Spend a whole year studying for German. Is it worth it?
One of the major languages of the world, German is a native language to almost 100 million people worldwide and is spoken by a total of over 130 million people. It is the most spoken native language within the European Union. German is also widely taught as a foreign language, especially in Europe, where it is the third-most taught foreign language after English and French, and the United States. German language has been influential in the fields of philosophy, theology, science and technology. It is the second most commonly used scientific language and among the most widely used languages on websites. The German-speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of annual publication of new books, with one-tenth of all books (including e-books) in the world being published in German.
Learning German is a fantastic challenge that too few people take on. Yet, there are many reasons why you should learn to speak German and lots of good online resources to help you do it. So, if you want to challenge yourself, all while submerging yourself in the German language and its interesting cultural heritage, academia, and technology, read this article on how learning German for a year is worth it?
1. Make more money – Now that we have got your attention, let us say it again. One of the top reasons to learn German is to make more money. According to the Economist, German learners will have an 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.
2. Open up new career opportunities – Given the attractiveness of this country, companies from around the world are seeking out German speakers. In fact, just about any major international corporation will have some affiliation with Germany. But most importantly, German powerhouses like BMW, Volkswagen, Adidas, and Lufthansa are all established around the world. Stand out amongst the tens of thousands of applicants you’ll be competing with by learning even the basics of German.
3. Get in the linguistic mindset of the world’s greatest innovators – There are some of the world’s greatest thinkers, innovators, and leaders in our lifetime. Now, we’re not saying that learning German will turn you into a Mozart. However, you’ll be able to understand more of their creative and thinking process by learning the language.
4. Education in German is as good as free – Getting a decent education in the US costs upwards of $20,000 a year, but it’s nearly free in Germany. Some institutions charge a few hundred dollars per semester, but that’s a fraction of what most are used to paying. Best of all, German institutions are ranked as one of the top schools around the world.
5. Discover a completely new online world – German is one of the top languages written on the Internet. More precisely, around 6% of the Internet. This is especially important if you have or plan to have an online presence. Forgetting about your German speakers will mean you’re neglecting millions of potential audience members! At one point, the domain .de used to be only second to .com.
Finally,
There are endless reasons to learn German in our opinion. There are certainly more benefits that we have not yet mentioned beyond making more money, finding a new internet, and changing how you travel. Although, those are pretty convincing ways that will give you a boost to be an advanced German linguist.
There’s an amazing new way to learn German! Want to see what everyone’s talking about!
