Why study German for GCSE?

The Importance of Languages

• How many languages are spoken throughout the world?

• 100• 200• 300• More than 500

Just over 6,500

In London, more than 300

languages are spoken at

home.

The Importance of Languages

• The proportion of the world which does not speak English as its first language is:-

• 1%• 25%• 74%• 94% 94%

The Importance of Languages

What proportion of the world speaks no English at

all?• 75%• 60%• 50%• 25%

75%

Our planet has over 6 billion people who speak between 6000 and 7000 different languages

• Only 6% of the world’s population are native English speakers?

• 75% of the world’s population speak no English at all?

The Importance of Languages

How many UK companies are losing business because of language

barriers?• 1 out of every 100• 1 out of every 50• 1 out of every 5

1 out of every 5

What percentage of employers are looking for school-leavers with

language skills?

a) 10%b) 25%c) 50%d) 74%

74%

Languages take you further

• Some universities now require a language GCSE for degree courses in English, History and Law

• A GCSE in a language will help you get into university.

• You will need a GCSE in a language to be awarded the English Baccalaureate

How will studying languages help you?

• It will increase your job opportunities • With the growth of the European

Union, there is a much greater need for people who have a foreign language.

• 60% of all UK trade is with non English-speaking countries

People who can speak another language earn on average 20%

more than people who do not

•86% of the UK’s richest under 30s speak a foreign

language.

Did you know?

*Why should I learn a language?

improves your communication skills

* enhances your memory & creativity * boosts brain power

* helps give you confidence.* widens your career / job options.

* gives you a wider understanding of world affairs & improves international relations

* makes travelling easier and more enjoyable.

* helps you make friends in new countries

* shows you are open minded and tolerant.

* Being able to speak a language demonstrates to employers that the candidate has skills or has worked hard to absorb and memorise information [vocabulary], apply rules [grammar], be adaptable and communicate clearly.

*In most careers nowadays language abilities are highly valued and there is a particular shortage of people with languages in Engineering and Finance.

WHY GERMAN?

Which languages are most in demand?

German is the most commonly spoken

language in Europe *with more than100 million speakers communicating worldwide.

*It is an official language in*Germany

*Austria

*Switzerland* Luxembourg *and Liechtenstein

*German also plays an important role as a foreign

language In Central and Eastern Europe.

*It is the3rd most popular

foreign languagetaught worldwide

*and the second most popular in Europe after English.

*Germany has the largest economy in

Europe

*and the fourth largest inthe world

(after the USA, Japan and China).

*As a nation committed to research and

development *Germans are on the frontline of new technologies and home to numerous international corporations*from cars

*to machinery and industrial equipment

*If you learn German, you could be part of the

world of:*Car-making*mechanical, electrical and precision engineering*chemicals*environmental technology *optics*medical technology

*biotech and genetic engineering*nanotechnology* aerospace*logistics

*computer gaming industry*Travel

*Hospitality

*the airline industry* journalism

*German speakers are highly sought after by

British employers.With a knowledge of German,

you improve your employment

opportunities.

*German companies account for over

315,000 jobs in the UK. *They are especially strong in manufacturing in South East England and the Midlands.

*The leading German banking and insurance companies have *their offices in the City of London.

*German ranks as the second most frequently

used language on the internet after English

*With 8 million Internet domains, Germany's top-level country domain .de is second only to the extension .com.

*Knowledge of German is often required in

the fields of publishing and

research as important research is often published in German books and professional journals.∙German is the second most commonly used scientific language after English.

*Learning German is fun & not as hard as

you think!

English speakers usually find German quite easy to pronounce, as both languages share common linguistic roots.German and English both evolved from the common ancestor language, Germanic.

*They share thousands of the same word

origins *e.g Sommer Vater

MutterHaus

Apfel

Why learn German?• German is the most wanted foreign

language by UK companies• German is the second most

commonly used scientific language• Germany is the largest exporter in

the world• One out of every ten books in the

world is written in German

Within the European Union, more Europeans are native speakers of

Germanthan any other language

• German is spoken by more than 120 million people in:

• Austria, Germany, Liechenstein, • Luxembourg, Switzerland• Parts of Belgium, Northern Italy and

Eastern Europe

Celebrity Germanists

Daniel CraigGerman

Leonardo DiCaprio German

Renee ZellweigerGerman

Sophie RaworthFrench and German

Eddie IzzardFrench and German

Paul McCartneyGerman and Spanish

Paula RadcliffeFrench and German

Natalie PortmanFrench, German, Spanish,

Japanese and Hebrew

Christopher LeeFrench, German, Italian, Spanish,

Russian, Greek and Swedish

Arsene WengerEnglish, German, Italian, Japanese and

Spanish