How to learn the German language from India?

German has the most native speakers in the European Union (far more than English, Spanish, or French). German is one of the world’s ten most widely spoken languages. It is also a common language in Central and Eastern Europe. And what about the claim that “all Germans speak English anyway”? That is a complete myth. Scientists from the three major German-speaking nations have earned 22 Nobel Prizes in Physics, 30 in Chemistry, and 25 in Medicine, while many laureates from other countries obtained their education in German universities. Eleven Nobel Prizes in Literature have been bestowed upon German-language authors, while seven Germans and Austrians have earned the Nobel Peace Prize. Germans are global leaders in engineering.

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) mentions the approximate time needed to learn the German language as an English speaker. To reach Speaking 3: General Professional Proficiency in Speaking (S3) and Reading 3: General Professional Proficiency in Reading (R3), an English speaker would take only 750 hours or 30+ weeks, that’s about 7.5-8.5months. This also helps us understand how much of an effort a German speaker must give to learn English. Learning English for German speakers is actually not that difficult.

English is taught as a first language in India, and if you are proficient in it, you will be well on your way to success. However, it is important to note that studying German without an understanding of English may be quite difficult! So, before you take the leap, I urge you consider your options.

There are numerous career paths available to German language learners in industries such as tourism, foreign services, embassies, translation, interpretation, language teaching, journalism, import-export, hospitality, KPO, BPO, EMail and Chat processes serving clients in Germany, Switzerland, Amsterdam or other German-speaking countries besides many other professions such as editor, content writer, a proofreader in international business.

Knowing these for your future possibilities can help you boost my morale and get back with a rejuvenated vigour to studying! You could choose your motivation to stick to your learning plan!

To remind you of your goals follow a strict regime with bits and pieces of entertainment. Learning isn’t an overnight plan! So let that sink in and have realistic expectations from your learning. Get all relevant facts checked, and create a realistic (not over-ambitious) study plan. Set short and long term goals; divide your learning into short chunks, prioritizing topics you wish to attend to first. 

Study consistently using the Pomodoro technique in several shorter intervals in a day would prove better than studying for long hours on weekends. Consciously eliminate distractions such as phone, visitors; request no disturbance while studying, as it impacts the quality of your understanding and learning

Study through immersion. Created a mini Germany in your home by putting up a lot of pictures from Germany, Switzerland and the German culture! Label objects at home with their respective names in German to memorize German names of the objects, rather than translating the names of the objects from English to German in your head. Take help from flashcard apps like Memrise and Anki, by either creating your own decks and using the pre-existing decks. 

Started by writing a journal, or a diary, capturing most of the new phrases and words that you hear/read in German while practising through various resources. 

Readout German loudly in front of the mirror or to your pet or your plant. Use shadowing techniques to mimic dialogues from German movies as a chance to study with fun and entertainment. Use mnemonics. Enjoy making mistakes.

Apart from these, I use conversation partners at Hello Talk, Tandem, Italki etc to help practise spoken German and seek feedback. 

German is the world’s second most often used scientific language.

Only 18% of the world’s books are published in German, and only a small percentage of them are ever translated into English. Both German and English are members of the same Germanic family, utilise the same Latin alphabet, and have several cognates.

German is the passport to a world-class education.

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