GermanLinx (AGTV) :: German and Careers

Like to know reasons why continuing your study of German will add to your future career options? Read on!
(Or, are you about to choose German at school and wondering what it will be like? Then click here!)

People are learning German all over the world! "Bridging the World" (external website) presents learners of German from all over the world and from all walks of life. They explain why they are learning German, and how this decision has enriched their lives.

German is the native language of about 100 million people, chiefly in the countries Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. It is also the mother tongue of a considerable number of people in small neighbouring areas of Belgium, France and the north of Italy. German is spoken as a second language in many countries in Eastern Europe where German culture and language have been an important common bond through the centuries.

This makes German by far the most widely spoken native language in Europe. It is also spoken by many people in scattered areas around the world, for example in various parts of South America.

German enhances any career path and will make you competitive, because it gives you an edge; German adds to what your other subjects qualify you for.

German opens doors you haven’t yet thought about; notice that some people in the Profiles didn’t expect to be doing what they’re doing now.

We are in the midst of a communication revolution. The world is online. Companies want to sell internationally - the by-product of this revolution is a need for multilingual skills.

For a rock-solid foundation at school that gives you options in business, communications, computer technology, science, international relations, media, the arts and many more career directions, include German in your studies.

Learn German because you want to be involved in science or design or technology.

Learn German because you want to continue in music and study in Europe. See the Profiles. Hundreds of Australians have acquired valuable international expertise through post-graduate study in German unis and technical institutes via support from the German Academic Exchange Service.

Learn German for trade and export because it is spoken so widely in Europe and is being learned throughout Asia (68% of all Japanese students study German).

Learn German because learning the skills to learn one language can be transferred to learning any other language in the future.

German is the sixth most-commonly spoken language in the world after Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian and Hindi.

The language’s importance is due partly to Germany’s economic and political status internationally. Germany has the leading and most influential economy in the European Union (EU). In the EU the importance of German as a language of communication is growing, especially since Austria joined the EU in 1995. German is the language most commonly used in Western Europe, Eastern Europe and other parts of the former USSR. Germany is a major contributor to economic growth in these regions. If your future finds you in Foreign Affairs, International Trade or Defence, German is important for you.

Whatever new, as yet unknown, jobs appear in the future, one thing is certain, now and in the future: A reading knowledge of German is valuable in chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, psychology, international law, philosophy, theology and archaeology. (Scientists from the three major German-speaking countries have won 22 Nobel Prizes in Physics [including Theodor Hänsch in 2005], 30 in Chemistry, and 25 in Medicine, while many laureates from other countries received their training in German universities. By the way, ten Nobel Prizes in Literature have been awarded to German and Swiss writers, and seven Germans and Austrians have received the Peace Prize. Find Austria, Germany and Switzerland in a list of prize winners.)

Germany is the world’s third-largest contributor to research and development, outspending Australia many times. There are opportunities for you in R&D (research and development) projects in medical and health research, information & communication technologies, non-nuclear energy, the environment, agriculture and mineral processing. See the Profiles.

Television and the Internet give us on-the-spot reports of political events and news from around the world. If you’re planning a career in journalism, knowledge of another language sets you apart from the rest.

And if your future is in banking, the investment industry, or a government department, Germany is one of Australasia’s most important sources of foreign direct investment. For example, see www.henkell.com.au

Germans have one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. As a result Germans are one of the biggest tourism spenders worldwide, and the Australian tourism industry benefits from the many German (and Austrian and Swiss) visitors. Knowledge of German will give you an advantage in finding employment in the Australian tourism industry. This photo of a sign (Gefahr) in the hinterland of Queensland's Sunshine Coast reflects the large number of German-speaking tourists that visit Australia.

This sign on a Queensland beach also provides a warning for the benefit of German-speaking visitors (Zwischen den Flaggen schwimmen!).

Speakers of English find many words in German that sound and/or look the same as the equivalent English words. This is because the English and German languages share the same "grandparent".

For example, look at these words: Haus = house, Buch = book, Finger = finger, Hand = hand, Name = name, Mutter = mother, schwimmen = to swim, singen = to sing, kommen = to come, blau = blue, jung = young, alt = old, windig = windy.

Interactive quiz! - Look at some more "look-a-like" German words and see if you can guess their English meanings!

German words you already use! Maybe you use these ones already -
Kitsch, Gesundheit, Hinterland, Rucksack, Angst, Pretzel, yodel (jodeln), Fest (talkfest etc), Kindergarten, Poltergeist, kaputt, Blitz, Flak, wunderbar, Diesel, Lager (beer), Delikatessen, Quartz.