German Language

Reasons to Learn German

German is among the most extensively spoken languages in the whole world. It is the official language of numerous countries, including Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and, obviously, Germany! Next to the English language, it is one of the main accepted languages in European Union. The German language is the third most taught foreign language in the US, following French and Spanish. There are several Americans that can track their cultural heritage back to German origins, providing much of a social history lesson. There are a lot of motives for learning the German language including possible career prospects, present career enrichment and for travelling or taking a holiday in a German-speaking country.

Interest in Studying the German Language

If you have an interest in understanding German language for career motives, you have a number of options from which to choose. To start with, you could go to a college or university and acquire a German language degree. Attaining a degree in this field will supply you with firm groundwork of this language, whether written or spoken, and there are often both practical and cultural modules available. If you are a bilingual person, you can become a proficient foreign language translator, for instance. You can go to work full-time at a foreign language translation office, interpreting vital trade documents or webs sites for worldwide corporations. You can also become a self-employed foreign language translator, and set up your own workload and schedule. Another career opening is instructing English to learners in any German speaking nation. By understanding both German and English, you are going to be able to feel accomplished within your profession, while being acquainted with the culture and life of other nation.
You may be placed in a profession which entails being able to understand German so that you are able to communicate with international business associates. You can buy German language program on the internet, which can provide you with a more rapid, convenient and uncomplicated method of learning the language. Courses on the net will provide you with the expertise in German to read, write and converse with others. There are various programs available for registry that will give you accelerated German programs, and other languages as well, if you already have some proficiency at this level. You will discover that if you need to transfer to a German speaking nation to progress within your profession, possessing knowledge of the language beforehand will assist in making your transfer less worrying.

Learning German For Travelling

If you desire learning some German for travelling reasons, you may think about merging your learning knowledge and vacation by joining an immersion program. Studying the language in this method will allow you to know how to converse in German and also encounter the lively German culture. By going to Germany, where this language has its roots, you will become part of their culture and life, and understand the language with amazing ease. The more you use it, the better you will get. You will understand the idiomatic and conversational styles of the language. You will start to interact daily with the native German individuals who would not be capable of conversing with you in English. You can get engaged in the daily life of Germany, and learn to appreciate how another culture operates. Immersion programs will also implore you to go and become involved in the culture. Through travel or courses that allow you to study, teach you how to write and read German language and overall be familiar with Germany, you can gain such an appreciation of another way of life.

German Is Widely Spoken In Europe

A lot of people in Europe converse in German as their native language. That is to be expected, since there are 83 million occupants in Germany, making it the most crowded location in Europe. Not only are the inhabitants of Germany speaking this language, but it is also the official language in places such as Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Austria. This is the official language of a large portion of eastern Belgium, northern Italy, Romania, Russia, Czech Republic, parts of Poland, eastern France, Denmark, the Netherlands and some portions of Europe.
While studying German can link you to one hundred million native speakers worldwide, keep in mind that several people also study German as their second language. This is the third most well known foreign language instructed all over the world and the second most well known in Japan and Europe, next to English.

German Economy

Germany owns the third largest economy throughout the globe and is the financial powerhouse of the European Union. In 2007, for five consecutive years and in spite of the power of the Euro currency, German was leading in exports worldwide. This nation has exported 940 billion USD worth of goods ahead of US exports. They export cars, machinery, industrial equipment, pharmaceuticals, household goods, etc etc. The desirability and competitive pricing of German merchandises on the marketplace are designated by the nation’s extensive trade surplus, which achieved billion Euros during 2006 and progresses yearly. Always keep in mind that Switzerland, as well as many other German-speaking countries, contains one of the most elevated standards of living worldwide.

Learning German Is Good For Business

The German’s economic power is the same in regards to business openings. Multinational trade chances are present all over the European Union as well as in Eastern European countries, where German is the second most spoken language next to Russian. Corporations such as BASF, Infineon, Bosch, SAP, Lufthansa, Siemens, Daimler, BMW as well as others, all require international associates. Japan possesses the second strongest economy throughout the globe, and 68 percent of Japanese people at some point have learned German.
If you are looking for a job in US, studying German can provide you with high advantages. German corporations are responsible for 700,000 job opportunities in US, and US businesses have around the same quantity of career opportunities in Germany. All other matters being equal, being able to speak German, in this economic climate, is bound to put you ahead of other candidates going for the same jobs as you. The majority of the surveyed companies in US would select a person with German literacy compared to a similarly qualified candidate.

