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The Week in Germany: Culture

July 6, 2007

Hungry for Success, Indian Students give “Deutsch” a Try

In India, Germany's language and culture institute, the Goethe Institut, is flooded with students wanting to learn a foreign tongue to improve their chances of success in a globalizing world.

India is the only country where the Goethe Institut -- Germany's premier language and culture institute which has branches across the globe -- is called the Max Müller Bhavan or Max Müller House said Stefan Dreyer, head of Delhi's Goethe Institut.

"The motivation to learn German has changed sharply over the past years," said Dreyer. Until 7 to 10 years ago, Indians would choose to learn German to be able to read intellectuals such as Kant, Brecht, Grass or Goethe in the original, Dreyer pointed out.

"Today things are totally different. We have many young people who want to learn German because they want to use it to boost their chances of success in their professions," Dreyer said.

India is home to six Goethe Instituts or Max Müller Bhavans (Goethe Instituts in India also bear the name of Max Müller, a German who launched the study of classical Indian culture in the 19th century). More are planned. The demand for German language courses is skyrocketing and the institute is having a tough time meeting it. At the Goethe Institut in Delhi alone, 2,200 students pass through its doors every year.

Young urban Indians are looking for ways to boost their career chances and the Goethe Institut stands to profit from this new generation in India raring to use the German language as a tool in the global marketplace.

Kirti, a 21-year-old says that after a year and three months of learning German, she's now abandoned her idea of becoming an English language teacher and would now like to teach German instead at the Goethe Institut. "All foreign languages are important for India because India is becoming increasingly important in the world," said Kirti."Germany is a new country for India, German is a new language. That just improves our career chances."

The country's economy has averaged growth rates of over seven percent in the past decade. India is home to a growing, well-educated middle class that is thirsting for knowledge and success.

(Deutsche Welle)

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