There are many stereotypes regarding to our western neighbours. At every turn, we can hear that Germans are well-organised, their language is demanding and hard to accomplish. But also, Germans are considered as the greatest connoisseurs of golden hop liquor, maybe it is because of their beer drinking tradition and the world-famous event that Germans made out of a Beer drinking tradition so called “Okroberfest”. However, is it really true and Germans are worthy of the most exquisite beer gourmet title? Let’s find out!
German- the most difficult language in the world?
German language can cause many difficulties while learning. Complicated grammar including varieties of articles and adjectives or extended substantives all of it can become quite a nuisance for German philology students, as well as for other people who want to learn the secrets of this language. However, as it turns out, German is not on the lists of the most difficult languages in the world, and what is more German philology is very popular in Poland. We can even be proud of the fact, that there are a great number of German translators on the market, who specialize in many scientific fields.
Germans are perfectionists
Anyone, who has ever had come in contact with our western neighbours knows that punctuality and perfection are advantages that characterize every German. The well-known saying “Ordnung muss sein” perfectly illustrates the German approach to work. It is thanks to these national features, that Germany is the first economy in Europe and the fourth in the world. German concerns are known, all over the world and associated with the highest quality. What is interesting, the German perfectionism manifests itself not only in the field of business. That is why, definitely it is worth visiting our neighbours to take a closer look at, for instance the German infrastructure, which is characterised by good organization and accessibility for users.
Germans are beer gourmets
It is the fact, that Germany is the largest beer producer in the European Union, which makes this country a sort of a king of beer and its crown is so called hop harvest festival, i.e. ”Oktoberfest”. On the other hand, our German neighbours are not really the leaders in the consumption of this drink. In 2019, the Japanese brewery ”Kirin” conducted research on the consumption of beer in individual countries per capita. Surprisingly, the Czech Republic turned out to be the undisputed winner (for the 24th time in a row!) and the inhabitants of Germany only came 4th.
In conclusion, stereotypes do not always have to be associated with negative connotations. They are often based on deeply anchored national characteristics, which, as we can see on the example of Germany, have placed this country at the top of the lists of many economically important industries. Such a high position is also, influenced by the popularization of the language itself. Currently, almost 125 million people speak German fluently, which places Germans high on the map of Europe and the world.
(Translation by M.L.)
