Over 120 million people speak German as their native language. German is spoken in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, as well as parts of Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Italy and Belgium. After English, German is the most popular foreign language to learn in Europe.
German and English are both Germanic languages. They share many of the same words, word origins and grammar characteristics and that makes German an obvious choice for English speakers. As a consequence, learning German helps students gain a better understanding of English and achieve higher SAT and ACT scores. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe already proclaimed: "A person who does not know a second language does not truly know his own."
German is important in the global economy. Germany is one of today's economic super powers (it's the world's third biggest economy after the USA and Japan). It is the largest economic and political influence in Europe. Germany has the highest paid workers in the world. Switzerland, another German-speaking country, is one of the world's richest countries.
The federal Republic of Germany is the 3rd
largest trading partner of the USA. More than 2,500 German
companies/subsidiaries invest in businesses in the United States
with many hundreds of thousands of American employees and they
pay top salaries to the ones who are able to speak German.
German is, without any doubt, the most important foreign language in the Detroit Metropolitan Area. Consider all the job opportunities within the Automotive Industry here!
German is important for science. Most of the world's scientists have come from or studied in German-speaking countries. Many new scientific discoveries happen in German-speaking countries, and some scientific information is only available in German. Universities encourage science majors to learn German.
Nearly half of all pharmaceuticals come from Germany and Switzerland. Medical research continues to thrive, and many U.S. companies have affiliates in German-speaking countries.
Knowledge of the German language and culture is invaluable in understanding your own history, society, and culture since more than 25% of all Americans are of German descent.
German is important in music. Most of the world's famous composers and musicians came from German-speaking countries. Think of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Schubert, Strauss, Mahler, etc. Vienna, the capital of Austria, has been the world center of music for hundreds of years. Classical musicians learn German.
One out of every 10 books published in the world today is published in German.
There are 20 million people in the world currently learning German.
German and Japanese are the pilot languages for MICROSOFT.
Next to English and French, German is the most popular language in the Internet.
German is important for the tourist industry. Germans are among the people who travel the most in the world. You will find German tourists everywhere. And Americans love to visit German-speaking countries with their fabulous cities, countryside, mountains; their rich history and culture.
Don't miss out. Register for German! It'll be fun: You'll learn to speak, read, write; we'll watch German movies, listen to lots of German music and surf the net together! See your counselor for help, or call me/write to me for more information. I look forward to seeing you when you come to Schoolcraft!
Anita Süess Kaushik, Ph. D.
Professor of French and German Phone: 734-462-4400 ext. 5668 asuess@schoolcraft.edu
Sources: American Assoc. of Teachers of German, Dartmouth College, Goethe Institut, National Council for Social Studies, US News & World Report, World Book Encyclopedia.
