Culture and Language in Germany
Information about Germany
Germany is culturally diverse country, with different regions providing very unique cultural experiences. We recommend looking at information about the culture of both Germany and the city you will be moving to in order to help you feel more comfortable during your stay. Visit the following websites for information on German politics and business, culture and society and many other topics.
The Facts about Germany website provides up-to-date information on German politics, business, culture, history and society. The website is maintained by the publisher, Societäts-Verlag, in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office.
The Deutschland Portal is the central, non-commercial access point to Germany on the Internet. It provides commented link lists in six languages, bundles high-quality German internet portals and is the virtual international calling card for the Federal Republic of Germany.
You will find a wealth of information about the scientific landscape in Germany on the Research in Germany page.
The Germany Travel website provides information and recommendations on how best to discover Germany in all its variety.
The Alumniportal Deutschland has created an interactive infographic called "Finding your Way in Germany" to help those moving to Germany understand Germans a bit better.
Language Courses
The Goethe-Institut provides information on language courses, exams, material, in-service training courses, institutions and research.
Goethe-Institut
Deutsche Welle, the German broadcasting service, provides free online German language courses consisting of learning materials in various audio, video and written formats.
Deutsche Welle | Language Courses
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has short information on language courses, summer schools and German exams as well as FAQs and links to further resources around academic opportunities in Germany.
DAAD
The course database "vhs-Kursfinder" provides lists of courses offered by adult education centres ("Volkshochschulen") in Germany. Here you can search for German courses in your immediate vicinity.
vhs-Kursfinder (in German)
On the Handbook Germany page, you will find further ideas of ways to learn some German before or after your arrival.
Learning to Speak German
Language is the key to the culture of a country. And even if it is often possible to communicate in English at research institutions, a stay in Germany is composed not of work, but also of daily life and leisure. For this reason, it is generally a good idea to acquire some basic German knowledge even before arriving in Germany. Language courses are offered in numerous German towns from a variety of providers.