Learning Spanish Quick

Learning the German language is an excellent way to expand your personal and professional horizons. Popular reasons for people to start learning German are to make the most of holidays in Germany, be able to chat with German relatives and prepare for study exchange programs in Germany. But there are in fact so many other great reasons to learn to speak German that people never consider. Here are some that come to mind:

Germany is the most populous European nation and German is the most widely spoken language in Europe. Learning German can connect you with 120 million native speakers around the globe and you might be surprised to learn that German is the 3rd most popular foreign language taught worldwide. So German will not only allow you to build relationships with people in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein but also German speakers all over the world.  

Germany is the economic powerhouse of the European Union and one of the biggest international exporters. Germany’s international trade earnings are proof of the high demand for German goods. This means that if you speak German you will have excellent international employment and career opportunities. Given Germany’s commitment to innovation, it’s perhaps not surprising that two-thirds of the world’s leading international trade fairs take place in Germany.

While German workers are highly productive, it is clear they know how to play just as hard as they work. In 2007, the Germans spent a record 91 billion euros on international travel. Travel agencies, tour companies, hotels, airlines and car rental agencies that can communicate with Germans in their own language will win German business.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the German language is dying. The only language markets that produce more books annually than the Germans are the Chinese and English publishing industries. As very few German books are translated into English, the only way to appreciate these books is by learning to speak German.

German speaking countries have made a huge contribution to the world’s cultural heritage. Germany is known for being a country of poetry and great thinkers. 10 Nobel prizes have been awarded to German, Austrian and Swiss German authors. The psychologists Freud and Jung forever changed the way we think about human behavior. Anyone interested in any of these fields automatically expands their knowledge and skill by knowing German.  Whether you’re interested in cultural and intellectual heritage of these countries or not, the fact remains that Switzerland, Austria and Germany all offer a very high standard of living, which make these countries very sought after and comfortable places to live.

You’re probably thinking that’s all well and good, but German is too hard to learn. If that’s the case, you’d be wrong! I think you’d be surprised to discover just how similar English is to German. Modern German and modern English both evolved from the common ancestor language Germanic. Also once you learn the German system of sounds, it’s easy to predict how the spoken word is written and how the word is pronounced. Besides, learning German is fun when you make use of these German language podcasts.