Language Solution

I remember the theater, it was huge, round and open with high ceilings, many balconies and many open staircases. It was really exciting to be there and I couldn’t wait to dig into a riesiges (huge), salziges (giant), butteriges (buttery) popcorn and langsam (slow, slowly) enjoy the savory snack.

I was quickly disappointed when I sat down and shoved a handful of what I thought to be buttery popcorn, but what was actual a handful of sugar. My first reaction was to spit it out and my second was to ask, What were the Germans thinking? Why couldn’t I get salty popcorn? Sure, I’ve heard of kettle corn, a mixture of surgar and salt. However, this popcorn went beyond the standard of what sweet should be. Again, an example of how assumptions get you into trouble. Luckily, the movie was excellent and made up for my Entauschung (disappointment) in the popcorn.

Das Wunder von Bern (The Miracle of Bern) was released in 2003. This was the first and last time I went ins Kino (to the movies), in Germany. I never went again, but it was never because I didn’t want to go. It was because I never had the opportunity to go. For those readers who are unfamiliar with the movie, es geht um (it’s about) WWII and the struggle of the male role after the war. However, the real miracle it portrays is the 1954 Germany World Cup win against Hungary. Hungary was the best team and was undeafted for four years; they even beat Germany in the group stages.

Germany had just lost the war  nine years earlier. As a nation and a people, their lives were economically and spiritually poor. When the German team came back from trailing two points to win the game with score of 3-2, a euphoria swept over the nation like a disease. No one expected them to win, especially in the socio-political state in which they existed. What’s interesting is what happened here in the United States last month. The Saints won the superbowl against the Colts. At the time, the Saints were known as the worse team in American Football and were never expect to get to the Superbowl, never mind win. But, it seems they had a Wunder (mircale) of their own: determination, will-power, the desire to be better. The Saints are from New Orleans, Louisiana. I found myself thinking about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Saints new-found power and drive reminded me a lot of the 1954 Fussball game between Germany and Hungry. There’s something to be said about tragedy invigorating determination and will-power. I wonder if Katrina or World War II played out differently, would Germany or the Saints have one?

I just spent the last twenty minutes coming up with a list of all the German Filme (movies, films) I have seen. The total films and names I came up with is-acht und zwanzig. I know there are others because I can distinctly remember scenes from them but not their names. The point of creating this list was to take measure of the vast amount of great films which come from Germany.  Any other German movies I unbedingt (necassary, absolutely) need to see?

Riesig-huge, giant

Salzig-salty

Buttertig-buttery

Das Wunder-mircale

Langsam-slow, slowly

ins Kino (in das Kino)-to the movies ex.

Ich gehe ins Kino (I am going to the movies)

unbedingt-absolutely, necassary

Der Film, Die Filme (movie/s, film/s)

achtundzwanzig-28

2001

Das Experiment

Nowhere in Africa

Was tun, wenn’s brennt!

Der Tunnel

Advertising Rules / Viktor Vogel – Commercial Man

2003

Good Bye Lenin!

Das Wunder von Bern

2004

The Edukators

2005

Sophie Scholl-Die letzten Tage

2006

Das Leben der Anderen

2007

Die Faelscher

1990

Europa Europa

Das schreckliche Maedchen

1995

Das Versprechen

1998

Lola Rennt!

1999

Sonnenalle

1981

Das Boot

1982

Die weisse Rose

1987

Wings of Desire/ Der Himmel ueber Berlin

1973

The Legend of Paul und Paula

1975

Jakob, der Luegner

1979

The Tin Drum

Die Ehe der Maria Braun

1959

Die Bruecke

1946

Irgendwo in Belin

1930

Der blaue Engel

1931

M

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Studying in Germany: What a paradise! It is free and you can go to any city you want to. That is at least the opinion I have heard from my fellow co-learners during my Master programs in the US. True, die Uni (the university) used to be free and now a small fee of between 500- 750 Euros per semester has been introduced, which almost caused a revolution among the students in Germany. There were numerous strikes and riots during the beginning phase of the new tuition law. I have always asked myself how a strike would have any kind of affect under these circumstances, but apparently it caused a lot of media coverage and resulted in some steps towards the students by the government.

