, watch old Albanian movies, and follow Albanian news. Additionally, my village is very conservative. Women never go to cafes or bars and only really leave the house to visit stores. People here get married young and I’d say there is a quite negative perception of LGBT people.
Tirana possesses a vastly different culture. In Tirana, I would say that it is uncommon for a high school student to not have at least basic English proficiency. Additionally, I would say most of the many university students living in Tirana have conversational English proficiency. The students here mostly listen to American music, watch American TV shows and movies, and follow foreign news like BBC and CNN. I would say the adults here also consume a significant amount of American media while also consuming Albanian media. Tirana is much more progressive than most Albanian villages. Women go to cafes, bars, and clubs and often break traditional gender roles. People rarely get married young and every year Tirana has a gay rights parade. I would say the rise in popularity of English and, consequentially, the rise in popularity of media from English-speaking countries is the reason for Tirana currently having similar popular culture to a city in an America or the UK.
Reflection
Given the contributions made by Kellen Mayes I have discovered that Albania's spread in English has hastened in recent years. With the increase in tourists the country has seen, Albanians now more than ever are studying English to work in tourist industries. I also concluded that the rise of interest in American culture has caused an expansion in the desire to learn English. Most Albanians are learning English from a young age, yet only some of them continue to learn past a standard proficiency or competence (a proficiency decided by the TOEFL). There are many universities teaching English in the capital of Albania, and more schools are being built in other more rural parts of Albania as the infrastructure improves.