• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • DE

Search

Red Tape Translation

  • Home
  • Services
    • All Services
    • Life Admin
      • Top Up Your Credit
    • Coaching
      • Top Up Your Credit
    • Take a Translator
    • Written Translation
  • Resources
    • Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Why Choose Red Tape Translation?
    • Testimonials
  • Contact

How a Chinese tourist lost his wallet in Germany and ended up in a refugee camp

August 9, 2016 by Kathleen Parker Leave a Comment

Take a translator

This story made my morning. Insane! A Chinese tourist travelling alone had his wallet stolen in the south of Germany and tried to file a police report. He got led to a help desk in Heidelberg but he didn’t speak any German or English. The help desk consultant gave him an asylum request form to fill out, which he obediently did. One thing led to another and he boarded a bus with a whole bunch of refugees that arrived at Dortmund some time later …

The man allowed German authorities to take away his passport, fingerprint him, give him a medical exam and allocate him some pocket money. He ended up in Dülman, a small German town near the border to the Netherlands.

At some point, a Red Cross worker noticed that he seemed a bit out of place, and approached a Chinese restaurant for help. The Chinese restaurant worker suggested using an app. Kudos to the Red Cross worker for actually making the effort to do what none of the other officials bothered to do in the almost two weeks that had passed!

Turned out the Chinese tourist was hoping to do some hiking in Italy, and just wanted to continue on his tour. Which he then did.

So, folks. This is why you should always take a translator or interpreter with you when dealing with public offices in Germany.

Filed Under: Dealing with Problems, Immigration and Visas

Converting Your Driver’s Licence in Germany
How to get your new baby a German residence permit

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Archives

Categories

  • Learning German
  • Moving to Germany
  • Being self-employed
  • About Red Tape Translation
  • Dealing with Problems
  • Doing Business in Berlin
  • Freelance Life
  • Immigration and Visas
  • Kids in Berlin
  • Life Changes
  • Life in Germany
  • Moving to Berlin
  • Moving to Munich
  • Uncategorized

Tags

algii appointment booking berlin artists visa berlin auslanderbehorde berlin bank account berlin berlin startup brexit burgeramt berlin buying property contracts corona covid 19 custody berlin customs berlin find a job berlin foreigner’s office berlin foreign license in germany freelance freelance berlin freelancer freelance work permit berlin getting married in berlin government assistance government grant having a baby interpreting berlin job center learning german Life Admin life in berlin moving to berlin paternity berlin red tape translation registration berlin renting an apartment berlin self-employed standesamt berlin translator berlin unemployed unemployment vaterschaftsanerkennung visa berlin work permit berlin zollamt berlin

Search

Footer

  • A+ service and skills, I'll definitely be returning for future business.

    Ian O, Seattle

Sign up for the newsletter

Connect with Red Tape Translation

© 2012 - 2022 Kathleen Parker

Legal Notice Terms of Service Data Protection Policy

Website by Laura Yeffeth.