Studying in Germany in my opinion is not half as much fun as it sounds like. During my degree in Germany I was in rooms with about 600 other students and the atmosphere was comparable to the one you would find in small stadiums or train stations. Needless to say there was not a lot of opportunity to actually learn something while in the physical university. Since the universities were so overcrowded, the goal seemed to be to get rid of as many students within the first years as possible. That caused the exams to be harder and sometimes misleading. On the other hand it raised the bar which was a positive aspect.

I did not really know many of my fellow learners in Germany and it was hard to actually find the familiar people or friends since there were just too many students in the building. Most of us had only part time jobs even through the Master phase of the program, while during my Master programs in the US I was studying with professionals with full time jobs, which was a very pleasant surprise since there was actual job experience in the room and people did something that was almost impossible in a German university: They talked to each other and had actual discussion.

I think it was important to have both experiences though. I would encourage every US student to take semester off and study in the country of their choice. It is a great opportunity and a lot aside from the actual life in the university can be learned.

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German and English are cousin languages; they both are Germanic. Many similarities exist among these two languages. However, there are certain words which are untranslatable. One example from a previous blog is Schwarzfahrer (fare dodger).

The German word Ohrwurm is another example of a word without an English equivalent. Ear worm is the literal translation of the word Ohrwurm, however, Ear worm is a serious slant away from the real meaning, which is ‘catchy tune.’ Even this still lacks hues of connotation. If I was to express the echt (real, true) meaning of Ohrwurm auf Englisch (catchy tune in English), I would describe it like this: I have a song that’s stuck in my head and I can’t get it out. Some would argue that I just described what a catchy tune is. But, I would contradict- ‘catchy tune’ is missing a further meaning, which my long winded sentence better articulates. Sure, a song stuck in your head is a catchy; however, ‘catchy tune’ implies having a melody and/or a fast dance rift. You don’t necessarily get stuck singing one of these kinds of songs. No, Ohrwurm bores into your mind until it gets stuck and stays for a long while.

Schadenfreude is yet another word which has no English equivalent. A quick Google search results in a few übersetzungen (translations): mischievous joy or spitefulness. However, this definition lacks substance and therefore does not fully explain the meaning of the word. Schadenfreude is a compound noun. This means that two words were put together to create a new word. Schaden alone means ‘harmful’ or ‘damage.’ Freude means ‘pleasure’ or ‘enjoyment.’ In order for English to retain its full meaning of the word, it was integrated.

Imagine sitting on a park bunch. You just bought a chocolate ice cream cone. As you eat, you take notice of the other people relaxing and eating cones. When, out of the corner of your eye, the man sitting next to you drops his ice cream on his lap. And suddenly, from somewhere, comes a subtle and meaningful laugh over what you just witnessed. That is Schadenfreude.

Other common examples of German words in English are: Zeitgeist (Spirit of the time), Gesundheit (health) Kindergarten, Blitz (lightening) and Ersatz (substitute). The latter, like Schadenfreude is not commonly used on the streets in America and is frequently found in writing.

Furthermore, there are many words in English and German that have the same spelling but slightly different meanings.

Handy is such an interesting word. In Germany, das Handy means cell phone. However, it has quite a different meaning in English. Handy is used to describe someone who has the gumption and the know-how to work with their hands. A handy man is someone who can fix just about anything put in front of him/her.

Spiel means game and comes from the German verb spielen (to play). But, spiel in English means to talk, and to give the low down, as in this sentence: What is your spiel. Here it does not mean what is your game. It means, what are you about, or what are your motives.

