PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
FOR LEARNING GERMAN IN INDIANA

Practical considerations dictate that students should choose some of their subjects, particularly foreign languages, with an eye to their personal futures. This is especially true in the state of Indiana where up to 75% of the population claims German roots, where the German cultural heritage has played such an enormous role, and where Germany is one of the Hoosier state’s largest international trading partners. From a practical as well as a purely academic perspective, the study of German offers tangible advantages and should make very good sense to young Hoosiers.

German appeals to a wide range of interests as we stand on the threshold of the 21st century. A working knowledge of German can help prepare young Hoosiers for a variety of professions, including international business, law, journalism, travel and tourism, government service, medicine, teaching, the sciences, etc. In addition, a knowledge of German is helpful in the study of art, literature, philosophy, economics, history, engineering, computer science, telecommunications, music and architecture, just to name a few.

It is inevitable that many present day elementary-, middle school-, and secondary-level students will either work directly with the German language in their professions or be required to spend time in German-speaking countries at some point in their professional and/or vocational careers. No matter what the future might bring professionally, students find that the study of German, an important part of a truly liberal education, enriches their personal lives.

German is spoken as the number one language in four countries of Europe with widely diverse cultural, political, and economic traditions: the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. More Europeans (approximately 93 million) are native speakers of German than of English, French, Italian (58-60 million each) or Spanish (36 million). In addition, since the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe, German has replaced Russian as the leading foreign language in the former East Block countries. As the language of business, diplomacy, and tourism in Western Europe, it stands second only to English.

Much of the German language's current importance stems from the strong economic status of the Federal Republic of Germany. Germany has the third-highest GNP in the world, is the second highest creditor nation, and every year occupies one of the top three spots internationally among exporting countries. Germany’s publishing industry, which ranks #3 in the world behind England and China, produced 36% more new book titles in 1995 than did the United States.
Germany is the economic powerhouse of Europe and, in this respect, perhaps the most important member of the European Union. Even though Germany invests more heavily than any other nation in diverse countries of Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa, its economy remains particularly linked to that of the United States. In 1994 and again in 1995, each of the two countries directly invested nearly $40 billion in the other’s economy. German investments in the United States in 1995 supported 2,507 separate enterprises with 494,000 employees, many of whom are employed in Indiana. Beyond that, exports from Germany to the United States in 1994 alone totaled $33.5 billion, and exports from the United States to Germany were $27.5 billion. Given this economic relationship, the reasons for young Hoosiers to learn German become even more apparent.
The significance of German extends well beyond economic considerations. A review of Nobel Prize recipients shows that scientists from the three major German-speaking countries have won 21 Nobel Prizes in Physics, 30 in Chemistry, and 25 in Medicine. Nine Nobel Prizes in Literature have been awarded to German and Swiss writers, and seven Germans and Austrians have received the Nobel Peace Prize. At the same time, poet laureates from many other countries studied and received training at German universities.
German speakers also figure prominentlyin the world of international sports. In the 1996 Olympics, Germany accumulated the second-highest total number of medals and also won the European Cup in soccer for the third time. As a matter of fact, in World Cup soccer, Germany has reached the finals more often than any other country, and only Brazil has won the title more often. Tennis is, of course, another sport at which Germans excel. In Alpine skiing, athletes from the German-speaking countries traditionally dominate to the extent that the German language is that sport's primary language of exchange.
It is self evident that a knowledge of German can enable young Hoosiers with access to a spectrum of literary, philosophical, artistic and scientific traditions. In addition, it provides access to diverse economic, political, and cultural developments and advantages. In summary, it just makes excellent sense for young Hoosiers to learn German in Indiana!
The Indiana AATG website is hosted by Ball State University and is maintained by Dr. Ronald C. Warner - Last Updated September 5, 2008