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Why Study German?
Which of the following sentences are true?
(i) German is difficult.
(ii) Germans invented techno.
(iii) Germany is Britain's biggest export partner.
(iv) All Austrians, Germans, Swiss speak English.
(v) German isn’t as important a language as English.
(vi) Every important German text has been translated into English.
(i) False.
If German is that difficult why is it that any English-speaker, regardless of whether s/he has ever studied German, will probably understand every word in the following list: Haus, Ebbe, Garten, Butter, Jacke, Feuer, stinken, Nase, Adresse, Schule, Brücke, Hobby, Tennis, Student, Sport, tanzen, Bier, schwimmen, Party, Universität, Fußball. Those of us who have learnt French or Latin will have no problems with the following either: Fenster, Dame, Charme, Teint.
(ii) True.
Germany invented techno in the early 1990s. Germans have contributed to the world in all sorts of areas over the years. How many of these famous names do you know: Bunsen, Schuhmacher, Siemens, Beethoven, Daimler-Benz, Braun, Einstein, Luther.
(iii) True.
In 1996 Germany was our biggest trading partner, and most years it is either at the top of the list, or second to the USA. Another country in the top ten is Luxembourg and German is one of three languages spoken there.
(iv) False.
In a 1997 study, 20% of companies indicated that lack of a foreign language had been some barrier. According to the Nuffield report 'Where are we going with languages', German poses an increasing barrier, i.e. there is an increasing need for German-speakers in British businesses. British firms now train extensively for German because German is taught in so few schools. This means that if you already have German skills when you join them you will not need to be trained. A survey from 1996 confirms that English is not unquestionably the lingua franca in Europe (the common language): it is certainly widespread with 52% of Europeans claiming to be able to speak it (this does not include native speakers), but 39% can speak French and 35% German, so people still see a point to learning a language other than English. Perhaps English isn't always enough.
But learning a language isn't only about being able to do business in it. Learning a new language opens the way to a different culture if we let it. Learning another language is like putting on a pair of spectacles that gives a different view of the world from the view we get when we don't wear spectacles (when we speak our native language).
(v) False.
English may be spoken by more people world-wide, but German has more speakers in Europe. There are 81 million speakers in Germany, 7.5 in Austria, 4.2 million in Switzerland, 372, 000 in Luxembourg and 15,000 in Liechtenstein. There are also some speakers in Belgium, France, Italy, Hungary, Romania and parts of Russia. Germany is a major economic and political power in Europe and contributes more than any other country to the EU budget.
(vi) False.
Not all journals and publications are translated into English and since German is the second most common language used in scientific publications you may need German to understand them. According the to the brochure 'Warum Deutsch' published by the Goethe-Institut, 40% of Americans and 70% of Poles are recommended to learn German for science. |
