Studying German can help a student lead a more successful life. Finance, career enhancement, travel, heritage, personal enjoyment, and human services include some of the areas enriched by the study of German.
International business is crucial for the economic health of the US. The Federal Republic of Germany is American's largest trading partner in Europe and its third largest partner in the world.
More Europeans are native speakers of German than of English, French, Italian or Spanish. As a language of business, diplomacy, and tourism in Western Europe, it stands second only to English, and in the East it holds first place. Much of the language's current importance stems from the Federal Republic's economic status. It has the third-highest GNP in the world, is the second highest creditor nation, and every year occupies one of the top three spots among exporting countries. Its publishing industry, which ranks #3 in the world (behind Britain and China), produced 36% more new book titles in 1995 than did the United States.
While Germany is economically the most important member of the 15 member European Union (EU) and invests heavily in Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America, its economy is particularly connected with that of the United States. In 1994 and again in 1995, each country directly invested almost $40 billion in the other. The German investments in the United States in 1995 supported 2,507 separate enterprises with 494,000 employees. These nearly half a million consumers are part of the US economy where they spend the money they have earned. Beyond that, German exports to the United States in 1994 totaled $33.5 billion (while imports were $27.5 billion). The EU absorbed nearly one-quarter of American exports in 1993. A significant share of US exports to Germany are shipped via the Dutch port of Rotterdam and are thus counted as US export to Holland. Germany is the ultimate destination of these products. Given this environment, the advantages of bilingualism for employment are obvious.
Many companies, such as Boeing, participate in joint ventures with Germany.
In the 1994 survey conducted by the German American Chamber of Commerce, 64.9% of all respondents conducting business with Germany "specifically ask for German and English bilingual skills when conducting a search for new employees."
"German is the language of commerce in the EU and especially important as the bridge language into the former east block countries," says Manfred Reimann of Ballantrae International, LTD, in Seattle, Washington.
German and Japanese are the pilot languages for new Microsoft products that will eventually be brought on to the market. Germany and China house the most trade shows in the world and trade shows are an excellent way to sell products to distributors all over the world, not just in the host countries.
Learning German helps students achieve higher SAT and ACT scores.
At the University of California, more majors require the study of German than other languages (German 56 majors, French 43 majors, Spanish 21 majors, Japanese 7 majors). Among many academic programs requiring or recommending German are: anatomy, art history, biochemistry, biology, biomedical physics, botany, chemistry, design, engineering, film studies, genetics, linguistics, logic and methodology of science, molecular biology, music, near eastern studies, philosophy, physical science, physics, physiology, religious studies, and zoology to name a few.
The significance of German extends well beyond economic considerations. A review of Nobel Prizes shows that scientists from the three major German-speaking countries have won 21 in Physics, 30 in Chemistry, and 25 in Medicine, while many laureates from other countries received their training in German universities. Nine Nobel Prizes in Literature have been awarded to German and Swiss writers, and seven Germans and Austrians have received the Peace Prize.
Travel is an industry for pleasure and finance. More than 25% of all foreign tourists visiting the US come from German-speaking countries and Germans have money to buy products while they travel. The German speaking countries are also among the most popular destinations for American travelers.
If you travel to Japan and you do not get along with English, try German: 68% of all Japanese students learn German.
In the countries where Americans most often do not know the language (e.g.. Turkey, Greece), a knowledge of German can be helpful. Guest workers returning home from Germany are a good resource, because you can communicate with them in their second language (German).
Travel all over Europe is easier with a knowledge of German. According to the German Foreign Office, German as a foreign language is becoming increasingly important in the countries of Middle and Eastern Europe. Eastern European Elementary school students chose German (49%) over English (44%). The number of German students in the Czech Republic rose 33% in the past four years now that Russian is not required. Many countries gear up for the German tourist, so wherever you may land in Europe, you are likely to get by with a knowledge of German.
Since 1945, more Americans have lived and worked in Germany than in any other country in the world. Still, there are over 100,000 American military personnel stationed in the Federal Republic of Germany. Many also have their families with them.
As Americans we are often interested in our roots and the land of our ancestors. Twenty-five percent of all Americans claim German ancestry.
Almost half of all US pharmaceuticals come from Germany and Switzerland. Medical research continues to thrive in Germany and many companies in the U.S. have affiliates in German speaking countries.
Germany's educational system is a leading model for our current emphasis on school-top-trade partnerships and mentoring as well as the dual system. It is the source of our oldest educational traditions: kindergarten, education for the deaf, technical training, universities and graduate school.
Germany has made tremendous strides in pollution control, oceanography, forestry, agriculture, fisheries, and wildlife management. American and German research scientists often co-operate, as in JOIDES, the Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep Earth sampling. The creation of the international Nautical Almanac is another co-operative venture as is the SPACELAB.
German continues to be one of the main languages of scientific publications.
Even in the world of sport, German-speakers figure prominently. Germany accumulated the second-highest total number of medals in the 1996 Olympics while also winning the European Cup in soccer for the third time. In addition, the Federal Republic won the highest total number of medals in the 1998 Olympics. In the history of World Cup soccer, Germany has reached the finals more often than any other country, and only Brazil has won the title more often. Tennis is of course another sport at which Germans excel, and athletes from the German-speaking countries traditionally dominate alpine skiing to the extent that German is the sport's primary language.
Personal enjoyment includes many areas and German continues to offer much for this topic. Students studying music are helped greatly by knowing the language of the great composers and by visiting their homes, walking in their towns, and woods, etc. Beethoven's 6th Symphony, for example, was written near Vienna. The performance of such a piece is more accurate, if the musician has heard the animals, the brook, or the storm. An artist who has eaten Viennese food and talked with Austrians has a better understanding of Beethoven and feels a stronger connection with his music.
German literature is rich and abundant. Many of the world's best authors are German and reading their works in the original language is a richer experience. In the Encyclopedia Americana there are 14 pages devoted to German literature, 13 to French, 8 to Spanish and 6 to Japanese.
Why learn German? |
last updated 6/24/2006