The German language is very practical for today's global society and
can help a student lead a more successful life. Finance, career
enhancement, travel, heritage, personal enjoyment, and human services
are just a few of the areas enriched by the study of German. It is the
mother tongue of 24% of the European population compared with French,
English, and Italian - 16%, Spanish - 11%, and the Netherlands 6%
Here's why:
+German is the most widely spoken language in the European Union and
in the rapidly growing markets of Central and Eastern Europe, where
it is a language of business, diplomacy, and tourism. Germany is
America' largest trading partner in Europe ($34 million in German
exports) and is the third largest economic leader in the world.
+Germany is the world's largest exporter.
More than 750 major American firms do business in Germany. More than
2,500 German companies/subsidiaries invest in businesses in the
United States with many hundreds of thousands of American employees.
For example, German and Japanese are the pilot languages for future
Microsoft products that will be eventually brought onto the market.
Other companies are participating in joint ventures (such as Mercedes
with Chrysler and the Bertelmann take-over of Random House. In fact,
68% percent of all Japanese students learn German. In addition,
Germany hosts important international trade shows. And now that so many
jobs have been outsourced to countries abroad, a working knowledge of German
(and other languages as well)can give you the edge in being chosen for a
job with the company.
+Learning German helps students achieve higher SAT and ACT scores.
This is because German and English share thousands of the same
words, and English bases its syntax on German (both developed from
the same language family).
+In a two-month survey of 631 advertisements in "The New York Times"
in which persons with a language skill other than English was
requested, more than half listed mentioned a need for German.
+More than 25% of all foreign tourists visiting the U.S. come from
German-speaking countries. The German-speaking countries have long
been a popular tourist destination for American travelers. In fact,
Germans are the most traveled people in the world! Travel in Europe
is easier with a knowledge of German because so many people speak
it (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, parts
of other European countries, and countries west of Russia).
+Nearly half of all pharmaceuticals come from Germany and Switzerland.
Medical research continues to thrive there, and many U.S. companies
have affiliates in German-speaking countries.
+Germany has made tremendous strides in pollution control, ocean-
ography, forestry, agriculture, fisheries, and wildlife management.
American and German research scientists often cooperate, such as in
JOIDES, the Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep Earth sampling,
as well as the Nautical Alamanca and Spacelab.
+One out of every ten books published in the world is in German.
Germany ranks third in the publishing industry (behind Britain and
China). It is the one of the main languages for scientific
publications.
+Many post-secondary schools offer majors that recommend the study of
German. For example, at the University of California 56 majors
require German, compared to 43 French, 21 Spanish, and 7 Japanese.
These include careers such as accounting, anatomy, architecture, art
history, banking, biology, bio-medical physics, botany, business,
cartography, chemistry, design, education, engineering, export,
fashion, film making, foreign correspondence/journalism, foreign
service, genetics, geology, hotel management, international trade,
interpreting, law/international law, linguistics, logic and
methodology of science, molecular biology, marketing, medicine,
music, nuclear energy, philosophy, physical science, physics,
physiology, political science, publishing, religious studies,
research, sociology, stock brokering, technology, tourism industry,
translation, and zoology, to name a few.
+Non-university studies include the armed forces, auto production,
computers, manufacturing, the airlines and other international
transportation, sports, etc. For example, the internationally
renowned German monument preservation office provides money and
technology/skills to help countries such as China and Jordan save
their national monuments, which are up to 7,000 years old. Also,
the world's third-largest automotive industry supplier, TRW, which
is American, manufactures airbags in what was the formerly East
Germany. In every third car in Europe which has an airbag, there is
a part from this company.
+German is the second morst commonly used scientific language.
A review of Nobel Prizes indicates that scientists from the three
major German-speaking countries have won 21 prizes in Physics, 30
in Chemistry, and 25 in Medicine, while many other laureates from
other countries received their training at German universities. Nine
Nobel Prizes have been awarded to German and Swiss writers, and seven
Germans and Austrians haved earned the Nobel Peace Prize.
+To learn more about careers in German, visit
http://home.netscape.com/netcenter/careercenter
and type in the word German.
+Germany's educational system is a leading model for the current
emphasis on school-to-career partnerships and mentoring. It is
the source of some of our own educational traditions: kindergarten,
education for the deaf, technical training, graduate school, and
vocational-technical schools, and physical education.
+American history has been shaped by many Germans and German-
Americans. In fact, one out of every six Americans is of some German
descent, and their impact continues to be a definitive element
in the American way of life. Knowledge of the German language and
culture is invaluable in understanding your own history, society, and
culture.
+Even in the world of sports, 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 as well as the highest total number of medals in the
1998 Olympics. In World Cup soccer, Germany has reached the finals
more often than any other country,and only Brazil has won the title
more often. In addition, tennis is a sport at which Germans excel,
and athletes traditionally dominate alpine skiing to the extent that
German is the sport's primary language.
+Let's not forget personal enjoyment: music, literature, philosophy,
and more. Learning German is a great way to develop self-awareness
and an understanding of other people. You gain new insights and
perspectives and enlarge your horizon by discovering a culture other
than your own. For example, a musician who visits a favorite
composer's city, eats the cuisine there, visits the composer's home,
attends concerts of world class orchestras to hear his music, and
talks with the people there will feel and understand a stronger
connection with that composer's music.
*Germans are the biggest spenders of tourist dollars in the world.
Travel agencies, tour companies,hotels, airlines, and car rental agencies
that can communicate with Germans in their own language will will their
business.
*The German presence on the Internet supercedes most other domains.
+Learning German provides deeper insights into a region that plays a vital
role in Europes intellectual and economiclife and in its cultural history.
The importance of German may not seem so obvious to Americans because
we are separated from Europe by thousands of miles. But it is
becoming more important worldwide, and you will be glad you studied
it!!!