Über (about, above, over) is the most interesting of all the words which have made it into the English language. I didn’t start to recognize the use of it in English idiomatic expressions until a few years ago when a friend of mine said, “Texting and driving is über dangerous.” You see, unlike German when über is used as preposition, it has taken on a new meaning and a new part of speech in English. Über is now an intensifier. An intensifier does just that, intensifies the meaning of a word. Other intensifiers in English are ‘wicked’ which is used on the East Coast and ‘hella’ which is used on the West Coast. To say, that a movie you recently watched was wicked awesome, implies it was a good movie and you enjoyed it. The definition is reverse for ‘the movie was wicked bad.’ Über, though meaning about, over or above, works the same way. I suppose über has kept some of its meaning in English. For something to be above or over cool and likewise bad, über is definitely über appropriate to use.

Einschlafen is to fall asleep. A good friend of mine said, “there is no such word in German ‘to fall asleep.’” If we break down the word into its basic parts, my friend was correct in his utterance. Ein is equivalent to meaning ‘one’ or ‘in,’ and schlafen means to sleep. So, literally einschlafen would mean ‘into sleep.’ Einschlafen (to fall asleep) is a word the represents the logic of the German language. Why would anyone one fall asleep?

Perhaps, the most common example of English and German crossing vocabulary tracks is IT jargon. Here is an example of English in German:

Ich musste den Computer booten / rebooten, weil die Software gecrasht ist (I had to reboot the computer because the software crashed). I understand how language evolves and thus am not a language purist. However, when I see sentences like this, my stomach tightens and the wind gets knocked out of me—very much as if someone punched me in the gut. As a personal preference I will always use the correct German: Ich musste den Compurter hochfahren, weil die Software abgestürtzt ist

There are many other words which have the same quality and idiosyncrasies. Have you ever heard or read of any other words in English or German which do not have an easy translation or, are homonyms equally in both languages?

Der Schwarzfahrer-far dodger

Der Ohrwurm – ear worm, or catchy tune

Ohrwurm auf Englisch-Ohrwurm in English

Schadenfreude-pleasure from other people pain

Das Schaden – Damage, harm

Die Freud-Joy, pleasure

Die Übersetzungen-translation

Das Handy-Cell phone

Das Spiel-game

Spielen-to play

Über-about, above, over

Der Ersatz-Substitute

Die Zeitgeist –Spirit of the Time

Die Gesundheit-health, used in English for God bless you

Schlafen- to sleep

Einschlafen-to fall asleep

Hochfahren-restart/reboot

Abstürtzen-to crash

Ich-I

Müssen -to have to

Post from: German Blog

Saufen….

As an immigrant one of the first things is the notion of different drinking age laws in the Americas and germany. 

The laws between the states in the US are variable yet it expresses a disagreement on a contentious topic. The question arises whether it is positive or negative for young people, being regarded as a legal adult at age 18, eligible to vote, who can enter the military service or take out loans, or become married ( heiraten) even at younger age with parental consent, drive a car, work full time, receive capital punishment, but is not allowed (erlaubt) to purchase alcoholic beverages. 

Most cities have laws (Gesetze) prohibiting open bottles of alcohol and the only place to openly drink is likely your own home or yard.

In some states of the US, the legal drinking age can be as high as 25 years of age and identification cards (Identitäts Karte) must be presented when buying alcohol in stores (Läden).

Though often enough, alcohol is sold to underage people, who bypass laws with fake IDs. Obviously, drunk driving is a big issue and is unacceptable, but it is questionable if the drinking age law is a means to address the problem. Likewise, preventing binge drinking (Trinken) at universities and colleges by invoking drinking age laws probably will not work and may even encourage it. 

In Germany the laws (Gesetze) are quite different as compared to the drinking age laws in the US; youngsters at age 15 or older when accompanied by an adult guardian are legally allowed to drink fermented alcoholic beverages to a certain extend. The possession or consumption of alcohol by minors is not outlawed.  However, consumption is not tolerated in public, nor is it acceptable to sell any alcohol to minors. Once at age 16 or 18 you are legally allowed to consume distilled beverages, while it is accepted (legal) that children as young as 14 can drink together with their parents.

