Gone are the days when German politicians refused to speak English. In 2009, then Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle made headlines for refusing a BBC journalist’s request to answer a question in English. “In Germany we obviously speak German,” he said. In German, of course. But now, several ministers brandish their language skills when on official trips abroad or being interviewed by the international press.
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel herself rarely spoke English, even when it came to her 2019 Harvard commencement address or an interview on CNN. When her successor Olaf Scholz appeared on the same American station, she held her own in English, her second language. And when a British journalist asked her for an answer in English at a post-election press conference, she answered in English. Of course, with the same dryness that she does in German.
Today it is precisely the party that Westerwelle once led (the liberals of the FDP) that is promoting English the most in official instances.
Economy and Justice
Given the size of the German economy, dependent on exports and home to major global companies, English dominates in certain business contexts and can help make Germany more attractive as a workplace. Cross-border trade disputes can inevitably arise. That is why earlier this month the government approved a bill introduced by Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (of the FDP) to expand commercial courts in Germany, which could also handle cases in English.
One aim of the bill, which will need parliamentary approval to enter into force, is to “strengthen Germany’s attractiveness as both a judicial and business location,” said Christiane Hoffmann, deputy government spokeswoman.
In 2018, a commercial court was created in Frankfurt, the financial capital of Germany, which can deal with matters in English. It is part of a growing number of commercial courts across the European Union, which member states have established in the wake of “Brexit”. With Britain out of the bloc, Germany, France and the Netherlands are among those seeking to serve as an alternative to Britain’s legal system.
But this transition can take years, as a “generation gap” affects German courts, Michael Weigel, a practicing business lawyer and member of the German Federal Bar Association, tells DW. “As with any type of specialization, people need time to master these skills. And that costs money, ”he observes.
English in public administration
Last year, the FDP announced its interest in introducing English as a second official language in public administration. The recently passed law on skilled workers aims to make it easier for foreigners to find jobs in Germany, including faster recognition of their non-German qualifications.
But the German legal system establishes German as the only official language: applications and documents submitted to an authority in a foreign language must be accompanied by a translation. The change would have to be approved by the federal and state governments, but so far only the FDP seems to support it, at a time when German confidence in their institutions is also at a minimum.
Ulrich Silberbach, president of the German Association of Civil Servants (DBB), says that a lot of English is already spoken in government offices. “Language proficiency in the administration is mainly a question of money,” he told the Bild tabloid, adding that many clients speak French, Arabic or Farsi instead of English. “We need training, translation tools and language mediators, but all this requires investment in personnel,” he said. “A general English requirement will not help us.”
English in the educational system and daily life
Since 2005, English has been taught in all German primary schools, with the sole exception of the French border regions. According to the German Academic Exchange Service database, around 10% of higher education programs in Germany are currently taught in English. Most of these are graduate programs and the results include private institutions that operate outside of the public system, which is largely free of charge.
Germany frequently scores poorly in so-called expat surveys despite hosting a large expat population. Like the 2023 Expat Insider, conducted by InterNations, a network of expatriate workers based in Munich. Language is a key factor in this. Like in Berlin, where in 2017, the then Minister of Health, Jens Spahn, complained that German was losing ground. “It bothers me that in some restaurants in Berlin the waitresses only speak English. I am sure that this does not happen in Paris, ”he lamented.
In fact, it is perfectly acceptable for young expats to work in fashion stores without any knowledge of German, while their refugee parents are denied access to the job market, despite their good English, for not speaking German well enough. .
With the modernization of immigration laws, this is likely to change.
(lgc/rr)