My Life in English

Der Profi-eishockeystürmer verrät uns, warum er sich gerne einmal mit dem Apple-gründer Steve Jobs unterhalten hätte.

Thomas Oppenheimer

What makes English important to you?

The advantage of English is that I can talk to people from almost every country in the world; and in my job, speaking English makes for better communication within the team.

What do you remember about your first English lesson?

I can remember when it was: at the Gymnasium in class five. But to be quite honest, I can’t remember anything about the actual lesson.

Who is your favourite English-language author, actor or musician?

I enjoy books by John Grisham: The Firm (1991), The Pelican Brief (1992), A Time to Kill (1996). His stories are really exciting and easy to read.

Which song could you sing at least a few lines of in English?

Spontaneously, what comes to mind is the children’s rhyme “Old Mcdonald had a farm...”, because of my daughter, who is two years old.

What is your favourite food from the English-speaking world?

It definitely has to be a burger.

Which person (living or dead) from the English-speaking world would you most like to meet?

I would like to have had the chance to talk to Steve Jobs. I read his biography by Walter Isaacson, which came out in 2011, and I was really impressed by how Jobs began creating an international brand while working in a garage.

If you could be any place right now in the English-speaking world, where would it be?

I think that would have to be New York City.

What is your favourite city in the English-speaking world?

Actually, I don’t have a favourite city but, as I just mentioned, I would choose New York. The city is just buzzing with life, and I like watching people who don’t set themselves limits and just live the way they want to.

What special tip would you give a friend who was going to visit New York?

Just go and enjoy!

Have you ever worked in an Englishspeaking environment?

I’ve been working in an English-speaking environment for the past 12 years. It has only advantages. I’ve reached the point where I can talk to people almost as if I were speaking my mother tongue, and this means that I don’t feel restricted in my job.

When did you last speak English?

I speak English most days.

Which word or phrase do you use most when you speak English?

“How are you?”

Do you practise English? And if so, how?

I practise almost every day by talking to my colleagues. While I’m doing that, I no tice which words I don’t know, and that’s how I learn the fastest.

If you suddenly found yourself with a free afternoon in London or New York, what would you do?

I’d probably just try to see as much as possible — and, in London, I’d definitely go to a pub.

What would be your motto in English?

All of the following: “Live, laugh, love!” “Know yourself.” “Don’t panic, and be prepared.”