WARUM DEUTSCH?

Why it is a good idea to learn German:

• If you want to meet Lionel Messi, Lukas Podolski and Diego Forlan - LEARN GERMAN!     

          Aubrey Dolan, NUIG graduate BComm (International) German & Senior Product Manager Adidas Germany

          Click here to read more about Aubrey and his success story. And see Aubrey in action, advertising his newest Adidas creation. 

• PEZ Talk with the reigning Women's World Time Trial Champion Emma Pooley (March 2011)

          Do you speak German?

          I do. I learned it in school. I think it's such a fun language - the way they construct words. They have the most clever words. They have words that 

          we don't have. They have a word for when you get a song stuck in your head. Ohrwurm, ear worm. Isn't it clever? I think German is really cool.

          Click here to read the entire interview with Emma Pooley.

• If I'm selling to you, I speak your language. If you want to sell to me, dann müssen Sie Deutsch sprechen.                                                  

          Willy Brandt, former German Chancellor (1969-1974)

• German is 4 U - click here if you want to know why!

               

 STUDENT TESTIMONIALS:

• The Bachelor of Commerce (International) with German (NUIG) was and still is one of the best educational decisions I made and would recommend it strongly to anyone interested in the business world. The course gave me a whole wealth of experience in international relations and cultural management. In doing the language with my Commerce subjects, it gave me such a better perspective on the business world, built my confidence in public speaking, especially in a foreign language, and really pushed me outside my comfort zone, in terms of living and learning in another country. The course totally surpassed my expectations and left me feeling satisfied and with a great sense of achievement as it was not just an academic education but I learned many life skills and cultural skills during my four years on the course.

          David Lloyd, BComm (International) German graduate 2006. Present position: Business Support Manager at Aer Rianta International

• I acquired numerous skills throughout the duration of the BComm German degree in NUIG, which have benefited me on a professional and personal level since graduating. First and foremost, my German language skills were greatly expanded upon throughout the German language programme. I strongly feel that this ability to speak a foreign language will always be of benefit to me and indeed, I got my first job on the basis of my language skills. The German class was the only forum throughout my degree course where communication was actively encouraged and developed. I also gained a huge amount of experience by doing presentations (business and cultural topics) in German as well as research assignments. Especially in my German classes I learned how to gather information, organise it and present it in an effective manner. The experience gained through these exercises has proved very useful in my career and is now an inherent part of my work. The Erasmus year in Germany had a huge positive impact on me. Aside from the obvious benefit to my language skills, the experience of living in an unfamiliar country taught me how to be more independent, open-minded and confident. The year abroad was also a very important focus during my interviews where I could shine and impress my employers with my international knowledge and language skills. 

         Erin Clarke, Global Project Finance Controller, Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking

• As a graduate of the Corporate Law (International) programme at NUIG, I would highly recommend prospective students to study German as part of their degree course. On a personal level I can safely say that my knowledge of German and my experience of studying abroad placed me in a stronger position when seeking employment after university. As a graduate it is important to differentiate yourself from other interviewees. Studying German added an extra dimension to my CV and provided me with plenty of material to talk about during interviews. On a practical level it offered me the opportunity to develop my oral and written communication skills, presentation skills etc. These skills are highly transferable and can be used in a variety of working environments and situations. I also had the opportunity to spend an Erasmus year studying in Germany, thus developing my language skills, an appreciation for German culture and most importantly, the life skills that come with living in a foreign country for a year. If you are a student who wishes to widen your skills base, increase your employability and foster your personal development, I can assure you that studying German will tick all of these boxes. 

         Maria Tuffy, BCorpLaw International graduate 2007

• My relationship with German has played the largest part in carving out my International career to date.    I always had an interest in German in school, but it wasn’t until I got accepted to study BComm International (German) at UCC that my real passion began. The intensive & active learning lectures that I received during the four years gave me the building blocks for what would be a career in International marketing looking after the German speaking regions: Germany, Austria & Switzerland for Enterprise Ireland. No other programme gives you the variety & breadth of learning on both the business aspects (marketing, economics, statistics, law) and language elements (grammar, business German, culture). Not to mention the Erasmus year abroad – which I personally found to be one of the steepest learning curves of my life to date & one which I would highly recommend.   I am currently working with Enterprise Ireland in their overseas office, based in Düsseldorf. I am responsible for Irish companies in the Media & Internet space looking to target the German speaking markets. The dual degree in both commerce & German armed me with a very solid business & linguistic skills set, which in times like today were pivotal in getting my foot on the career ladder.   Through my work with Enterprise Ireland, and also through being one of the founding members of the Irish business network here in Germany I have been actively flying the Irish flag over here. Now its time to return the favour, and represent Germany back home as the 2011 German Rose.   My time in UCC, and of course on Erasmus in Vienna were second to none. All those German cultural awareness classes came in very handy!

          Saoirse Fitzgerald, BComm International (German) 2008