Why learn German when English is used worldwide?
Why learn German when there are so many other languages to learn such as French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and more?
You have asked two very important questions! Good thing, we have a lot of reasons to tell you. Ready to learn them?
Let us begin…
Why Learn German? It has Germanic Origins: Reason 1
In case you are thinking that German is a tough language, mastering which can be quite an elusive chase, you are wrong!
Both English and German share the same Germanic origins. So, if you are a native speaker of English or you have mastered the language, German shouldn’t be a difficult affair.
Did you know that German has many (literally thousands) words that are very closely related to English?
These words are called cognates.
Let us set a few examples, shall we?
| English Word | German Word |
| Chin | Kinn |
| Water | Wasser |
| Father | Vater |
We have your attention now, don’t we?
Here is something else you need to know – when you already know English and you start learning German, all you have to do is to learn a few new letters.
German has absolutely no new alphabet to learn. This is not the case with other languages like Russian, French, Japanese, Chinese or even Arabic.
Why Learn German? Save Money in University Tuition Fees: Reason 2
Getting a degree that is decent enough to land you a job can rake up a student loan in the USA. Get that degree from the UK and the loan can reach six digits.
That’s definitely not what you would want to start your life with. Unfortunately, that’s the sad truth.
But there is a way out!
Head for Germany! Most of the universities in Germany do not charge any money for tuition fees. Yes, you will literally get tuition for free.
There are some universities that will charge you €500 per semester but that’s quite less compared to £9,000+ charged by universities in the United Kingdom for each semester.
You may be naturally inclined to ask a few questions here. They include:
- If there is no tuition fee, is the education standard good?
- How can Germany get rid of tuition fee in universities?
Here is the answer to your first question:
There are many German universities that rank in Top 100 universities in the world. German universities do not sacrifice on the quality of education.
As far as your second question is concerned, only 27% of German students attend university as compared to 48% in the UK. Moreover, German taxpayers pay for the universities.
There is a catch!
Most of the courses in German university are taught in German. You need to have a good grasp over German to study in German universities.
Why Learn German? You Can Earn a Lot of Money: Reason 3
Money speaks! Not literally but yes, money speaks. We can’t survive without it in this world today.
To earn money, you need to get a job or get into business. German language can come to your aid. But how?
Here’s how…
Germany is the largest trading partner from Europe for the USA. Yes, you heard it right! US imports vehicles, machineries, metals, chemicals and more.
If you have the acumen required for business, learn German. Knowing the native language of the German business partners can help you in your business more than you ever imagined.
If business is not your cup of tea, you can provide tuitions to those who want to learn German. For that, you need to master the language. It shouldn’t be difficult!
There are hundreds of German tutoring jobs available that can pay you on an hourly basis.
The best part of such tutoring jobs is that you can engage in a full-time day job while tutoring students during the night or during the weekends.
Why Learn German? The Internet Becomes Bigger: Reason 4
As a college student, you have at least one choice. You can start your own business right when you are in college.
You can always look up at the internet for some online business ideas. One such easy venture could be creating a useful blog.
Blogs help to earn revenue in various ways. For instance, you can earn revenue through advertisement or sponsored posting or selling some services or products.
Monetization is not really a big issue. The core problem is that of garnering readers. You might be naturally inclined to start a blog in English.
Do not forget that Germans have a very dominant internet presence.
The top-level country domain .de ranks 5th in the world. It is behind .com, .org, .ru and .net. This top-level country domain accounts for 3.6% of all websites in the world.
That’s the number excluding the German websites that do not use .de domain extension! You really do not want to miss out on that huge audience group.
So, you can learn German to create a blog that caters both in English and German languages!
When it comes to earning money through blogs, the number of people reading your blog matters a lot!
Why Learn German? In Academia, German Has a High Place: Reason 5
Germany has given this world some of the greatest award-winning scientists. Do you think they used English to present their papers and research?
Not really, no! They mostly use German. This alone makes German language a very important language in the academia.
Here is a surprise for you!
German language is the second-most widely used scientific language.
Here’s another one!
German book market is the 3rd largest book market in the whole world. The first position is taken by Chinese and the second position is taken by English.
Now, coming to books in German language, only a fraction of those books is translated into English or other languages.
If you want to read the rest of the books, you need to learn German. And, if you intend to go for higher studies in Germany, you need to make sure that you have a good grasp over their language.
