http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/four-reasons-to-learn-german.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/four-reasons-to-learn-german.html Sat, 30 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0500 German is not always the first choice for people looking to learn a foreign language. But maybe it should be. German is spoken by more than 100 million people in 38 countries around the world. Most of the world's German speakers are in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but there are also significant numbers of German speakers in the United States and South America. That's a lot of German speakers, and a lot of reasons to learn German. Here are five reasons to consider attending a German language school.

1. Learn German For Business
Germany is the third largest industrial nation in the world and a major exporter. Learning German will help business people to improve their prospects of doing business in German-speaking countries. And while it may be true that many Germans speak English as well as, if not better than, many native English speakers, those who learn German will have the advantage of understanding what is said in its original context. Many German language schools offer classes specifically designed to help business people learn German. These include classes dealing with speaking on the telephone, negotiations and presentations.

2. Learn German For Travel
In addition to the three major European countries where German is a native language, German is a second language for many countries across Eastern Europe. Those planning to travel in Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Russia or Kazakhstan may find it useful to learn German to communicate in those regions. There are many websites that offer free language lessons to help travelers learn basic German phrases. However, for a more intensive course, travelers could learn German in Berlin or another part of Germany.

3. Learn German For Tourism
With three major language centers and many other German-speaking regions, German is a key language for those seeking to work in the tourist industry. Some German language schools offer courses aimed at professionals in different industries which will also help those in the tourist trade. This is key not just for those planning to work within Germany, but for those planning to work with the millions of German-speaking tourists who travel the globe each year.

4. Learn About German Culture
German culture is more than beer and lederhosen. Germany has a rich cultural heritage. Many great thinkers, such as Freud and Einstein, were German. Many of the most respected classical composers came from Germany. There is a lot to do in Germany, from exploring towns with a centuries-old history to seeing the wonders of modern engineering technology. Those who study in Germany will find that this gives an inside view of many aspects of German culture.

Where Should I Learn German?
Although there are plenty of German classes available in most countries, a good option is to study in Germany at a German language school. This means that students will learn by immersion, hearing German spoken both inside and outside the classroom. This is a good way to learn German fast and correctly. There are German language schools around the country. One option is to study in Berlin. Not only does Berlin have many universities and educational institutions, but it also has a rich cultural history and many sights to see. This makes study in Berlin a good option for learning German.





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Sam Vogel writes about German language and German culture.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/german-culture-the-hows-and-the-whys.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/german-culture-the-hows-and-the-whys.html Sat, 30 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Why Should I Learn About German Culture?
The reasons for learning about German culture and German life are the same as for learning the culture of any language group. Learning German language and culture is useful to:
* broaden personal knowledge
* make yourself more marketable at work by speaking a foreign language
* increase career prospects
* help you get around when on holiday.

What About Business?
Learning about German culture is also essential for those who travel to Germany on business. There are many courses designed to help business people learn cultural customs and language relating doing business in Germany. These courses cover areas such as:
* meetings
* negotiations and deals
* telephone conversations
* making presentations
* travel vocabulary
* money and banking
* the business environment

How Can I Learn About German Culture?
One of the best ways to learn about German culture is to travel in Germany. Travel is a good way of learning about the cultural traditions of cities as diverse as Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Berlin and many others. These cities showcase aspects of German culture such as museums, beer, wine and food festivals, theatre and music, and so on.

Another useful way of learning about German culture is to study in Germany. Study in Germany allows students to appreciate German culture from the inside. Not only will people learn the German language from native speakers, but they will have the chance to share social and cultural events with native speakers of German. This is an excellent method of learning about German culture and language.

What Do Courses In German Culture Cover?
Courses in German culture will cover areas such as history, geography, music, dance, literature and the arts in general. Other aspects of German culture include food and drink. Studying German culture is a key aspect of learning German, as language and culture go hand in hand.

Other Options For Learning German Culture
Another way of learning about German culture is to take part in an exchange program. This has the benefit of immersing the learner in the German language in a home setting. This makes it easy to learn everyday language for daily communication and provides an inside view of German culture. Exchange programs can range from a few weeks to nearly a year. Some students taking German in other countries find this a useful addition to their language courses. Those students may choose to teach their native language in return for the chance to live in and travel through Germany.

Once you have learned about German language and culture, you'll be ready to travel not just in Germany but in countries such as Austria, Switzerland, and parts of the US and South America where German is still spoken.



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Sam Vogel writes about German language and German culture.


Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/internet/seo/internet-users-benefit-from-the-search-engine-seo-cat-and-mouse.html http://www.articletrader.com/internet/seo/internet-users-benefit-from-the-search-engine-seo-cat-and-mouse.html Sat, 30 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Here’s what happens: Each search engine develops a formula for producing the most accurate, relevant results according to the Internet user’s keyword search, and then the SEO companies analyze the search engine’s function and develop a system of strategies to allow their customers to take advantage of that formula. Common strategies include providing enriched text blocks (a few paragraphs of text containing multiple keywords likely to be picked up by the search engines), general interest articles, with embedded links, on particular topics relevant to the customer, development of multiple links to the customer’s site from other websites, and a combination of sponsored links and pay-per-click ads (paid ads which appear on other websites). This combination of strategies promises to improve a website’s ranking in the search results, a valuable asset in cyberspace; if a company can land on the first page of a keyword search, the probability of the Internet user visiting its website skyrockets.

