Language
Not every person you meet in the streets of Germany can speak English or is comfortable with talking in English. Don’t take it personal. German is the official language. Many films and TV series are dubbed in cinema or on TV. Information at public spaces is often provided in English but not always. English is not a part of daily life for many Germans. Therefore, it is important to try to learn the German language.
Ideally, you should practice German before your arrival. In India, many schools and institutions provide German classes. Also, you can arrange for online lessons (via video chat) with language partners. Most online classes are free. German speaking people who want to learn an Indian language will help you with learning German and vice versa.
Find language partners on websites, such as:
www.language-exchanges.org
www.italki.com
www.mylanguageexchange.com
For starters, when arriving in Germany, you can carry a phrase book with you. You can also use translation apps, if you own a smartphone.
Look up for language classes offered at your university, at the local education centers (Volkshochschule) or private language schools. You might also find language partners (Tandem Partner) through your university. Tandem partners, each offering one language the other is learning, meet 2-3 times are week and practice the languages they want to learn.
Buddy Tip
- Don’t be shy, speak up and practice German in your daily life!
- Searching for someone to study German with, while teaching him/her your language? At the University of Münster, you simply register for a language tandem placement:spz.uni-muenster.de/tandem
Newspapers with English content
Media mirrors and shapes local perspectives on a country and the world. Even if you do not speak German yet, there are offers that help you getting a grasp of recent debates concerning Germany and global events.
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international broadcaster offers news in 30 different languages, even in Hindi, Urdu and English. It also provides interactive tools for learning German. Just visit
www.DW.com
“Deutschland” Online
This multilingual site provides articles and information particularly for an international audience interested in topics that are important to people living in Germany.
www.deutschland.de/en
Germany.info
News related to Germany provided by the German missions in the United States.
www.germany.info
Spiegel Magazine
The magazine Spiegel provides English content. The magazine’s international version is not a translation of the German site but a collection of articles on major topics. Der Spiegel is one of Germany’s largest sold weekly news magazines.
www.spiegel.de/international
Also, check out this list of German national and regional newspapers:
www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/german_news.htm
TV news online by public broadcasting
Tagesschau
Public broadcaster ARD provides this news website. Some content can only be accessed when you are in Germany. The news flash “Tagesschau in 100 Sekunden” is translated into English and Arabic.
www.tagesschau.de
Heute
The ZDF – Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen – is a major German public broadcaster. It provides a news website (most content is in German):
www.heute.de