Recommended Reading
Most people have at some time or other been across the Channel to France, even if it was only for a day trip. It is our closest foreign neighbour and a popular holiday destination, even retirement spot, for many Britons. So most people, perhaps, can see some sense to learning French.
Germany, however, is not as near as France and it is not such a popular holiday destination, so often people cannot see why they should learn German. I would like to suggest a few reasons why and maybe you will learn some surprising facts along the way!
- Firstly, with the exception of Russian, German is the most widely spoken European language.
- Economically, Germany is the most powerful country in Europe.
- Germany is the most important trading partner for all European countries and the study of German will make you “phenomenally employable.” (Independent, July 2000)
- Germany is the world's third biggest economy (after USA & Japan) and is the leading export nation in the world in proportion to its population. Switzerland is the world's richest country.
- German is the second most frequently used business language (after English). In Eastern Europe it is the most used business language, as many people in Eastern Europe know German.
- More “world's largest” trade fairs are held in Germany than in any other country.
- Many U.S. companies are owned by German ones and many U.S. companies cite German as the language they would most like their employees to know.
- Germany has provided a rich literary and philosophical legacy for the evolution of Western Civilisation.
- German is the second most used scientific language (after English). Many new scientific discoveries originate in German speaking countries. The newest elements in the Periodic Table were discovered by a German scientist. For most scientists, engineers and doctors, at least a reading knowledge of German is essential and over 40% of American scientists recommend that students learn German.
- Between 1901-2003 Germany received the most number of Nobel Prizes in Science after the USA.
- The German publishing industry is the third largest in the world after the USA and China. 18% of the world's books are published in Germany.
- Germany is a world leader in environmental technologies, such as wind and solar power.
- German is important for the tourist industry as German speaking tourists are the most travelled people in the world!
- German is the second most important language on the internet after English (based on the number of pages on the internet and search language used).
- 1 in 4 Americans is of German descent.
- Most of the world's famous composers and musicians have come from German speaking countries and Vienna is the world centre of music.
- English and German are closely related (English is a Germanic language) and by learning German you will get to know English better.
To sum up, therefore: Why learn German? Well, German is important in the European and global economy, in business, in science, in music, in literature, on the internet and in the tourist industry, and it's closely related to English. That's why!
