Why Learn German?

Studying German can help a student lead a more successful life. Finance, career en-hancement, travel, heritage, personal enjoyment, and human services include some of the areas enriched by the study of German. Learning German helps students achieve higher SAT and ACT scores. A 1987 study by Thomas Cooper and Associates indi-cates that students who studied a 2nd language scored higher on the SAT than stu-dents who did not. Students of German scored higher on the SAT than students of other languages.

German is prevalent at the university level. For example, at the University of California more majors require, or are satisfied by, the study of German than other languages (German 56 majors, French 43 majors, Spanish 21 majors, Japanese 7 majors). Among many academic programs requiring or recommending German are: anatomy, art history, biochemistry, biology, biomedical physics, botany, chemistry, design, engineer-ing, film studies, genetics, linguistics, logic and methodology of science, molecular biol-ogy, music, near eastern studies, philosophy, physical science, physics, physiology, re-ligious studies, and zoology to name a few.

The importance of German is indisputable. German-speakers occupy a prominent place on almost any list of the world's greatest artists and thinkers, while almost every discip-line in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences has a strong German tradition, in many cases one that largely defines the field. Most university library holdings reflect this fact: after English, more of them are in German than in any other language.

German contributions in the sciences are the easiest to document. In The Discoveries (Pantheon, 2005), Alan Lightman's list of the 22 greatest scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century includes eight that were made exclusively by Germans, while two more had Austrian or German collaborators. Nobel Prize awards give another kind of indica-tion. Scientists from the three major German-speaking countries have won 22 Nobel Prizes in Physics, 27 in Chemistry, 25 in Medicine, and 1 in Economics, while many lau-reates from other countries received their training at German universities (Germany has the third-highest number of international students in the world - after the U.S. and Great Britain). Eleven German, Austrian, or Swiss-German writers have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the most recent being Günter Grass in 1999 and Elfriede Jeli-nek in 2004, while seven Germans or Austrians have received the Peace Prize.

Germany and Austria are well known as homes to great music, but especially Germany is also a center of the visual arts, including film. According to the magazine Capital, the two living artists whose works are most sought after by the world's museums and collec-tors are Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke, followed in fourth place by Rosemarie Trockel and in seventh by Georg Baselitz. Newsweek names Germany as the best place in the world in which to live as an artist (and called Gegen die Wand ["Head On"] the best film of 2005).

While these academic and artistic perspectives hold the most relevance for liberal arts studies, practical considerations are also unavoidable, and many students choose some of their sub-jects, including a foreign language, with an eye to their professional futures. Here, too, the study of German offers some real advantages.

German is spoken in four countries with diverse cultural, political, and economic traditions: The Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Switzer-land, and Liechtenstein. It is also the mother tongue of significant minorities in neighboring countries, as well as one of Luxembourg's official administrative languages. Among Europeans, in fact, the approximately 101 mil-lion native speakers of German greatly outnumber those of English, French, Italian (58-60 million each), or Spanish (36 million). In business, diplomacy, and tourism, German stands second only to English in Western Europe, and in Eastern Europe it holds first place.1 At the same time, according to a 2005 survey by the Pew Global Outreach Project, Germany enjoys the most favorable image of any nation in the world.

The German-speaking countries' economic significance is even greater. Germany's economy is the world's third-largest, and those of Austria and German-speaking Swit-zerland are also substantial. Furthermore, Germany is the most influential member of the European Union, the world's second-largest economy.

Size is not the only source of Germany's importance, however. The Federal Republic boasts the highest worker productivity in Europe, and Ernst & Young's annual surveys of international business executives from 2004-6 have each year rated it the world's third-most attractive economic location, behind only the U.S. and China. The World Economic Forum's 2003 Global Competitiveness Report ranked Germany's potential for sustained growth 13th in the world, ahead of that of 15th-ranked Great Britain, 26th-ranked France and 41st-ranked Italy. In determining that Germany has one of the world's most competitive economies, the Forum cited its innovative research universities and their cooperation with industry. This collaboration helps to explain Germany's inven-tiveness; in 2005 it successfully registered 23,800 new patents, more than any other country except the U.S. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, four of the world's ten most innovative companies are German.2

In the area of world trade, Germany's significance is greater than just its GDP would in-dicate - it is the world's top exporter and enjoys a huge trade surplus, despite having to import so many raw materials. 2005 was yet another record year, with exports worth $941 billion. It is the world's second-highest creditor nation and also grants the second-greatest amount of foreign aid.3 In travel, too, German tourists are second in the world (behind the U.S.): in 2002 they spent $53.78 billion on visiting other countries ($2.6 bil-lion in the U.S.). That same year, Germany ranked 7th in the world as a tourist destina-tion; around two million Americans visit Germany each year.