Coming from a German culture, I grew up by tasting my father’s wine (Wein) or beer when I was a kid.  When reaching adulthood there was no desire to get drunk, probably because I was already accustomed to drink alcoholic beverages. I wonder why it is that in German universities we may not experience (erleben) binge drinking at such a large scale? 

As a child, knowing already what it tastes like, what it feels like and what the effects are, it may have given the insight for the consequences it might give. Furthermore, children are less inclined to drink secretly in the back yard because drinking alcohol is not a violation. When it comes to drunk driving we have to understand one thing. Young people in Germany do not drive a vehicle at the age of 17, not even with an instructor. 

Exchange students between the Americas and Europe, for example, have conflicting scenarios. The US student is surprised by the loose rules governing equal treatment between young and old, while the foreigner student in the US is suddenly confronted ( Konfrontiert) with rules that does not make much sense. The question comes to mind, should the driving age be changed to German standards? Should there be more public transportation so that young people “can” drink, or should young people have to wait until they are 21 years old in order to legally drink a glass of wine?

Married- Heiraten

Allowed- Erlaubt

Laws- Gesetze

Wine- Wein

experience- Erleben

confronted- konfrontiert

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_drinking_age

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_in_Germany

Post from: German Blog

Every German is familiar with the word Schwarzfaher—literally, black rider but meaning ‘fare-dodger.’

Depending on what type of öffentliche Verkehrsmittle (public transportation) you are riding, a conductor or ticket monitor is not usually bei der Pflicht (on duty). Vorsicht (careful, watch out)! The Kontrolle (ticket monitor) could come aboard and ask to see your Fahrschein (ticket). Without your fare, die Kontrolle (ticket monitor, surveillance) will ticket you with a vierzig (fourty) Euro Strafgeld (fine).  The practice of the honor system as a fare purchasing method, reaches beyond the German boarders. Countries across Europe like Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands use this system.

It was a Saturday night in Portsmouth, NH. I had just finished up my shift at The Wellington Room and was bringing up the trash barrel from outside. There were a few stragglers, friends of the waitress, nursing their Gedränke (drinks) at the bar. The guy on the right drank wine and the man on the left sipped beer. At rather a most opportune time, Germany became the subject of conversation. The wine drinker mentioned an experience he had in Italy and told a familiar story about public transportation. He described how eine kleine, alte Frau (a little, old woman), was stopped by the ticket monitor and asked for her Fahrschein (fare/ticket). He witnessed how the old lady rummaged through her purse and pulled out, one after the other, four or five ungültig (void, invalid) tickets. Sadly, the old lady was removed from the bus and penalized with a fine.

As the wine drinker told us the story of the Italian lady, I was immediately reminded of my own Schwarzfahrer Erlebnise (fare-dodging experience).

As anyone may have the Gelegenheit (opportunity), so too was I a Schwarzfaher (fare dodger). However, in my version the Teilnehmer (participants) could have avoided the ultimate outcome. You see, I had a gültig (valid) ticket at the time. I was a student at Lüneburg Universität (Lüneburg University) and we received free access to public transportation. I had my ID/ticket right after the Abfahrt (departure) from Lüneburg Hauptbahnhof (main/central train station) to Hamburg Haubtbahnhof (main/central train station).

However, on the way back the next morning I no longer had my Fahrschein (ticket) on me. I assumed it had fallen out of my pocket somewhere during the night. It was 7:00am after a night of dancing and walking around the city. There were three other people with me and we were all fix und fertig (dog-tired). To complicate things the youngest of us was a friend’s sister who had borrowed a Spanish exchange student’s ID/ticket. As the Schafferin (female conductor), in this case, came along, Jess—pretending to be Monica from Spain—showed her the borrowed Fahrkarte (ticket). Jess then quickly slipped it under the table over to me. I handed it to the conductor. She looked at the card and then looked at me and then looked at the card and questioned, “Sie heiβen Monica (you’re called/named Monica)?”—wir waren erwischt ( we were caught)!

