Gateway to Germany

Reading Time:2 minutes

Published: 12:00am, 20 Aug 2011

Germany has a proud history of artistic, scientific and academic achievements, a rich culture, beautiful scenery, and is the largest economy in the European Union, and a major trading partner of China. Learning the German language can open up opportunities for travel, study or professional development.

'The level of interest in learning German, and enrolments, has been steadily increasing over the past two years. China and Germany have weathered the economic crisis remarkably better than others. Trade between the two countries is at an all-time high and so is the number of mutual contacts,' explains Gabrielle Gauler, director of the Goethe Institut, Hong Kong (www.goethe.de/hongkong).

The Goethe Institut offers regular courses designed according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Each level consists of four, nine-week courses that involve one, three-hour class each week. Each course costs HK$2,200 for tuition and HK$300 for materials. Students are entitled to an 80 per cent refund from the Continuing Education Fund (CEF).

'There is considerable interest in learning German. People seem to want to learn German for reasons that are related to business, family, travel and linguistic or academic interest. Another fairly common reason among students is that knowledge of the language is required to study at a university in Germany, Austria or Switzerland,' explains Rebecca Welland, programme manager at the College of Humanities and Law, at the University of Hong Kong School of Professional and Continuing Education (www.hkuspace.hku.hk).

HKU SPACE offers three, one year beginner, intermediate and advanced courses. Each consists of 40, three-hour classes and costs HK$7,455, HK$7,975 and HK$8,360 respectively. Refund from the CEF is also available.

The beginner course covers basic phrases suitable for self-introductions, asking and answering questions about personal details, shopping, eating out, talking about your job, family details and personal interests.

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