Reasons To Learn The German Language
Learning the German language is an excellent way to expand your personal and professional horizons. Popular reasons for people to start learning German are to make the most of holidays in Germany, be able to chat with German relatives and prepare for study exchange programs in Germany. There are however many other great reasons to learn German that many people never even consider. Here are a some others for you to think about:
Germany is the most populous European nation and German is the most widely spoken language in Europe. Learning German can connect you with 120 million native speakers around the globe and you might be surprised to learn that German is the 3rd most popular foreign language taught worldwide. So German will not only allow you to build relationships with people in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein but also German speakers all over the world.
Germany is the economic powerhouse of the European Union and one of the biggest international exporters. 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.
Also don’t be fooled into thinking that German is a language of the past. In number of books published, Munich is second in the world only to New York. Since only a small percentage of German books are translated into other languages, only if you learn the German language will you enjoy access to the vast majority of these titles.
The cultural heritage of German speaking countries is very rich. Germany is known for being a country of poetry and great thinkers. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka and Hermann Hesse are just a few authors whose names and works are well known internationally. Philosophy and the sciences would be unthinkable without the contributions of German speakers. Anyone interested in any of these fields automatically expands their knowledge and skill by knowing German. Whether you’re interested in cultural and intellectual heritage of these countries or not, the fact remains that Switzerland, Austria and Germany all offer a very high standard of living, which make these countries very attractive to many people.
You might be thinking that this sounds good in theory but the German language is too difficult to learn. Well you’re wrong! I think you’d be surprised to discover just how similar English is to German. Modern German and modern English both evolved from the common ancestor language Germanic. Also convenient is that German words are spelled phonetically. Also learning German can be really fun when you use resources like this free learning German podcast..