DO YOU REALLY NEED TO LEARN DEUTSCH? | Studying in Germany | Living in Germany

If you are in Germany, or want to pursue your higher studies in Germany, then YES you need to learn German language. And i agree that German is a tough language to learn, which takes time for you to absorb and it needs lots of practice. But if you learn German, then your chances of getting a Internship or Job becomes high. OK, you may ask, "Why do i need to learn Deutsch? What's the rush??" Let us go through a couple of scenarios.. 

SCENARIO - 1:

When you come to Germany for your higher studies, most of you will be looking out to work here for some years according to your field. But, just think, if someone is hiring you for a job, they will definitely expect you to know the German language at least to  a certain level, so that you can interact with your colleagues or take active participation in the group work. Because, at work place, it is important that, you share your ideas and work in a group, For which, you need to speak in a language where everyone is comfortable. It doesn't make sense, when you know only English and all others are speaking in German, you won't be able to get along. 

SCENARIO - 2:

When you are in the supermarket for buying your regular grocery, everything is gonna be in German. How do you intend to read it? And when you want to ask for help, you got to know at least basic German to speak, because you cannot go to a non-English speaking country and expect the normal people there to know English. Just assume that, for instance, a French lady has come for visiting your country as a tourist and she doesn't know even a bit of English or your local language. You would definitely expect her to know at least some basics words, so that you can also help her. It is the same case here, we are the foreigners in Germany and we need to learn their language. At last, when you are about to pay for the items that you have purchased in the supermarket, even the cashier is gonna speak to you in German. So, if you want to survive in Germany, you have to learn atleast the basics. Get your things together and start learning Deutsch.

HOW DO YOU IMPROVE YOUR GERMAN?

• You can take classes from the local Volkhochschule or Sprachunion, they offer intensive courses and regular courses also for all levels.
• There will be German language classes in your university and you can enroll into them at the beginning of the semester.
• Apart from the classes, you can attend parties and make friends, which will help you with the dialects, because you will be having only the bookish knowledge from the classes and you need to learn the colloquial way too.

• You can download apps like Hello Talk, which helps you to interact with the native speakers and in-turn you can help them with english or your mother tongue.
• If you want to improve your grammar, you can use Duolingo, Babbel, Memrise and so on.
• You can take interest in the local and national news, and read the daily newspaper and magazines.
• You always have your best friend, Google Translate 
• I would suggest you to keep your eyes and ears open always when you travel, and try to learn new words daily, because as the saying goes, ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY!!
• You can make use of apps like Word Lens
• You can join language clubs in your university, where you can find international students and interact with them.
• If you can find a part-time job, it also helps you to improve your German language, because you will be constantly interacting with the co-workers in German and you will have good exposure.
• You can watch television daily, which will tremendously help you. 
• There are many YouTube channels like Get Germanized where you can learn more about German culture and the language.

HOW DOES IT BENEFIT YOU?

Learning German does benefit you a lot. You will get the confidence to speak with the German locals and hence you will be making more friends. Germans are very nice people, the only thing that you need to do is to "break the ice", start the casual talk and once they find that you are trying hard to speak in their language, they will be so pleased and help you. It is like, they feel happy that, as a foreigner you are coming to their land, trying to learn their language and adapting to their culture. 

When you learn German language, it gives you a edge in the selection process of an interview, as discussed earlier, anyone will choose a German speaking candidate over a non-german speaking candidate, so that there will be a better team work and easier communication. Even finding a part-time job becomes easy, once you learn German. 

Therefore, in my opinion, "WHEN IN ROME, DO AS ROMANS DO", it is always better to learn the local language and in a country like Germany, coming here and studying for atleast 2 years and not knowing their language is bad. Make efforts to learn, absorb the language, make friends and enjoy your stay in Germany.

You can see my other posts Adapting and Overcoming Homesickness, Free Education in Germany and Education Differences.

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Have a nice day!!