Which are the best institutes for learning German?
The German language, Deutsch, is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language after English. It is also a co-official language of Luxembourg, Belgium and parts of southwestern Poland, as well as a national language in Namibia. 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. 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. 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.
Let's now see the way forward
Depending on your age and background, there are probably three or four main options. These options are:
Taking classes at a German language school
If you want to take a German course in Germany, there are reliable schools like the Goethe Institut or Berlitz, both of which have several options and locations to choose from in Germany and throughout the world.
There are also many other schools that are less well known, such as Deutsch Akademie, but these are also well worth considering.
International students can approach DAAD (The German Academic Exchange Service) when they plan to go to Germany, to get advice on right options to choose from a searchable list of over 350 such language programs. While I mention a few good German schools here, learners are recommended to search for other options if they don’t seem like a good fit for you.
A major advantage of studying in a language school is that learners get to learn quickly being in a classroom setting with longer durations. Language schools try to cover a lot of content for learners’ benefit, in a short span of time. The curricula of different schools may vary, but most language schools provide learners with intensive options. Courses often run for a month or two, with chances to progress to higher levels. At the same time, they bring several disadvantages to the learners ranging from being more expensive than other options to mismatched schedules, especially for people who are pressed with time in the country or people who wish to also explore the country; travel. Then there are schools that offer integration courses, including both language and culture for learners who are looking to settle in the country for a long time. Interested learners must seek help from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in Germany to get information about such courses. The office also redirects learners in the right direction helping them find a course that suits them.
Taking classes at a Volkshochschule. VHS is more akin to a network of community colleges where adults can continue their education. The VHS has many locations and provides a wide range of courses, including German courses for all levels, integration courses, and refugee-specific German courses. The courses are specifically geared toward people who will be staying in the country for an extended period of time and likely settling down. The VHS offers a variety of courses, most of which are less expensive than more commercially based alternatives, some of which are free, and the rest of which have financial aid available. As an added bonus, the VHS website offers a free online German learning programme to everyone who wants to participate. It’s entirely in German, but it can help learners jump straight into language immersion! Immersion isn’t for everybody, of course.
If a learner knows some German, they can simply brush up and begin learning a new skill, such as enrolling in a cooking class in Berlin or learning topics such as computer programming, etc. from the VHS, which are almost all taught in German.
This allows learners of any age to participate in a university-style class without needing to complete a full university degree programme, similar to obtaining a secondary education equivalent.
Enrolling in a university teaching the German language
While this choice might not be suitable for all, if you have the opportunity, I recommend enrolling in one of Germany’s top universities. Please keep in mind that attending a university is much more difficult than taking a single course at a smaller college. Nonetheless, the DAAD can not only assist you in locating university study and scholarship opportunities, but it can also assist you in navigating and understanding the German higher education system. Furthermore, many colleges also offer English-taught courses or whole degree programmes. Obviously, this isn’t going to help you learn German, but if you’re hesitant about enrolling in a German degree programme, an English programme might be an alternative, and you could learn German along the way.
In comparison to students in other countries, German university students are extremely fortunate. There is a lot of institutional support for students in general, which explains the low (or non-existent) student fees. For example, a year of study in Germany could cost about $250 in tuition, which is literally 100 times less than many American universities! This reality alone has attracted a large number of international students to German universities.If you’re a student, the system has benefits built in to assist and encourage you, such as stipends and financial assistance, free or subsidised transportation, and a variety of other discounts.
Apart from these three “formal” ways, a learner can learn German due to situational needs and demands such as travelling, working or meeting German people. This fourth choice is much more difficult to learn because it is not only vague, but it is also rather unstructured, making it difficult for a learner to understand what to make out of it and how to organise all of the knowledge obtained in a logical or similar grouping. So, in this section, we’ll concentrate on places where students can learn German in a more traditional, formal setting. Of Course, after school, students could practise their German by heading out into the community and conversing with locals. When travelling, it’s also a good idea to keep a dictionary and a Lonely Planet German phrasebook or travel guide with you.
Let’s now have a look at a few focused and intense German language learning, that prepare you better.
Berlin has the Humboldt University and the Freie Universität, two of Germany’s best world-class universities.
The history of German heritage and influence in many parts of Brazil, especially in the south, can surprise you. In Brazil, for example, there are five Goethe Institut locations. Blumenau, a city in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, is the place to go if you want a true German-Brazilian experience. The city has a large German population, which is reflected in much of the city’s architecture, which appears to have been taken straight from Germany.
Then you’ll find the University of Zurich, one of the most prestigious universities in Europe, which also has a lot of possibilities for international students wishing to study German there.
At the other edge of the country, right near the border with Germany, is picturesque Salzburg. The city really is a thing of beauty, buzzing because of many tourists and international students who go there to study or to learn German.
Switzerland, the world’s other big German-speaking nation, is another natural place to learn German. If Germany is the traditional choice for learning German, Switzerland is the bonus option, and it tends to attract people who are a little out of the ordinary.
Vienna (Wien in German) is the country’s capital city, located near Austria’s eastern border. Vienna is a fantastic city to visit. While it is smaller than most large German towns, it retains finesse and grace. It’s also an excellent jumping-off point to several Eastern European countries. Learners may enrol at the Universität Wien (Vienna University), a major university in Vienna, or at one of several language schools, such as the Goethe Institut or Berlitz. Austria has its own scheme of Volkshochschulen, but it is significantly smaller than Germany’s.
Finally,
The Germanic languages are traditionally subdivided into three branches, North Germanic, East Germanic, and West Germanic. The first of these branches to survive were in modern Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Faroese, and Icelandic, all of which are descended from Old Norse. The East Germanic languages are now extinct, and Gothic is the only language in this branch that survives in written texts. The West Germanic languages, however, have undergone extensive dialectal subdivision and are now represented in modern languages such as English, German, Dutch, Yiddish, Afrikaans, and others.
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