The Benefits Of Learning German
Learning the German language is an excellent way to expand your personal and professional horizons. Some of the most popular reasons to learn to speak German are to communicate with relatives, to prepare to travel in Germany or to study in Germany as an exchange student. While these are all good reasons to learn German, you might be surprised to discover just how many other great reasons there are that you’ve never considered. 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. 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. Â
Germany has one of the strongest economies and is one of the world’s top export nations. The competitiveness and desirability of German products is indicated by the country’s substantial trade surplus. Knowing German creates many business opportunities, not just in Germany itself but also internationally. The Germans are great innovators and Germany is on the frontline of new technologies.
With ample disposable income and an average of 6 weeks of vacation a year, German’s have both the time and means to travel. Year after year the German’s spend more on foreign travel than any other nation. It’s understandable that the best way to profit from the German tourist industry is to speak the language.
Don’t fool yourself by thinking that German is a language of the past. 1 in 10 books in the world is published in German, which is further proof that German is a country of researchers and scholars. 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.
German speaking countries have a very rich cultural heritage. The Germans are well known for their poets, classical musicians and great philosophers. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka and Hermann Hesse are just a few authors whose names and works are well known internationally. The psychologists Freud and Jung forever changed the way we think about human behavior. Knowing German allows you to access the works of these people in their original language allowing you a more in depth appreciation of their work. 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 sought after and comfortable places to live.
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. Also learning German can be really fun when you use resources like this free learning German podcast..
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