Why German is an important, and increasingly more popular, language to learn
As we’ve talked about in previous posts, learning a second language early has multiple benefits. It also takes at least 15 years of academic education to communicate (write, speak, and listen) effectively in a new language.
Aside from Germany, German is the official language of Austria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. It is also one of the most popular languages taught worldwide.
In this post, we’ll talk about several reasons why German is an important language to learn.
Educational benefits
Besides being one of the top ten languages spoken in the world, German has many similarities with English. Germany is well known for its higher education system; notable scholars have attended schools in the country across many disciplines, and a knowledge of the language can help students learn more about these German researchers.
Post-secondary institutions in Germany are some of the top-ranked schools globally, and tuition is only a few hundred dollars each semester, which makes it a great place to learn.
Business & career benefits
Knowing a second language enhances your professional relationships and increases your chances for career or business success. Global companies actively search for German speakers, and most major international corporations have an affiliation with Germany.
Large multinational companies exist across the European continent. German is the second highest spoken language after Russian, and German proficiency is ideal for politicians or employees at a company with global business connections in nearly every industry, whether in their home country, or abroad. If you know German, you can expand your business into Germany—Berlin is a particular hotspot for entrepreneurs. The country’s robust economy also means potential business opportunities.
Germany is the world’s second-largest exporter. Globally renowned German companies include Adidas, BASF, Bayer, BMW, Bosch, Lufthansa, SAP, Siemens, T-Mobile, and Volkswagen. About 3500 majority German-owned companies provide 700,000 jobs in the US, with half of them in manufacturing. They provide the second highest number of manufacturing jobs in the US among foreign-owned companies, and play a key role in the American economy, having invested over $10 billion USD. US companies offer almost the same number of jobs in Germany.
Get ahead in the science industry
Germany is renowned for its leadership in science and engineering. It is the third-largest contributor to research and development globally, and offers research fellowships to scientists from abroad. Since its inception in 1925, German Academic Exchange Services (DAAD) has supported over 1.9 million researchers, academics, educationalists and learners in Germany and abroad with international research and study.
German was once the official language of science until some German scientists were ostracised from the community after World War II. It is the second most used language in the scientific industry, so learning the language could provide a competitive advantage to those who want to make a significant difference in this field.
Get immersed in the world’s greatest minds
Germans have transformed how we think about human behaviour. Knowing German provides access to the culture and knowledge of the world’s greatest leaders and innovators. Some of history’s well-known figures spoke German, from Goethe, Marx, Nietzsche, and Kafka, to Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven, and Freud, Einstein, and Heisenberg. By learning German, you can read or listen to the works—but also understand the thinking processes—of these creative geniuses.
One in 10 books globally are written in German, and German writers and orators publish thousands of books each year on multiple subjects.
Travel
After English, German is the second most popular language in Europe. A significant percentage of people in eastern Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, eastern France, northern Italy, the Netherlands, parts of Poland, Romania, and Russia all speak German, besides other parts of Europe.
If you want to travel to Germany or multiple countries in Europe, knowing German can help you communicate and develop your social life quickly. From food (sausages) and events (Oktoberfest) to recognisable brands (Volkswagen), German culture is globally recognised, and the language can immerse you further into it.
As the average income in Germany is higher than in most countries, many Germans travel abroad and you may be more likely to encounter a German speaker. Over 16 percent of Americans have German heritage, which is over 40 million people.
As with any second language you learn, German will widen your knowledge of the culture and broaden your perspective.
At SISD, we offer German as a bilingual option to all students ages 3 to 18. If students don’t take the bilingual programme, they can still opt to have four lessons of German as a second language every week – this is the largest language acquisition programme of its kind in the UAE.
For more information about our bilingual language programmes, contact our Admissions team at admissions@sisd.ae.
