Important and good reasons why people should learn German
Why should people learn German? That is the question. In my opinion, there are many advantages to learning German. This article is intended to show that there is a need and/or an advantage in knowing a foreign language, in addition to English, and in particular German.
Perhaps you might need to learn German because you want to do business in Germany and have trading partners who are German, and hence, wish to know them better, and also read all the contracts (since the contracts in Germany are written in German, and formal German at that!).
Perhaps you might need to learn German because you are taking an examination, or the school forced you to pick a foreign language, and of course you picked German because of its resemblance to English (and we all know how frightening some German teachers can be, or for that matter, all teachers can be frightening...).
Perhaps you might need to learn German because you happen to be a Foreign Office officer or overseas scholar and hence would need to communicate in formal German, or give lectures in German (and since they posted you to Germany you have to pick up the language quick and fast...).
There are many other scenarios, but in which case, you'd know why you wanted to learn German and would wish that this author would hurry up and get to the important bit: how to learn German, and fast and enjoyably, as he promised.
Bear with me for a moment while I deal with those who need reasons to convince them:
1. Germany is one of the largest economies in the world. According to Wikipedia in 2007, it was the third largest in the world, although normally Germany is usually ranked third or fourth or even fifth largest economy in the world. Doing business with Germany would require a command of basic German, or perhaps some Business German.
2. Academics. Germany produced a lot of literature, from Karl Marx to Goethe, Nietzsche to Hegel. Reading all this literature in English can be really stimulating and interesting, but imagine reading it in the original, and appreciating it better. Not to mention, for scholastic and academic purposes, the huge advantage one would possess for knowing the German language while studying most philosophical subjects, literature, and music. German poets, German literature, German scientists, German philosophy - all their minds are open and clear to yours, if you can read their language. If you are a student intending to study in Germany, the importance of German is immense to you. If you are an academic who wants to teach in Germany, German universities will look at you with respect if you are multilingual rather than just merely English speaking. Although it is true that many German universities teach in English, still a strong command of the language would put academics in good stead.
3. Personal pride and enjoyment. Sometimes people who know a foreign language seem better - they are more eloquent in their own language; they appear smarter; they appear even sexier. You have the ability to charm and amaze all your friends by applying interesting techniques to learning German and enjoying yourself along the way. Besides, even if you did speak German badly (to the eyes and ears of a native speaker), you'd still impress all your peers and friends.
4. Occupational opportunities and benefits. Knowing a foreign language in this globalised world is a key asset. If your company expands overseas to Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland or even Russia, your German language abilities are going to be ever so important and ever so versatile in this new knowledge based economy. My friend, who wanted to become an air stewardess, became an air stewardess easily despite stiff competition for limited jobs, all because of her German knowledge. Imagine further that you were now looking for a job: Mercedes, BMW, Deutsche Bank... all these companies would be available to you, and you could apply to these companies. Your CV would look great to them with a command of German.
5. Travelling and leisure. A simple command of German will get you a lot of enjoyment travelling throughout Europe. The Swiss, Austrians and many other Europeans speak German, either as a first or second language. Not everyone speaks English all around the world. Furthermore, those who speak English in Europe may not speak it as fluently as you do and there could be intercultural mis-communication. Learning a few phrases could greatly enhance your travels and leisure times, and German speakers would easily and readily help you.
These 5 reasons are, to me, the best and most important reasons why people who don't learn German should learn German. If not, at least a foreign language of their choice as well, I do suppose.
In summary: German is important, as Germany and Europe are important. Some of us need to learn German by circumstances, others need convincing. These 5 reasons should be enough to convince you that German is important enough for you to learn it, and it will confer advantages, opportunities and enjoyment on you.
All the best in your language studies,
Cheers!
How to Learn German Fast! PS: For those of us here who already know why we need to learn German, knowing your goals and your aims is one of the key ideas that I will be talking about. Precisely. My website here is all about learning German, and how to learn German fast and enjoyably. I will talk more about knowing goals and knowing what you want later, so stay tuned!
