Index – Domestic – German is the second most popular foreign language in Hungary
Goethe and Kafka, Einstein and Freud, Wagner and Mozart originally on the one hand, strong economic ties, further learning opportunities, tourism on the other – in a word, people choose German for a number of reasons. To promote language learning, the German, Austrian and Swiss embassies, the Goethe-Institut and the Austrian Cultural Forum Wunderbar Festivalthe first German language week in Hungary.
Between March 28 and April 2, 150 programs nationwide await those interested in culture, science, and language.
From the program offer, you will find something to your liking for those who are just tasting the beauties of the language, but also for those who are further developing their existing German skills – with theater, film, music, workshops, performances or conversations.
It is estimated that 220-230 million people speak German worldwide, making it the tenth most widely spoken language in the world. About 130 million can be used as mother tongues.
German is also the most common mother tongue in the European Union. In addition to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the language is spoken in Belgium, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, but also in many other countries, including Hungary.
Hungary’s most important trading partner is Germany, while Austria is the silver medalist on the imaginary podium. Germany is also first and Austria third in terms of direct investment. The outstanding importance of our economic relations is shown by the fact that the five thousand companies interested in German-speaking countries employ 320,000 people in Hungary, many world-famous German companies (Aldi, Allianz, Audi, Bosch, Deutsche Telekom, E.ON, Lidl, Mercedes, Müller, Opel, Siemens etc.) has subsidiaries in Hungary.
Katja Dorrmann, Cultural Attaché at the German Embassy, sees progress:
When I visit the country, I take part in events, I go to schools, I am always amazed at how well Hungarian students know German. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to talk to so many people in my native language.
Today, about three hundred thousand people learn German in 2,700 Hungarian schools, and 18 Hungarian universities teach German in no less than eighty majors – from business administration to law to veterinary medicine. For two decades, in addition to the German-speaking world, the only fully German-language higher education institution in Hungary has been Andrássy University.
(Cover image:
Alex Grimm / Getty Images)