Without a doubt, learning German is an excellent investment in both your personal and professional life. Popular reasons for people to start learning German are to make the most of holidays in Germany, be able to chat with German relatives and prepare for study exchange programs in Germany. But there are in fact so many other great reasons to learn to speak German that people never consider. Here are a some others for you to think about:

Germany has the largest population of all the European countries and the language is very widely spoken internationally. Learning German can connect you with 120 million native speakers around the globe and you might be surprised to learn that German is the 3rd most popular foreign language taught worldwide. So German will not only allow you to build relationships with people in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein but also German speakers all over the world.  

Germany is the economic powerhouse of the European Union and one of the biggest international exporters. The competitiveness and desirability of German products is indicated by the country’s substantial trade surplus. Knowing German creates many business opportunities, not just in Germany itself but also internationally. Given Germany’s commitment to innovation, it’s perhaps not surprising that two-thirds of the world’s leading international trade fairs take place in Germany.

With ample disposable income and an average of 6 weeks of vacation a year, German’s have both the time and means to travel. Year after year the German’s spend more on foreign travel than any other nation. Travel agencies, tour companies, hotels, airlines and car rental agencies that can communicate with Germans in their own language will win German business.

Also don’t be fooled into thinking that German is a language of the past. As prolific researchers and scholars, German speakers produce nearly 80, 000 new book titles each year. As few of these books are translated into English, the only way to profit from this information is to learn German.

German speaking countries have a very rich cultural heritage. The Germans are well known for their poets, classical musicians and great philosophers. 10 Nobel prizes have been awarded to German, Austrian and Swiss German authors. The psychologists Freud and Jung forever changed the way we think about human behavior. Knowing German allows you to access the works of these people in their original language allowing you a more in depth appreciation of their work.  Even if the cultural significance of Germany is of minor importance to you, you may still be attracted to high quality of live in German speaking countries.

You’re probably thinking that’s all well and good, but German is too hard to learn. If that’s the case, you’d be wrong! I think you’d be surprised to discover just how similar English is to German. Due to their common heritage, German and English share many similarities in both vocabulary and grammar. Also once you learn the German system of sounds, it’s easy to predict how the spoken word is written and how the word is pronounced. Besides learning German can be loads of fun, especially if you make use of resources like this free learn German podcast.