| |
IS THE
STUDY OF GERMAN STILL RELEVANT
IN TODAY'S AMERICAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY?
In this
age of globalization the study of a foreign language is more important for our
students than ever. With cost constrained education budgets, many school
districts are unfortunately cutting their foreign language programs. One
question sometimes posed is whether the study of German is still relevant in
Wisconsin in 2008.
Many
Wisconsin high schools have excellent German programs, outstanding teachers and
strong enrollments that deserve to be continued. Yet, even some of the schools
from which today’s prize winners come are considering reductions in their German
programs. If we want
to see the study of the German language continue in Wisconsin, it will take a
concerted effort on the part of students, parents, teachers and organizations
such as the DSSV and the AATG. We all need to do our part to successfully
retain the German programs in our schools.
What can we as individuals do? Stay
informed as to the programs your school is planning to retain and which are
being considered for reduction. Don’t wait until after a decision is
announced. Talk to your students’ German teacher. Get involved and make your
voice heard with your school principals and school boards. The DSSV
is committed to furthering the study of German in Wisconsin, as it has been
since 1954. But it will require local action from concerned students,
prospective German students, parents, teachers, and community members. This has
made the difference in numerous communities and schools throughout the state. Please
watch our website for more information on this topic. Parents and teachers,
please keep the DSSV appraised of what’s happening at your schools by emailing
us through the web site. We will share information, access to resources, and
success stories related to keeping the study of German alive in Wisconsin.
The
following article entitled “Why Should I Learn German” is from a foreign
language study web site
www.vistawide.com called VistaWide World Languages and Cultures. We thought
we should share it with you here as just
one of many fine examples as to why the German language is still so very
interesting, fun and advantageous to those who can speak it.
Dr.
Herman Viets, President of the Milwaukee School of Engineering was the keynote
speaker at the 2011 DSSV Award Ceremony.
The DSSV
has received a great many favorable comments regarding Dr. Viets' address from
the audience and we appreciate his contribution to making our 2011 award
ceremony a success. His insights were extremely relevant for the students,
parents and teachers in attendance. At this time when some
Wisconsin
schools are considering cutting foreign language programs due to budget
constraints, we believe that the principals and administrators at these
schools will appreciate the compelling case that Dr. Viets makes for foreign
language study in preparation for successful engineering and business
careers in this highly competitive global marketplace.
For a
copy of Dr. Viets' address, please click this link: Dr.
Viets 2011 Award Ceremony Address
12 GREAT
REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD START LEARNING GERMAN TODAY
So you already have some
perfectly good reasons for learning German ... Maybe you want to be able to
communicate with relatives, or to travel to Germany during your summer break, or
prepare yourself for study in a German-speaking country. Maybe a German exchange
student sparked your interest, or you have a friend who recommended it, or you
just like the way the language sounds. Just in case you need some reassurance in
your decision or the final push toward taking the plunge, here are 12 more solid
reasons why learning German may be a good choice for you.
1. German is the
most widely spoken language in Europe.
More people speak German as
their native language than any other language in Europe. It's no wonder, since
Germany's 83 million inhabitants make it the most populous European nation. But
not only the residents of Germany speak German. It is also an official language
of Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein. And it is the native
language of a significant portion of the population in northern Italy, eastern
Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, eastern France, parts of Poland, the Czech
Republic, Russia, and Romania, as well as in other parts of Europe.
While learning German can connect you to 120 million native speakers around the
globe, remember that many people also learn German as a second language. It is
the 3rd most popular foreign language taught worldwide and the second most
popular in Europe and Japan, after English.
2. Germany has the 3rd strongest economy and is the #1 export
nation in the world.
Germany has the third
largest economy in the world and is the economic powerhouse of the European
Union. In 2007 -- for the 5th year in a row and despite the strength of the Euro
currency -- the Germans were world champions in exports. The country exported
940 billion US dollars worth of goods, just ahead of the US exports. From cars
to machinery and industrial equipment, from pharmaceuticals to household goods,
German businesses earn 1 in 3 euros through export, and 1 in 4 jobs depends on
exports. The competitiveness and desirability of German products on the market
are indicated by the country's substantial trade surplus, which reached 162
billion euros (209 billion dollars) in 2006 and continues to grow every year.