Of course, as soon as the SEO companies figure out a particular search engine’s formula, the search engine changes the rules, since the search engine’s honchos want to provide the most accurate, up-to-date, and relevant information, and not allow website owners to game the system. And of course the SEO companies respond with new, more sophisticated strategies. The result to Internet users is a constantly improving ability to search efficiently for the goods, services, and information they need.

Google is the biggest game in town, but other search engines have their following; Alta Vista is popular among college students and serious researchers, for instance. There’s also dogpile.com, a search engine that searches all the other major search engines and pulls up the most relevant results from each. And new search engines pop up all the time – Ask.com and AskJeeves.com are two examples of newer search engines with popular followings. A good SEO company will develop strategies not just for Google, but for all the major search engines.

Search engines aren’t perfect, of course, and one thing they can’t do at the moment is access specific information contained in the multitude of databases available on the Internet. Federal, state, and some local governments have searchable, free databases which allow users to access this information; other databases, such as Ancestry.com, charge a subscription fee for their use. For public information on the federal level in the U.S., FirstGov.gov is a great place to start.

Search strategies exist for the web surfer as well. Just try doing a Google search for tax information, for instance. Type “taxes” into the keyword search bar and click on Search. In the U.S. you’ll see irs.com, and then numerous companies advertising their tax services. But type in “taxes .gov” and you’ll pull up the same IRS site, followed by many more government website pages, some of which may provide more direct access to the information you need than going through irs.com, and without having to wade through a bunch of accounting firms. Type in “taxes UK .gov” and you pull up government information for the United Kingdom, and so on. Doing a keyword search on the general topic you’re researching should pull up relevant database sites. (By the way, if you want to see an example of great search engine optimization strategies, do a search on “genealogy” and look at all the links to Ancestry.com on the websites you find—they’re everywhere!)

As the cat-and-mouse game continues between search engine companies and SEO firms, the result promises to be ever more sophisticated, powerful, and accurate techniques for accessing valuable information over the Internet. As the continuing success of more and more new search engines suggests, we may have only scratched the surface of our Internet information technology capabilities.





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Sam Vogel writes about search engine optimization-seo http://www.albaengine.com


Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/study-in-germany-the-best-education-bargain-in-the-world.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/study-in-germany-the-best-education-bargain-in-the-world.html Sat, 30 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0500
The reason? Part of it is pure quality – the university system created in Germany after World War II has a well-earned reputation for excellence – but another, more pragmatic reason is cost. Students who in the United States would be facing over $50,000 in student loans after four years of college can attend a public German university for an average of $700 a semester, plus between $50 and $150 in registration fees. Tuition itself in the public universities is free; the $700 covers the cost of arranged lodging and other official expenses. Even adding food, transportation, and other daily costs to that, the German university is an incredible bargain. And to sweeten the offer, the German government offers scholarships to help defray the costs of fees, lodging, and any number of other daily expenses associated with study in Germany.



Engineering students in particular are making a beeline for Germany, choosing to pursue a degree at one of Germany’s excellent technical universities, while other students decide to experience the country’s rich cultural history while earning a degree in humanities at one of the centuries’ old traditional establishments. Many courses of study leading to a wide range of career paths are available to foreign students at more than 300 colleges and trade schools. Some students limit themselves to a single semester or a year in Germany, largely for the experience of living abroad, but more and more students are deciding to stay and earn an undergraduate or advanced post-graduate degree.

Learning the language

While some courses at German universities are taught in English, the vast majority of instruction takes place in German, and the federal government requires foreign students to pass a DSH exam to prove their proficiency in the German language before being accepted for university study. The government licenses a number of private German language schools to provide intensive instruction in German; students live in German towns, sometimes with German families, and shop, travel, and attend movies, concerts and restaurants in a total immersion experience that serves to develop remarkable skill in speaking and reading the language in an amazingly short period of time. Scholarships are also available from the German federal government for these courses.

Beyond Cost Savings and Course Work – the Ultimate Value of German University Study

The current climate of commercial and political globalization offers an advantage to students with fluency in a second language, and particularly to those who have a deep familiarity with another culture; graduates who boast a degree or even a semester at a foreign university will probably be looked upon with high interest by recruiters for large corporations. But beyond that kind of pragmatism, living in a foreign country and studying elbow-to-elbow with students from Europe, the U.S., Japan, China, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and other geographically and culturally diverse corners of the world offers students a unique opportunity to develop diverse friendships and an understanding of other cultures and world views. And perhaps this opportunity to connect on a meaningful level with individuals from other, often profoundly different, cultures is the most important benefit, in this complicated and troubled world, of study abroad.




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Sam Vogel writes about German language and Study in Germany .



Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>