It is a Land of Inventors and Innovators: Reason 6
In the above point we mentioned that Germany has given this world some of the best scientists and thinkers the world has ever seen.
But did you know, Germany is home to well over 100 Nobel Prize winners?
And guess what? There are Nobel Laureates from Switzerland and Austria as well which are two major German-speaking countries of the world and many of them studied in German universities.
So, what’s our point?
Plain and simple! If you dream of contributing something great to this world through academics, you need to learn German.
Why you ask?
Because, by learning German, you can read their exemplary papers and publications in their native language. No information will be lost in translation.
USA’s Largest Single Heritage Group is of German Origins: Reason 7
If you really want to appreciate the expanse of USA’s history and culture, learning German will help you.
Did you know that in year 2000, a nationwide census reported that 15.2% of Americans had German ancestry? That makes up a whopping 42.8 million people!
In last 400 years immigrants from Germany settled in the USA. They brought down many traditions and customs that became deeply rooted into the American culture!
Who knew that the cultural foundations like hamburgers, hot dogs, kindergarten, and even the Christmas tree were introduced by the Germans who immigrated to America?
Did you know that things like Hershey’s chocolate, ketchup, Levi’s jeans, many breweries are all given by the Germans?
Okay, here is the biggest stunner!
Did you know that the presence of Germans during the foundation of the United States of America was so elemental that only a few days after Declaration of Independence was adopted, it was printed in German language as well?
Now tell us, will you not want to learn German?
Earn the Tourism Dollars: Reason 8
Okay, unlike many other countries, Germans are really hard working. That doesn’t mean that they do not enjoy.
In fact, they enjoy just as hard as they work.
The disposable income of Germans is quite high. They also have six weeks of vacation every year. So, they travel! They travel a lot! They travel across the globe!
Did you know that the Germans spent a whopping 91 billion Euros in international travel in the year 2007?
That amount has only kept on increasing over the years.
German people are fond of warm climates of the likes of the Mediterranean. This explains why they prefer to visit countries like Greece, Turkey, Spain etc.
That doesn’t mean they do not go anywhere else. They also go to Africa, the Americas and other places.
Did you know that in 2003 nearly 1.3 million Germans visited the USA? That put them on the third position in terms of the nationality of tourists’ population.
The first and the second spot were taken by the British and the Japanese respectively.
In the USA, California, New York, Florida are the three most popular destinations that the Germans visit.
You can now imagine that if you learn German and you set up a travel agency business or just about any business that caters to the tourists, you can easily grab their business!
While you are in college, it is time to think about your future. What will you settle for? A day job with limited income or a business that can help you live your dream life?
Business surely sounds interesting and especially with a booming tourism industry, there is a lot to achieve. Learning German might just be that little push you need to make it big!
Why Learn German? Increased Job Opportunities: Reason 9
Like it or not, some of the biggest companies in the world are German. Ever heard of names like Bosch, Siemens, Lufthansa, SAP, Daimler, BASF, Infineon etc.?
They are all German companies. They are multinational and require business partners everywhere.
Did you know that German economy is the fourth largest economy (as per 2015 data) in the world? Did you know that the Japanese economy is the second most powerful economy in the entire world?
Now, Japanese know that working with Germans will bring them business advantages. No wonder, 68% of all Japanese students learn German. So, they bag great jobs as well.
The story is not very different in the USA. German companies offer well over 700,000 jobs in America.
They always prefer candidates who have knowledge of the German language over an equally skilled candidate who cannot speak German.
Out of college you will be looking for job. Don’t fall behind because many of your peers are probably already learning German to grab the edge that the language offers!
Why Learn German? Berlin is Ground Zero for Startups: Reason 10
College is the time when you come up with all revolting ideas, ideas that can change the world, ideas of products and services that can become then next big thing.
Unfortunately, in order to nurture those ideas, you will need a proper environment. Not every country can provide you that!
Germany’s Berlin is perhaps the best place that you might be looking for. This is the place where a new startup comes to life every 20 minutes.
The city is known for its low cost of living but high quality of life. So, you need not really worry about rent and accommodation as is the case with cities like London and Paris.
Once your college days are over and you are ready to give your great idea a breath of life, head for Berlin. Just don’t forget to learn German. Without that language, you cannot survive in the city!
Conclusion
So, now that you have a fairly good idea of why you should learn German, what next? Are you going to learn the language or are you going to let it pass? Do let us know through the comments section.