Why You Should Learn German
Learning to speak German is a great investment in both your social and business life. Some popular reasons for people to start learning German include being able to talk with German family, preparing for an exchange program at a German institution and for taking holidays in Germany. But there are in fact so many other great reasons to learn to speak German that people never consider. These are some that come to mind:
Germany is the most populous European nation and German is the most widely spoken language in Europe. German is the third most popular foreign language internationally and by learning German you are able to connect with 120 million native German speakers. Learning German will allow you to communicate with German speakers all across the world and not just the Germans, Austrians and the Swiss in their respective countries.
Germany has the 3rd strongest economy and is the number 1 export nation in the world. The competitiveness and desirability of German products is indicated by the country’s substantial trade surplus. Germany’s economic strength means business opportunities not only in Germany itself, but also throughout the European Union as well as in the United States. If you’re in the field of research you will discover that Germany is a country committed to research and development.
But all work and no play makes Jake a dull boy and the German’s also know how to enjoy themselves and are the biggest spenders of tourist dollars in the world. In 2007, the Germans spent a record 91 billion euros on international travel. Travel agencies, tour companies, hotels, airlines and car rental agencies that can communicate with Germans in their own language will win German business.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that the German language is dying. The only language markets that produce more books annually than the Germans are the Chinese and English publishing industries. As very few German books are translated into English, the only way to appreciate these books is by learning to speak German.
German speaking countries have made a huge contribution to the world’s cultural heritage. Germany is often referred to as the land of poets and thinkers. The world of classical music is inseparable from the names of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Strauss and Wagner to name a handful of the famous German speaking composers. Scientists from the three major German speaking countries have won dozens of Nobel prizes in physics, chemistry and medicine. Anyone interested in any of these fields automatically expands their knowledge and skill by knowing German. Even if the cultural significance of Germany is of minor importance to you, you may still be attracted to high quality of live in German speaking countries.
You’re probably thinking that’s all well and good, but German is too hard to learn. If that’s the case, you’d be wrong! I think you’d be surprised to discover just how similar English is to German. Due to their common heritage, German and English share many similarities in both vocabulary and grammar. Also convenient is that German words are spelled phonetically. Besides, learning German is fun when you make use of these German language podcasts.