Spain - The time I discovered regional differences

Cross-cultural surprises

Podcast Spain culture S02E19

🇪🇸 When I discovered that speaking Spanish didn't necessarily mean understanding all Spaniards...

In my latest podcast episode, I tell you an anecdote from my professional beginnings in Madrid.
Barely 4 months after my arrival, I start an internship at Mercedes Benz. Context: I'm proud of myself, I (finally!) speak Spanish... and then, bim 💥: a meeting with dealers from all over Spain.

Galician, Andalusian, Catalan, Castilian... I understand... nothing!
Special mention to this Catalan gentleman who spoke Spanish with a super-strong accent and slipped Catalan words into all his sentences. And me, a panicked young French trainee, supposed to do the debriefing... 😅

👉 This episode inspired me to delve deeper into the role of language in the construction of identity, in Spain and France.
Catalan, banned under Franco, is today a strong marker of cultural pride.
And in France? What regional languages do your neighbors and grandparents speak? And what stories lie behind them?

💬 What about you, have you ever experienced a time when a language or accent threw you off balance abroad? Tell me about it in comments, I love reading your anecdotes!

Whether you're an expat, a traveller or just curious about cultures and diversity, this podcast is for you!

Enjoy!

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Intercultural Surprises is THE podcast that takes you on a journey to a better understanding of the world's cultures.

🎤 I'm Charlotte Courtois, lecturer in cultural diversity and founder of the NGO Konstelacio, which educates children around the world about dialogue between cultures.

To find out more about who I am and what I do, for a collaboration or to contact me and tell me your own travel anecdotes, take a look at:
👉 My website : www.charlotte-courtois.com
👉 Konstelacio's : www.konstelacio.org
👉 The podcast Insta : www.instagram.com/surprisesinterculturelles
👉 My LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/chacourtois