Picture courtesy of CDS International, Inc.

"Whenever the literary German dives into a sentence, that is the last you are going to see of him till he emerges on the other side of his Atlantic with his verb in his mouth." - Mark Twain: “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court”

German is not as hard as Mark Twain said over a hundred years ago!! It is actually very similar to English, since both are related Germanic languages. Today, knowing German is highly important for succeeding in the global marketplace. Over 700 American companies do business in Germany, around 600 German companies do business in the US, and German is one of the official languages of the European Union. 

Germany is the leading economic power of the European Union, and you can use your German for travel in most of the EU countries. German is spoken in Germany, Austria, in parts of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and even in some areas of northern Italy. German is the third most popular foreign language studied in the US, and 25% of all US- Americans claim German ancestry - an important part of this country's cultural heritage.

Knowing German is of particular importance not only in the fields of business and economics, but also in the context of the humanities (literatures, philosophy, social sciences, history) and the arts (especially classical music, architecture, visual arts, graphic design) - and any scientist will confirm that knowing German is important in the fields of medicine, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics.

The German program at UVSC uses motivating materials, has a user-friendly multimedia program which is integrated with the textbook, and its native speaker instructors provide enthusiastic, friendly, and competent insight into how to learn the German language and its culture easily .and comprehensively.

For any questions concerning German at UVSC see the contact information below and/or browse the provided links on Germany, learning German, travel in German, internship and work/study abroad opportunities, and how to make the most of learning German in the US.