German Existence Online Surpasses Others

Considering how innovative the German people have been with business and technology, it is not surprising that they are able to sustain an overriding internet existence. Having 8 million online domains, Germany’s leading country domain .de is second to the extension .com. this makes Germany’s domain names even more popular than .net, .info, .org and .biz extensions. Even .uk is far behind, having only 3.7 million domains.

Germans form the Biggest Heritage Cluster in US

If you are an American or concerned with the American culture, then studying German language can be employed to increase your acknowledgment and understanding of US culture and history. In the 2000 census, there were 42.8 million Americans recorded as known to have German ancestry, creating German Americans as the biggest sole heritage cluster in US.
Through surges of immigration that have extended to almost four centuries, Germans carried with them many traditions and customs that have become so established in an American way of life, that their roots are so often forgotten. The names of several cities and towns signify the German legacy of their founders and ancestors, not to mention such enriching mainstays like hamburgers, hotdogs, Christmas trees and kindergarten were brought in by German settlers to America. They established multiple breweries, started Levi jeans, created ketchup and made Hershey chocolate. Whether most Americans are aware of it or not, Germans have played such an important part in the formation of the US, that a German version of the Declaration of Independence was in print just a few days afterwards it was adopted.

Germans Are The Largest Financiers Of Tourist Dollars Worldwide

While Germany is highly productive, it is apparent that they know very well how to engage in recreation just as hard as they work! With plenty of expendable income and a regular six week vacation yearly, Germans have enough time and means to travel and enjoy festivals. If you are fond of travelling, then you are guaranteed to meet Germans wherever you head to since three out of four Germans spend their funds on visiting other countries. During 2007, German people have expended a total of 91 billion Euros on travel internationally. Every year, the people of Germany expend more on international travel compared to those of other nations.
Germans particularly favor visiting warm Mediterranean climates like in Eastern Europe, Greece, Turkey, Italy and Spain which are enlarging in popularity. Germans are also eager to travel in Africa, America and Far East. Germans is the third nationality most likely to tour the US next to British and Japanese. The most favored US destinations are New York, California and Florida. Car rental agencies, airlines, hotels, tour companies and travel agencies who are able to converse in German have greater chances of winning their business. Floridians, for example, are clearly aware of this as there are two travel magazines there which are published in German; Florida Sun Magazine and Florida Journal.

German Speaking Nations Have A Wealth Of Cultural Heritage

Aside from the numerous contributions to the American culture, German speakers possess an immense cultural heritage of their own. Despite an unfortunate military heritage, Germany is now more described as a land of poets and thinkers, and certainly considering the more contributions that German speakers have made to the world of art, literature, and music, this could hardly be debated.
Hermann Hesse, Franz Kafka, Thomas Mann, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe are simply some of the authors whose works and names are very much popular internationally. There are ten Nobel prizes for literature which have been given to Swiss German, Austrian and German authors. The field of classical harmony is inseparable with the names like Wagner, Strauss, Beethoven, Bach and Mozart to name a few renowned German speaking composers. Vienna stays as an international hub of music at these times, and from the superb architecture of medieval structures to the ultramodern Bauhaus movement, from the Dürer’s woodcuts to the meaningful masterpieces of Kokoschka, Kirchner, and Nolde, Germans have created extensive contributions to the worlds of art and architecture.
Philosophy and sciences would become absurd with no inputs of German speakers. Philosophies of Nietzsche, Marx, Hegel and Kant as well as several others have enduring influences on present society. Psychologists Jung and Freud have forever modified the way people think about the human behavior. Scientists from the three main German speaking countries have gathered dozens of Nobel awards in medicine, chemistry and physics, among so much else.
Learning German lets you grasp these works in their native language and to completely comprehend the culture from where they are obtained. Anyone who is concerned in these fields can clearly develop their skill and proficiency by learning German.

German is (Relatively!) Uncomplicated

If English is your mother tongue or if you know English already then you will have great advantage with regard to understanding German. Since modern German and English both revolved from a common ancestor language, these languages share a lot of similarities when it comes to grammar and vocabulary. Moreover, German is phonetically spelled; once you understand the pronunciation of each letter, you can read every word you find. Once you understand the structure of sounds, it is easy to see how the verbal word is written as well as how it is spoken.
Whether you are concerned with learning the German language for academic purposes or career reasons, or you are interested in studying how to speak the language for when you are on vacation, learning another foreign language other than your native one is a personally and intellectually rewarding experience. You can understand more of how to mingle with other people who are speaking the language and it will be easier to interact with them. Try some courses online or you can enroll in a school which specializes in this field.