At the train station, we were escorted into a grün (green) van at Lüneburg Central Train Station and taken to the police station. During the ride, I made small talk with the officers (who were extremely friendly). We even joked that I was really experiencing German culture. Inside the police station we were ausgefragt (questioned). While Jess was being accused of Beihilfe (abetment), her Schwester (sister) and I had to guide us through the process because we had told the Polizei (police) Jess was from Spain and couldn’t speak any English or German.

After we checked out okay, they brought us home. I, of course, was scheduled to return to the Gerichtsgebäude (courthouse) at a later date. I am not a hundred percent proud of this incident, but I do brag of how it brought me closer to understanding German culture.

Stories like the two above, gibt’s wie Sand am Meer (are a dime a dozen) and provide a common ground for dialogue. When you connect with someone who had the same experience, a bound is automatically created with that person. This is how, through communication, cultural Barrieren (Barriers) can sometimes be avoided.

What struck me about this conversation was that we were having it in a small restaurant in Portsmouth, NH, in a small city some thousand miles away from Germany; we all agreed that it wasn’t the first time the subject of the Schwarzfahrer (fare dodger) came up in conversation.

Links to videos about Schwarzfahrer (fare dodger):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjc8P1yBYIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPFbOAITnHk&feature=related

Der Schwarzfaher-fare dodger

öffentliche Verkehrsmittle – public transportation

öffentlich – public

bei der Pflicht– on duty, at work, prepositional phrase, dative

Vorsicht –watch out

Die Kontrolle- surveillance, monitor, control

vierzig – fourty

Das Strafgeld

Die Gedränke – the drinks

Der Gedrank – Drink

eine kleine, alte Frau

ein –one

klein – small

alt – old

Farhschein – ticket

Die Fahrkarte – ticket

Die Fahrkarten – tickets

Fix und fertig – dog-tired

Ungültig – void, invalid

Das Erlebnise –the experience

Die Gelegenheit – opportunity

Die Gelegenheiten – opportunities

Der Teilnehmer – participant

Die Teilnehmer – participants

gültig – valid

universität – University

Lüneburg – a small city in Northern Germany

Die Abfahrt – depature

Die Abfahrten – depatures

Der Hauptbahnhof central/main train station

Der Schaffer/die Schafferin – male/female conductor

Sie heiβen Monica—Formal you, verb, to be called “Is your name Monica?”

grün – green

ausgefragt – questioned

Die Beihilfe -abetment

Die Schwester – sister

Die Polizei – Police

Das Gerichtsgebäude –Courthouse

Die Gerichtsgebäude – Courthouses

gibt’s wie Sand am Meer – idiomatic expression for “a dime a dozen.”

Die Barrieren – barriers

Die Barriere – barrier

Post from: German Blog

99 Luftballons

German music has had it impacts in the United States. Nena introduced her song “99 Luftballons” to the US market and made it all the way to No.1 in the United States. The song was played in German even though an English version existed. Nena was part of the “Neue deutsche Welle” (new German wave) that was used as an expression for the success of numerous German bands in Europe. These included the Spider Murphy Gang, Hubert Kah, and Peter Schilling, who also had a very successful hit single in the US with “Major Tom”. Other German speaking singers like Falco are also still remembered. The question now is, why did these songs have success even though the majority of the population was not able to understand the lyrics.

However, the same is true in Germany, where mostly songs with English lyrics can be found in the charts and English is also used by German bands and singes in their songs. After many years without any German songs in the US charts the so far most successful German band introduced itself to the market and made use of the German stereotype by using mystic and provoking images in their videos and their choreography. Typical and recognizable German words like “Autobahn”or Fahrvergnügen”are used in the songs which seems to hit the taste of the American population. I would like to ask our readers what their favorite German related songs are that made an appearance in the US. Let’s hear it!

Post from: German Blog

It’s been another very long silence for me, having not written a blog for many months, a year almost. Luckily C is keeping this blog site alive by writing every now and then. A lot had happened since. Firstly, I am now in Zurich, Switzerland and have been here for the past three months. I [...]