And don't forget that Switzerland, another German-speaking country, has one of
the highest standards of living in the world.
3. Knowing German
creates business opportunities.
Germany's economic strength
equals business opportunities. Multinational business opportunities exist
throughout the European Union and in the Eastern European countries, where
German is the second most spoken language after Russian. Companies like BMW,
Daimler, Siemens, Lufthansa, SAP, Bosch, Infineon, BASF, and many others need
international partners. The Japanese, who have the 2nd most powerful economy in
the world, understand the business advantages that a knowledge of German will
bring them: 68% of Japanese students study German.
If you're looking for employment in the United States, knowing German can give
you great advantages. German companies account for 700,000 jobs in the United
States, and US companies have created approximately the same number of jobs in
Germany. All other things being equal, the job candidate with German skills will
trump the one without such skills every time. Most surveyed companies in the
United States would choose someone with German literacy over an equally
qualified candidate.
4. Germans are
innovators.
From Gutenberg's
printing press to Hertz' discovery of electromagnetic waves, from
Ehrlich's development of chemotherapy to Einstein's theory of
relativity, to Brandenburg's creation of the MP3 digital music format,
throughout history Germans have proven themselves time and again to be
great innovators. That trend continues today. 4 of the world's 10 most
innovative companies are located in Germany and at 12.7% of the world's
patent applications, the country ranks 3rd in the world. Consequently,
200,000 businesses introduce new products on the market each year.
As a nation
committed to research and development, Germans are on the frontline of
new technologies. Germany exports more high-tech products than any
other country except the U.S. and more than 600 firms are active in the
cutting-edge field of biotechnology. 115 of these are located in Munich
alone. The east German city of Dresden has become Europe's microchip center with its
more than 765 semiconductor firms. |
The German Daniel Fahrenheit
developed the mercury
thermometer in 1714. |
Given the Germans' commitment to innovation, it is perhaps not surprising that
two-thirds of the world's leading international trade fairs take place in
Germany. These include CeBIT, the world's largest trade fair for information and
communications technology, and the IFA consumer electronics trade fair.5. Germans are
the biggest spenders of tourist dollars in the world.
While German workers are highly productive, it is clear that they know how to
play just as hard as they work. With ample disposable income and an average of 6
weeks of vacation a year, Germans have the time and the means to travel, ... and
they do! If you are a world traveler, you are certain to encounter Germans
wherever you go since nearly 3 out of every 4 vacations by Germans are spent in
other countries. In 2007, they spent a record 91 billion euros on international
travel. Year after year, the residents of Germany spend more on foreign travel
than those of any other nation. Germans especially favor travel to warm
Mediterranean climates, such as can be found in Spain, Italy, Turkey, and
Greece, and travel to Eastern European countries is increasing in popularity.
Germans also readily travel to Africa, the Far East, and the Americas. 1.2
million German tourists visited the U.S. in 2003, making Germans the third
largest nationality of tourists to the United States (after the British and
Japanese). The most popular U.S. destinations are California, Florida, and New
York. Travel agencies, tour companies, hotels, airlines, and car rental agencies
that can communicate with Germans in their own language will win their business.
Floridians know this: In that state there are at least two travel magazines
published in German: Florida Journal and Florida Sun Magazin.6. The German
presence on the Internet supersedes most others.
Considering what great
innovators the Germans are, it's not at all surprising that they maintain a
dominant Internet presence. With 8 million Internet domains, Germany's top-level
country domain .de is second only to the extension .com. That makes German
domain names even more popular than those with .net, .org, .info, and .biz
extensions. Even the second-place country extension .uk trails far behind at 3.7
million domain names.
7. Germans form
the largest single heritage group in the U.S.
If you're American
or are interested in American culture, learning German can expand your
appreciation and knowledge of U.S. history and culture. In the year 2000
census, 42.8 million or 15.2% of Americans reported having German
ancestry, making German Americans the largest single heritage group in
the U.S. In waves of immigration that span nearly 4 centuries, Germans
brought with them many customs and traditions that have become so
ingrained in American ways that their origin is often forgotten. Family
names and names of thousands of towns and cities indicate the German
heritage of their ancestors or founders. |
|
The light blue areas on the map represent the states in
which German ancestry ranks ahead of all other ethnic groups.
