German "kein" vs "nicht"

VID 20150910 172643758~2

Beware of ATM Uses When the Bank is Closed

Don't Use an ATM at Night or When the Bank is Closed

Ever since an ATM in Barcelona did not return my card a few years ago, I have been reluctant to withdraw money from a cash machine at night. At that time, it happened during the day and I just went into the branch office and recovered my card without much of a problem. If one's card is withheld at night, things might get more complicated, especially if you have to explain your problem in a foreign language.

During a recent stay in Seville, Spain, we were returning from a very pleasant dinner out, when we walked by a Unicaja ATM and replenishing my depleted funds seemed appropriate. 

Feeling good and confident, I disregarded my usual concerns and went ahead with a withdrawal. I chose the English language option at the machine to avoid any mistakes and everything seemed to go along fine. A prompt on the screen instructed me to take the cash. I waited patiently for a moment, when suddenly another screen came up: “For technical reasons it is not possible to provide you with the cash requeted [sic].” 

Well, this seemed strange, but technical malfunctions happen. I did not see a phone or intercom to report the error right away and took my card when it was ejected. I also waited for and observed the next machine customer (see picture above) as he completed his transaction, apparently without a problem (and fortunately without “my” cash!)

Check your Bank or Credit Card Account

However, two days later, when I checked my bank account, I saw to my surprise, that 505 euros had indeed been withdrawn (500 euros plus a 5 euro transaction fee).

I returned to the ATM, which is located at one of Unicaja's branches, and reported the problem to the customer service representative at the bank. She summoned others for help, but none of the branch employees' English was better than our Spanish, so we had to explain the problem in Spanish.

After checking the bank's accounts and verifying my credentials, passport and credit card, the manager agreed that it was indeed the bank's problem. (As this happened two days after the initial withdrawal, we were somehow surprised that they had not discovered this issue earlier.)

I signed and received a transfer notice of 500 euros to be put back to my account and assumed that the money would show up in my account within a few days

The Story Continues...

Why did I not just ask for the 500 euros I had been unable to withdraw from the ATM machine? In retrospect, I believe that's what I should have requested. But since I went to another bank to successfully withdraw money from its ATM right after the failed attempt, I did not want any more cash. I also believed that the deposit back to my account would be done quickly, i.e. within a day or two. (Later I found out that such a request would not have been honored anyways, as credit card/bank rules prohibit it.)

When five days later I still did not see the deposit of the 500 euros in my account, I went back to the branch to inquire. By that time, we had also brushed up on our Spanish banking language and explained our situation again. However, we were told that there was nothing they could do, as they had already initiated the transfer back to my account. I was told that I should just be patient

Patience Wearing thin...

A few more days have passed and now it's been more than ten days since my first unhappy withdrawal experience. I've sent several e-mails and we have made several trips to the branch office, but the funds still haven't not shown up in my bank account.

In our latest foray into the Unicaja bank's branch office, we asked for the branch director. His explanation was more differentiated and he reiterated that Unicaja ("Un banco pequeño, pero un buen banco!" - A small, but a good bank") indeed had made the transfer back to the "Maestro" intermediary (Master Card in Europe), but  Maestro, apparently, had not effected the transfer back to my bank yet. And credit card/bank rules don't allow cash payments by the bank for failed ATM transactions. Patience again. 

While Unicaja's branch staff were very nice and tried to be helpful, we were really surprised that none of the staff spoke any English, French or German, the languages we are still more fluent in than Spanish. However, it gave us a great opportunity to practice our Spanish and apply the banking terms we had looked up and tried to memorize.

ATM Lessons Learned

1. Never make a cash withdrawal at night, especially in a foreign country.
2. Check whether the machine has a phone or intercom with which you can report a problem right away.
3. Only use ATMs during during working hours that are part of a bank or branch office. (In Seville typical bank working hours are from 8:00 AM to 2:30 PM)
4. Obtain a written confirmation of the deposit back to your credit card and inquire with your credit card company/bank that the deposit was made.
5. Learn some key banking/financial terms in the foreign language.

You can read the full post about our Unicaja experience and other impressions and experiences during our 1-month stay in Seville, Spain on our FREE language learning site GamesforLanguage

Not enough time? Really? Language Learning and Setting Priorities

Not enough time? Really? Language Learning and Setting Priorities

Fluency vs Proficiency - a Case History...

Saaners Loch, near Gstaad, Switzerland

I recently wrote a blog Fluency vs Proficiency in Foreign Language Learning and this topic appears to be quite hot when judging from the number of readers. And during a recent visit to the French part of Switzerland, my wife and I realized again that we are a prime example of the difference: While she is very "proficient" in French, I am more "fluent".

Our French Story 

Although I also studied French in school for a about a year (I hated it!), I had to learn French in earnest, when I started to work in (the French part of) Switzerland. And while my comprehension improved quite rapidly (I also took some evening classes) together with my ability to read, I did not become fluent in speaking until - I came to the United States.
How come? As I lived with some friends in a house where French was the language of communication, I had to speak French! And within a couple of months I became quite fluent in the language and could hold my own even in many esoteric conversations!
My wife, however, had 8 years of French in school and college. She reads books in French (most recently several Harry Potter novels) and her comprehension and vocabulary knowledge are great. But while her French fluency is still lacking, it is also improving steadily through some of the steps below.

How can you improve your fluency? 

There is only one way to do it: You have to speak the foreign language! Learning vocabulary is great and necessary, but it is not enough to help you speak. Some simple tips:

• Practice by reading aloud 
• Chose language programs the encourage you to repeat phrases and sentences, not just words. 
• Find a foreign speaker with whom you can practice, either in person or via some of the social/language networks. 

 Language fluency is acquired by speaking - the more the better. Your pronunciation may not be perfect (Did this prevent Henry Kissinger from being understood?)and your grammar a work in progress. But, if language fluency is your goal then: Just do it - and speak!