Erster Teil (first part): The Golden Twenties?

In the beginning years of the First World War, soldiers and citizens alike were all too eager to go off to battle. Many soldiers viewed the war as an Ausflug (trip,outing) and believed they would soon be Zuhause (home) with their families. When the war ended, Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm II abdicated the throne. In reality, most of the government officials ran away due popular disapproval of how the war was handled. With the disintegration of the Prussian Monarch, the Weimar Republic was formed. Während der Weimarer Republik (during the Weimar Republic), Bürger (citizens) who once felt a national Stolz (pride) during WWI, began to question the motives and violence behind the Krieg (war).

Die Weimar Republik stellte (portrayed) a shift in thinking dar (prefix of stellen). It was a step away from monarchy and a step closer toward Democracy; a Hinweis (evidence) that military rule and honor had failed. This shift in thinking gave rise to one of the greatest periods in artistic thought—der Expressionismus (expressionism).

Expressionism concerned itself with the Entdeckung (discovery) of the neuer Mensch (new human) or the transformation of the self. Artists wanted to express their ideas in big, bold, and/or distorted images. The end effect was to elicit emotion in the viewer. Groups to come out of this era include: Die Blaue Reiter (The Blue Riders), Der Brücke (The Bridge), and Bauhaus. One of my favorite Expressionist artists is Ernst Barlach.

Ernst Barlach, a berühmter (famous) Bildhauer (sculptor), Zeichner (drawer), und (and) Theaterautor (playwright),was an all-around Renaissance man. His sculptures depict poignant images of distraught Soldaten aus der ersten Weltkrieg (soldiers from the first World War) to the core of human essence. Barlach searched for “Dinge hinter der Wirklichkeit (things behind reality).” An example of his work can be found at the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, ME:

http://204.200.152.107/exhibitions-collections/search.php?searchby=Artist%27s+Last+Name&term=barlach&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0&Submit=Search.

Though, Der Spazierganger, (The Strolling Man), who appears to be moving at a rate faster than a stroll, is not a soldier, it is a good representation of Barlach’s idea of the human struggle. The sculpture shows a man walking with difficultly against the wind. Perhaps Barlach is suggesting no matter how hard we strive to find happiness and serenity in our lives, there will always be an outside force against us.

However, it wasn’t long before politicians and party members turned their backs on each other. With the pressure of war reparations and inflation increasing everyday, it’s no wonder die Weimarer Republik survived mit Ach und Krach (with great difficulty, by the skin of one’s teeth) for little over a decade.

Although the Weimar Republic was a shift in thinking and a step away from a strong military rule, the failure of the Republic and the democratic election of the Führer (Adolf Hitler) to lead, represented a necessity for rule the German people carried within them. This seems to have had a lingering effect on the German culture. In Germany today, there are many rules to be followed and left unbroken. The best example I have, occurred when I ordered a cup of coffee to go (which is somewhat rare in Germany). An issue arose because I drink my coffee black and asked the server to fill the cup up to the brim. Her response was, “Ich darf nicht (I’m not allowed).” To which I replied, “I will pay you one Euro more.” Still, “Ich darf nicht,” was the only response I got. For Americans who are used to “having it your way,” this “Ich darf nicht,” response may seem a little absurd and will take some time getting used to.

The Weimarer Republik (Weimar Republic) was a turbulent time in German Geschichte (history). Constant fighting, politische Unruhe (polictical unrest), growing Kunstbewegungen (art movements), and a massive output in literature and theatre are characteristics that beschreiben (describe) the Weimar Republik.

Note to the reader: The Weimar Republic is a very expansive and muddled time period in German artistic and political history. I have only touched the surface in this blog, but would like to continue writing about this topic—perhaps a small series. If any of you are interested in reading or learning more about the Republic, post your comments.