See the
county-by-county breakdown for a more accurate distribution |
Such cultural mainstays as kindergarten,
the Christmas tree, and hot dogs and hamburgers were introduced by German
immigrants to America. They founded multiple breweries, created Levi's jeans,
invented ketchup, and created Hershey's chocolate. Germans had such a
fundamental presence at the time of the founding of the United States that a
German language version of the Declaration of Independence was printed only a
few days after it was adopted.
8. One in 10 books
in the world is published in German.
Customers browsing in a German bookstore. 80,000+ new
titles appear in German each year. |
|
German is not
only a language of the past. As prolific researchers and scholars,
German speakers produce nearly 80,000 new book titles each year. The
only language markets that produce more books annually are the Chinese
and English publishing industries. In number of books published, Munich
is second in the world only to New York. Since only a small percentage
of German books are translated into other languages (for instance,
approximately 10% into Korean and Chinese, just over 5% into English),
only a knowledge of German will give you access to a vast majority of
these titles. |
9. German-speaking
countries have a rich cultural heritage.
Apart from their
many contributions to American culture, the German speakers have a rich
cultural heritage in their own right. Germany is often referred to as
the land of "Dichter und Denker" -- of poets and thinkers. And rightly
so, because German contributions to the arts and human thought have been
nothing short of profound. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Thomas Mann,
Franz Kafka, and Hermann Hesse are just a few authors whose names and
works are well-known internationally. 10 Nobel prizes for literature
have been awarded to German, Austrian, and Swiss German authors.
The world of
classical music is inseparable from the names of Mozart, Bach,
Beethoven, Strauss, and Wagner to name only a few renowned
German-speaking composers.
Vienna remains an
international center of music today. From the magnificent architecture
of medieval buildings to the avant garde Bauhaus movement, from Dürer's
woodcuts to the expressionist masterpieces of Nolde, Kirchner, and
Kokoschka, Germans have made substantial contributions to world art and
architecture. |
Goethe's Faust is one of the world's great literary masterpieces.
|
Philosophy and the sciences
would also be unthinkable without the contributions of German speakers. The
philosophies of Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, and numerous others have had
lasting influences on modern society. The psychologists Freud and Jung forever
changed the way we think about human behavior. Scientists from the three major
German-speaking countries have won dozens of Nobel prizes in physics, chemistry,
and medicine.
Knowing German allows you to access the works of these people in their original
language and to fully understand the culture whence they derived. Anyone
interested in these fields automatically expands her knowledge and skill by
knowing German.
10. German is not
as hard as you think.
If English is your native language, or if
you already know English, then you already have an advantage when it comes to
learning German. Because modern German and modern English both evolved from the
common ancestor language Germanic, the two languages share many similarities in
both vocabulary and grammar. If you understand any of this ...
Meine Schwester hat braunes
Haar. Sie ist intelligent. Sie studiert Medizin in Berlin. Sie kann gut singen.
... then you already know some German!
In addition, German is spelled phonetically. Once you learn the system of
sounds, it is easy to predict how the spoken word is written and how the written
word is pronounced.
11. German is
required or recommended by many undergraduate and graduate programs.
German speakers' strong contributions in
such a broad array of fields makes the language an important asset in many
disciplines. At the University of California, for instance, more majors
recommend a knowledge of German as an important supplement than any other
language (German: 56 majors, French: 43 majors, Spanish: 21 majors, Japanese: 7
majors). These majors include a wide range of subjects -- from biology, physics,
and chemistry to linguistics, religious studies, and art history.
Considering the importance of the German language in the fields of publishing
and research, it's not surprising that many graduate schools want their
graduates to have at least a reading knowledge of German. Knowing German gives
graduates access to important research published in German books and
professional journals.
12. Germany
financially sponsors over 60,000 international exchanges each year.
While
promoting innovation and supporting research within Germany, the Germans also
recognize that international cooperation and experience is essential to its
continued success as a world leader. In the year 2001 alone, the German Academic
Exchange Service supported 67,000 scholars, scientists, educators, and students
in periods of international research and study. 43% of these were foreigners who
were awarded financial assistance to participate in an exchange in Germany. In
addition, like German students, foreign students directly enrolled in German
universities pay no tuition fees. You can find a list of some of their aid
programs at our
pages on grants and scholarships for study abroad.
|