Bilingual children in Görlitz: advantages and challenges in everyday life

Bilingual children in Görlitz: advantages and challenges in everyday life

In the border region of Görlitz, where German-Polish families are commonplace, the influence of bilingual education is becoming increasingly clear. Katarzyna Zinnow reports on her daughter Sophia's first reactions when she found out that children in her daycare could learn Polish as a foreign language. The Zinnows' story reflects the reality of many families living in the region. Loud Sächsische.de 149 German-Polish marriages were recorded in Görlitz and Bautzen between 2019 and 2025, which illustrates the increase in such families.

There are currently 7,435 Polish citizens living in the Görlitz district, while around 1,850 Polish citizens are living in the Bautzen district. These families attach great importance to bilingual education in order to provide their children with a comprehensive linguistic basis. Malgorzata Schubinski and her husband Manuel are another example of how important this dual language education is to parents. Malgorzata plans to teach her eldest son Nataniel to read and write in Polish, supported by an online school.

Challenges in practice

But despite the parents' motivation, there are always hurdles to overcome. In primary school, children like Nataniel often only receive knowledge of German rules, which can lead to difficulties with reading and writing in their other language. Malgorzata and Manuel report the concerns they had when enrolling their son in primary school, particularly regarding his knowledge of German. Katarzyna Zinnow's son, Bruno, also had to forego a Polish course at primary school due to a lack of opportunities. This raises the question of how families in the region can receive better support.

The Görlitz Adult Education Center has recently launched a new offer for Polish lessons - a small step in the right direction, but there is still a lack of comprehensive networking opportunities and offers for native language lessons in East Saxony. Maria and Stephan Meyer from Oderwitz, who also raise their children bilingually, also confirmed this. For the Meyers, visits to relatives in Poland are an important opportunity to promote and consolidate their children's language skills. However, they also struggle with their children's motivation and access to Polish lessons.

The advantages of bilingualism

But despite the challenges, early exposure to two languages ​​also offers immense benefits. A study by the research team at Anglia Ruskin University shows that bilingual children enjoy cognitive benefits as adults that impact their entire lifestyle. In the study published in the journalScientific Reportspublished states that bilingual adults can perceive visual changes more quickly and shift their attention more efficiently. This is particularly valuable in an increasingly globalized world where multilingualism is becoming more and more the norm Textdynamics.eu reported.

The local families in Görlitz and the surrounding area are examples of how important it is to promote bilingual education. Given the growing number of mixed-language couples and the connection between Germany and Poland, access to Polish lessons should be further strengthened in order to offer children the best conditions for a future in two cultures. Like the article by cordis.eu shows, the development and promotion of multilingualism is also of great importance for society as a whole, because early contact with different languages ​​opens up new perspectives and opportunities for children in the world that lies ahead of them.