11 Perfect Reasons to Learn German – Did you know that learning German is quite easy for English speakers? This is because there are many thousands of English and German words which are closely related, known as “cognates.”
For example, the English chin is Kinn in German, etc, unlike Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, or Arabic, there is no new alphabet to learn, only a few letters to add.
Also, Germany’s economic growth, innovation, and career opportunities are just some of the endless reasons to learn German. In this article, I have listed different reasons why you should learn the German language. I’ll take a look.
Contents
Perfect Reasons to Learn German
1. German is an Important Language in Academics
Germany has a lot of award-winning scientists, it might not come as a surprise that Germany is very important in the academic community. In fact, it ranks second as the most commonly used scientific language. One of the reasons for this is that the German book market is the third-largest in the world, right after the Chinese and English publishing industries. Since the percentage of these books that are being translated into other languages is fairly limited, only a knowledge of German will give you access to them. This is why it is important to learn the language.
2. German is the second most common language used in Science
At one point in the 20th century, German was the official language used in the world of Science. However, given the events of world war 2, German scientists were ostracized from the community. Despite this, German is still the second most important language in science. Learning the language will give you an advantage if you’re serious about making a difference in the field.
3. Berlin is a hot spot for entrepreneurs
Are you an entrepreneur or an ambitious professional looking to strike gold in the startup industry, welcome to Berlin? The European market is ripe for disruption and begging for new ideas to come to play. As the economic powerhouse of Europe, starting your company in Germany is likely going to give you the highest chance of success. Especially in Berlin.
4. German is the language of inventors
It is said that Germany is the country of poets and thinkers. The second part is definitely true. A large percentage of the world’s most impressive achievements was first achieved in German. Germans have won over one hundred Nobel prizes for accomplishments in physics, medicine, chemistry, literature, and other areas. That is not even counting the prizes awarded to people from the other two major German-speaking countries Austria and Switzerland. Plus, many of the recipients from other nations received their training at German universities.
5. Better career opportunities
Given the attractiveness of this country, companies from around the world are seeking out German speakers. But most importantly, German powerhouses like BMW, Volkswagen, Adidas, and Lufthansa are all established around the world. If you want to stand out more than your peers, learning a bit of German won’t hurt. Take for example you want to apply for a job opportunity in an Adidas company, you speaking German to the employer will definitely bring his interest rather than those who just speak English to him.
6. Germany is an economic powerhouse
Germany is the biggest economy within the European Union and the fourth largest worldwide. It is home to numerous international corporations and on the front line of new technologies. While the schooling system in Germany is set up in a way that every German citizen knows at least some English, communicating with someone in their native tongue is a sign of good faith that is appreciated everywhere. If you are able to communicate in with you German business partner in his local language, you are bound to create a more friendly atmosphere that is definitely good for your business.
7. German comes from the same language family as English
German and English are both ‘West Germanic languages’ and share similar language DNA. This means that as an English speaker, you’re going to have a much easier time learning German. In fact, over 26% of English vocabulary has shared roots with German, from grammar structure to vocabulary. It’s the main reason why German is one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers. Since it’s easy for English speakers, what are you waiting for to start learning?
8. Berlin is a Hotspot Innovation
European capitals are great places to live for many reasons. Often, it’s because they seem like places of endless opportunities, whether that be within fashion, entertainment, or business. If you want to live comfortably in cities like Paris and London, you’ll often find yourself paying extra for that luxury. It’s hard to focus on building a business or making a name for yourself when you’re struggling to make rent. Fortunately, this isn’t so much the case in Germany’s capital, Berlin, a city where the cost of living is low and the quality of life is high. Along with the cheap rent, Berlin is known for liberal thinking and is the capital of cool in central Europe. A new startup is created in the city every 20 minutes. Many of them have been hugely successful. Berlin might just be the city where all your dreams come true.
9. German has a big online presence
German websites make up a huge part of the internet. In fact, in terms of domain endings that are clearly affiliated with a particular country, Germany is the most popular top-level domain out there. Knowing German gives you access to an additional 15 million websites and that is not even counting the German sites ending in .net, .org and .info. Of course, in terms of absolute numbers . German takes second place in the whole worldwide web.
10. German is the most widely spoken native language in Europe
English, French and German are the three official working languages of the European Union. In absolute numbers, German is the second most-spoken language on the continent of Europe. For centuries the language served as a lingua franca in large parts of the European continent. It continues to serve this purpose as an important second language in central and eastern Europe. In the English-speaking world, German is also the third most taught foreign language. In addition to that it comes in at tenth place as one of the major languages of the world. Incredible right?
11. To make money
One of the reasons to learn German is to make money, do you believe it? According to the Economist, German learners will have accumulated bonus earnings of 125,000 euros. Just by learning the language. As an economic powerhouse, Germany is the largest European trading partner with the United States and many other nations around the world. So what is taking you so long to make up your mind to learn the language? Even if you don’t want to learn it for the other reasons I’ve stated, this reason should be reason enough to learn the German language.
Frequently Asked Questions about Reasons to Learn German
i. Is German worth learning?
Learning German is definitely worth the effort as there is a lot to gain just from learning the language, from having wider job opportunities to sharing in the cultural language of great innovators and inventors. It really is worth it.
Now that you know the Perfect Reasons to Learn German, are you going to grab the opportunities of learning german? If so, I wish you good luck.