The German language, or German Deutsch, is the official language of both Germany and Austria, and it’s one of Switzerland’s three official languages. Together with English, Dutch (Netherlandic, Flemish) and Friesian, German belongs to the West Germanic group of the Indo-European family of languages.
German is an inflected language with strong and weak verbs, three genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter) each of which causes a certain inflection in a given sentence, and four cases for adjectives, nouns and pronouns – dative, nominative, accusative, genitive. Unlike other languages, German possesses an abundance of grammatical endings, clearly identifying what the purpose of each word in the sentence is.
The History of the German Language
The history of Germanic languages starts in the 1st century BC with their speakers’ initial contact with the Romans. There was only a single Germanic language at that time (and for several centuries thereafter) with little more than some minor differences in dialect. It was only after the 6th century AD that there was actually a German, or High German language.
Today, German is the native language of over 100 million people and, among the languages of the world, it ranks about sixth for native speakers. As a foreign language German has become a popular language to study, and it’s one of the leading cultural languages of the Western world.
German is quite uniform as a written language: it differs in Germany, Switzerland and Austria probably no more than written English differs in the British Commonwealth and the United States. However, as a spoken language, there are many dialects of the German language, with most belonging to either the High or Low German dialect groups. The sound system is the main difference between High and Low German, particularly in the consonants. The official written language is High German, which is the language of the southern high lands of Germany.
Analyzing German
German has a strong presence in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Chile, all of which have been the recipient of successful waves of German immigrants over the past 200 years. German is spoken in Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Luxembourg, in the French regions of Loraine and Alsace, and in the Alto Adige region of Italy.
Students studying German translation today will be aware that having a deep and thorough understanding of this language will open an infinite number of doors, both commercially and professionally. To start with, if you’re able to communicate with German clients and peers, this will distinguish you from your competition - in addition to adding fluidity to your negotiations. Plus, Germans love to travel and consequently consume abroad. Thanks to the geniuses of Kafka, Goethe, Mozart, Bach and Beethoven (among others), German has left an indelible mark in the world of art and literature.
Eging Translation’s Professional German Translation Services
Our highly experienced translators have a vast amount of experience with the German language. Because most of our translators are native speakers, they’re easily able to recognise different dialects and subtle differences which may occur between regions. Whether your translation is legal or technical, large or small, our professional translators can accurately translate any source material. We’re ready to assist with your next translation project!
