Why German

When asking yourself, why you should consider learning German, think about the following reasons. You will see that the study of German is not only an enriching experience but also offers some real advantages in your professional future.

Did you know that over 100 million Europeans are native speakers of German? In fact, German ranks 9th in the number of native speakers among world languages. In a recent survey of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), German is the second-most-often taught foreign language in Europe. In Eastern Europe, 13 million students are currently studying German as a second language and even in Japan 68% of students take German!

According to the 1990 Census, 1.5 million residents of the U.S. speak German at home. Speakers of German occupy a prominent place on almost any list of the world's greatest artists and thinkers; every discipline in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences has a strong German tradition. Scientists from the three major German-speaking countries, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, have earned 34 Nobel Prizes in Physics, 38 in Chemistry, and 31 in Medicine alone. Three of Germany's most important writers, i.e., Thomas Mann, Heinrich Böll, and Günter Grass, have been the recipients of the Nobel Prize in literature.

Within the European Community Germany has the highest productivity and ranks second only to the United States, for example, in the number of patent approvals. Within the world community, Germany enjoys the reputation of being an economic powerhouse with some industries, such as automobile, engineering, chemical, and pharmaceutical firms leading the way for quality products in the global marketplace. Even in the field of computing, Germany is among the world's leaders.

Learning German is easier than you think! Consider words like "Hand", "Kindergarten", "Zeitgeist." Since German and English share a common historical background, many words and grammatical structures are very similar. This makes learning German easier but it also helps you understand English grammar much better. German is also closely related to many other Germanic languages such as Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Afrikaans, and Yiddish. Knowing German will give you a considerable advantage when you learn any other Germanic language.

Thus, knowledge of German grants access to a rich professional environment. In view of Germany's strong economic, political, artistic, literary and philosophical tradition in the world community, the career choices with a degree in German are significant. Knowledge of German always broadens both your intellectual and professional horizons, but also enhances your chances on the job market. Especially when pursuing a career in the sciences, German is very important since you have access to a world of research findings in all areas of modern science. According to the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD, one out of every 10 books in the world is published in German. With the knowledge of German you are not dependent on translations. Instead, you have direct access to the spirit of the original work and gain greater insight into the author's cultural background and intent.

Here are some other important sectors in which you can use German.

At college and university
A reading knowledge of German is valuable in chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, psychology, history, theology, international law and archaeology.

In business
In view of the important economic role of the European Union, a knowledge of German qualifies you to work for multinational employer who want to capitalize on export to the European Union and Eastern European countries and vice versa. Knowing German could help you get a good job and it may be a significant factor in your professional advancement.

In research and development
Germany remains one of the largest contributors to research and development in the world. A reading knowledge of German helps you in the fields of agriculture, medical and health research, alternative energies, the environment, information and communication technologies, and mineral processing.

In the arts/literature/philosophy/psychology
Many of the greatest thinkers of the modern era wrote in German: Freud, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Kant; Kafka, Goethe, Schiller, Heine, Hesse, Mann, Schnitzler and Grass, the list goes on and on. In music, some of the world's most influential composers like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler, Wagner, or Kurt Weill come from Germany and Austria. And, if you interested in film, you inevitably will encounter German film makers such as Fritz Lang, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and the 2003 Oscar-winner Caroline Link.

In government
If you are interested in pursuing a career in Foreign Affairs, International Trade or National Defense, German is a must. As mentioned above, Germany enjoys the reputation of being the most powerful country in Europe politically, financially and economically. 
These are only a few examples of possible career choices. For current openings, you may want to check the Sunday New York Times under "Bilingual". If you are not yet convinced that German is for you, take a look at http://www.business-in-germany.de/en/ and http://www.germany-info.org/relaunch/index.html. We, the faculty in the German Program at San Francisco State University, will be happy to answer any other questions you have regarding a possible career in German.