In addition to its exports, Germany invests heavily around the world. In 2001, Volkswagen plants in China supplied over half the automo-biles sold in that country. That market share decreased the following year, but actual sales went up considerably. In fact, overall exports to China increased 19.6% between 2001 and 2002. Similarly significant investments can be found in many other parts of Asia, Africa, Aus-tralia, Europe, and the Americas. The more than 700 German companies with operations in Mexico, for example, account for 5% of that country's gross domestic product. This world-wide activity is reciprocal: in 2000, other na-tions invested $262 billion in Germany.

Despite its global reach, Germany maintains an especially strong economic relationship with the United States. This association is partly defined by trade: in 2003 the exchange of goods and services between the two countries reached $96.8 billion. Of perhaps even greater significance is the amount that the two coun-tries invest in each other; in 2003, the German investment in the U.S. totalled $137 billion, and

1,600 German companies employ approximately 1,000,000 workers in the U.S. Today, American companies account for $145 billion in Germany and provide about 850,000 jobs there.4 In the 1994 survey conducted by the German American Chamber of Com-merce, 64.9% of all respondents conducting business with Germany "specifically ask for German and English bilingual skills when conducting a search for new employees."

Mid-size businesses traditionally form the backbone of the German economy, but a number of larger companies also play important international roles. Siemens is the world's eighth-largest business enterprise, and the Deutsche Bank is one of its biggest financial institutions. DaimlerChrysler and Volkswagen are among the leading automo-tive producers, and General Motors and Ford have large German divisions. In 2003 Forbes Magazine named BMW the most-admired company in Europe. In terms of mon-ey spent on research and development, DaimlerChrysler and Siemens rank third and fourth in the world, while Volkswagen, Bayer, Hoechst, Bosch, BASF, Boehring-er/Ingelheim, Deutsche Telekom, and Mannesman also occupy places among the first 90 (International Herald-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2000).

Germany's automobile, engineering, chemical, pharmaceutical, and high-end appliance firms are well known, as is its leadership in design, but the country's information enter-prises are also significant. Bertelsmann is the world's largest publisher, and the German book-publishing industry as a whole ranks third in the world (behind England and Chi-

na), traditionally producing over a third more new book titles each year than does the United States (see The Bowker Annual). Germany is also among the world's lead-ers in computing. A 1999 study by McKinsey found that the Munich area's 1,800 com-puter firms, with over 100,000 employees, formed the world's fourth largest concentra-tion of hardware and software producers (after Silicon Valley, Boston, and London - Munich is also home to 115 biotech companies, while Dresden hosts 765 semiconduc-tor firms). German is the internet's second language, both in terms of web pages and of languages used in search engines (see http://www.daad.de/deutschland/en/2.5.1.html). German and Japanese are the pilot languages for new Microsoft products that will eventually be brought on to the mar-ket. Germany and China house the most trade shows in the world and trade shows are an excellent way to sell products to distributors globally, not just in the host countries. According to a 2003 study by the European Interactive Advertising Association, a higher percentage of Germans went online every day than any other Europeans, and Germany had the highest number of websites per capita: 85 per 1000 inhabitants. In fact, Germa-ny's '.de' is the world's most widely-used country-specific domain, and only '.com' ac-counts for a larger number of web addresses in any category.5

A leader in the development of alternative energy sources, Germany tops all other na-tions both in wind energy production and in the use of photovoltaic cells to produce electricity. 50,000 Germans are employed in the wind power industry, and some 120,000 work in alternative energy. 10% of the country's energy comes from renewable sources.

Even in the world of sport, German-speakers figure prominently. Since unification, Ger-many has stood no lower than 5th place in the number of medals won in the Summer Olympics. When the women's national soccer team won the 2003 World Cup, Germany became the only country whose men and women have both held the championship. The men's team, which placed third in the 2006 World Cup, has reached the semi-finals and

the finals more often than has that of any other country, and only Brazil and Italy have won the title more often. Tennis, swimming, rowing, golf, track, basketball, boxing, rid-ing, and auto racing are just some of the other major sports at which Germans excel. German-speaking Switzerland has also produced some of the world's top tennis play-ers, including Martina Hingis and Roger Federer. In 2006, as in the previous two Winter Olympics, Germany was the top medal winner. Austria was 4th (although tied for the 2nd-place U.S. and ahead of 3rd-place Canada in the number of gold medals). Athletes from all the German-speaking countries traditionally dominate alpine skiing to the extent that German is the sport's primary language. Each summer the U.S. Ski Team sends its members to the Dartmouth College ALPS Program in New Hampshire to learn German.

Thus it becomes clear that a knowledge of German grants access not only to rich lite-rary, philosophical, and artistic traditions but also to many other kinds of contemporary cultural, economic, political, and scientific developments.