Die Weimarer Republik-the Weimar Republic

Die politische Unruhe-political unrest, upheaval

Die Geschichte-history, story

Die Kunstbewegung-en

beschreiben-(v) to describe

Der Ausflug-trip, outing

Das Zuhause-home

Während der Weimar Republik

Die Bürger-citizens (pl)

Der Stolz-pride, boast, elation

Der Krieg-war

darstellen-(v) separable prefix- to depict, portray

Das Hinweis-hint, clue, evidence

Der Expressionismus-expressionism

berühmt-famous

Der Bildhauer-sculptor

Der Zeichner-drawer

Der Theaterautor-playwright

Die Soldaten-soldiers (pl)

Die Soldaten aus der ersten Weltkrieg:

(Soldiers from the first Wold War)

“aus der ersten Weltkrieg” is a dative prepositional phrase

aus-out,from, made of (preposition)

die Erste Weltkrieg-the first World War

Die Entdeckung-discovery

Der neue Mensch-a new person, human

“Dinge hinter der Wirklichkeit” (things behind reality)

mit Ach und Krach-idiomatic expression, (with great difficulty, by the skin of one’s teeth)

Die Blaue Reiter-art movement-the blue raiders

Der Brücke-art movement-the birdge

Bauhaus-a specific school of architect

Der Führer-leader, Adolf Hitler

Erst-first

Der/Das Teil-part or section. Depending on the meaning, the gender of the article changes

Post from: German Blog

The first time a German student is confronted with a foreign language in a class is between third and fifth grade depending on the individual school. The school system in Germany starts with the Grundschule (elementary school) from first to fourth grade. During those for years it will be determined which school a student will go to afterwards in the high school phase based on the performance shown. The lowest level is the Hauptschule, then the Realschule, and finally the Gymnasium. The newest form of education combines all three schools into one, which is called “Gesamtschule”.

What all school forms have in common is that the English language is taught in fifth grade which means that every German student will have be provided with English language skills. This is a mandatory class and one of the more important classes during a student’s life. The focus of this blog will be on the “Gymnasium” which has the highest percentage of the Germany students with 30% (2001). After two years of English the student has the chance to elect his second foreign language. In general the decision can be made between French and Latin. Again, the student has to choose one of the two. As a third option in 11^th grade many schools offer Spanish or Italian, which are non mandatory classes.

It becomes obvious that there is a very big focus on language skills within the German school system. There is also a current movement to start English in elementary school for everybody.

Almost every single school in Germany has a partnership with a school in other countries like the U.K, France, or Poland. There are many exchange programs offered and the classes have the opportunity to test there language skills with their fellow students from across the border. A lot of friendships have developed in this way and families actually apply for hosting exchange students and provide them with a temporary home during their usually week long stay.

Post from: German Blog

Most Germans in the US experience very common stereotypes within the US, just like many Americans experience the same when they travel to Germany. When I first moved to New England I was looking for all the skyscrapers, huge cars and cowboy hats. After I had to change my perception of the US based on my experience it was easier to understand for me why the perception of Germany is what it is over here. Since we all learn the most out of die Kiste (the box, here the TV) most movies deal either with WWII subjects or drunken Bavarians dancing around in their Lederhosen. I am of course also a big fan of Bayern (Bavaria) but Germany has so much more to offer than one state and the Vergangenheit (past).

Germany has all kinds of different Landschaften (country sides) from the beaches in the North and North East to the flat lands of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), the Schwarzwald (Black Forrest) and the uniqueness of the Spreewald and its famous Gurken (cucumbers). I think it is on all of us to educate other people about everything Deutschland has to offer and especially get away from the dark chapter of the Third Reich even though it is very attractive to the movie industry and should not be forgotten. The future of the country is what matters most. A fantastic friendship between the US and Germany has developed and despite all the negative media coverage within the US the country still has a very positive image, especially in Germany.

I would like to ask you what is important for your generation when it comes to the image of Germany and what can be done in order to change the focus from the typical stereo type?

Die Kiste – the box (slang word for the tv)

Die Vergangenheit – the past

Die Landschaft – the countryside

Der Schwarzwald – the black forrest

Die Gurke – the cucumber, Die Gurken – the cucumbers

Post from: German Blog