1 See Thttp://www.daad.de/deutschland/en/2.5.1.html. Among the world's languages, German ranks 12th in the number of native speakers. According to the 1990 Census, 1.5 million residents of the U.S. speak German at home (see www.glreach.com/globstats/refs.php3). In Europe, German is also the second-most-often taught foreign language. Since Europeans who study English frequently learn German, as well, the total of German-speakers in the European Union actually exceeds that of English-speakers (Franz Stark, "The Historical and Current Position of the Ger-man Language in Europe," New York: The German Information Center, 1995; the DAAD Letter Nr. 1, March 2000, p. 18). In most countries in the world, French and German are, after English, the most frequently taught foreign languages. In the countries that have recently joined the European Union, 77% of students learn English, 37% German, and 18% French. In Japan, 68% of all students learn German. back to text 1

2 See the comparative economic review from The German Information Center and the report of February 16, 2001, from info@germany-info.org. For an updating of general facts about Germany, see the Center's Fact Page, as well as http://www.magazine-deutschland.de. For facts about the other German-speaking countries, see www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook. back to text 2

3 The export percentages presented here are from the German Federal Statistics Bu-reau report of Jan. 3, 2001. It is also worth noting that Germany's wealth is distributed relatively equitably among the whole population. When post-tax transfers are factored in, Germany's relative poverty rate is 2.4%, while Switzerland's is 4.3% - the United States' rate is 11.7% (See The New York Review of Books, March 23, 2000, p. 21). In the average large German company, the CEO's compensation is 11 times that of the average worker; in the U.S., the ratio is 531 to 1 (The New York Times, Jan. 25, 2004). back to text 3

4 Factsheet prepared by the German Information Center, 2004; 2006 survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany. back to text 4

5 DAAD Letter, op. cit., the report of February 16, 2001, from info@germany-info.org, and also http://www.magazine-deutschland.de. back to text 5

Research provided by Dartmouth College.

The "Why Learn German?" Top Ten Reasons

To succeed in school. Students who take German score higher on college ac-ceptance tests (ACT / SAT) than other students. You need at least two years of a foreign language to study at a university in the state of Florida. Other colleges highly recommend it or require it as well.

To learn your own language better. German and English are both Germanic languages. They both started out as basically the same language. They share many of the same words, word origins and grammar characteristics. That makes German a good choice for English speakers.

To learn about your American heritage. One out of every four Americans na-tionwide has German heritage. German-Americans are the largest ethnic group in America today. They have made a lot of contributions to our country. Some of the more famous include Levi Strauss, Albert Einstein, Werner von Braun, and Henry Kissinger.

To learn the language spoken by over 120 million people. German is spoken in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, as well as parts of other European countries. West of Russia, twice as many people speak German in Europe than any other language. And after English, German is the most popular foreign language to learn in Europe. It is the most popular foreign language of study in eastern European schools.

To participate in an exchange program. Many schools are involved in either a travel abroad or exchange program. Such students who learn German can tour places in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

To get a good job in the United States. Many American companies are owned by German companies. You may have heard about the Daimler (Mer-cedes Benz) purchase of Chrysler or the acquisition of Random House Books by Bertelsmann. German companies now represent the largest source of foreign employment in the United States today. Most of the firms name German as the language they would most like their employees to know.

To get a job in the global economy. Germany has the world's third largest economy (after the USA and Japan). Germany is the largest economic and polit-

ical influence in Europe. Germany has the highest paid workers in the world and is also the leading export nation in the world in proportion to its population. And Switzerland, another German-speaking country, is one of the world's richest na-tions. The standard of living in German speaking countries is among the highest on Earth.

To be a scientist. A majority of the world's scientists have come from or studied in German-speaking countries. Many new scientific discoveries happen in Ger-man-speaking countries and much scientific information is only available in Ger-man. The newest elements on the Periodic Table were just discovered by a German scientist. Universities encourage science majors to learn German.

To be a great musician. Most of the western world's famous composers and musicians came from German-speaking countries. Vienna, the capital of Austria, has been the world center of music for hundreds of years. Think of Beethoven, Brahms, Bach, Händel, Mozart......

To work in the tourist industry. Germans are the most traveled people in the world. You will find German tourists everywhere. In the US, they are among the most numerous tourists in states like Florida, New York, and California. Many American tourists go to German speaking countries, which are some of the most beautiful countries in the world. Plus, German is widely spoken throughout Eu-rope.

The importance of German may not seem as obvious to Americans because we are se-parated from the rest of the world by ocean. We tend to notice only what's in our own backyard. Worldwide, German is among the most popular foreign languages to learn. The world sees the importance of German. We really do live in a global society and must look at more than what is immediately around us. We need to see the entire pic-ture.

Sources: American Assoc. of Teachers of German, Dartmouth College, National Coun-cil for the Social Studies, St. Olaf College, Univ. of St. Thomas, US News & World Re-port, World Book Encyclopedia