We in Austria have always had a problem explaining two things:
first, that German is spoken in our country, and secondly that it
is the same as that spoken in Germany. Fortunately, the days are
over when people thought that Austrians conversed in an alpine dialect
that nobody could understand, much less learn. With the help of
Austrian educational organisations, the number of students coming
to Austria to learn German has increased, and with good reason.
This is because a language course in Austria combines two things:
Language learning and cultural learning. In Austria, students learn
to speak German and at the same time they have the opportunity to
be immersed in the rich cultural heritage of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire. It is a heritage that produced artists such as Gustav Klimt
and Egon Schiele; great thinkers such as Sigmund Freud and Ludwig
Wittgenstein, and a host of great classical composers such as Wolfgang
Mozart, Franz Schubert, Gustav Mahler and Arnold Schoenberg. Students
in Vienna can see some of the world’s great masterpieces in
the Fine Arts Museum or in the Belvedere. They can also spend the
evening in the acclaimed Opera House, Concert House or the Musikverein,
home of the world renowned Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Students
will also be sure to spend time in Vienna’s world famous coffee-houses
as well as in its equally enjoyable wine taverns, or heurigen.
But there is more to Vienna than just its past. Students will also
have the opportunity to l earn about the country’s present
and future role, one that will only be heightened when Austria hosts
the presidency of the European Union in 1998. The Vienna of today
is an international city which can boast of being a headquarters
of the United Nations as well as home to a number of international
businesses. Vienna is once again what it was under the Habsburgs
- a city at the heart of Europe with strong ties connecting the
West and East. This is reflected in the type of people attracted
to studying German in Vienna. Executives of Vienna-based international
companies study along side of those of companies from across the
world who have chosen to send their employees to study German in
an intensive language program in Vienna, rather than in any city
in Germany.
During the summer, the language schools are filled with young people
who want to learn German, but more quickly than they can at their
school or university at home. A four weeks’ intensive course
in Vienna will often bring them much further than an entire school
year in their own country. Many are also aware that being able to
speak only one foreign language is no longer enough, and that a
good command of German will certainly increase their chances on
the job market.
Fortunately, the erroneous but long-held belief that German is
a difficult language to learn has finally been laid to rest. Modern
Teaching methods such as total immersion, confidence building, and
making language learning fun are just some of the ways students
learn German today. The environment of learning also contributes
a lot. Vienna is one of the safest cities of the world, and it is
also the home of the famous Viennese "Gemütlichkeit".
It is a word that cannot be fully translated into English, but means
a "comfortable-ness". This includes enjoying life as well
as making foreign guests feel at home and taking the time to learn
about their lives. All these things make Austria an ideal place
to learn German.
The German courses offered range from short-term immersion courses
for students and business people, to longer courses which can last
an entire year. The latter prepare a student to study in Austria,
and end with an official examination, the "Österreichisches
Sprachdiplom," which not only provides an entrance ticket to
university, but also an internationally-recognised examination comparable
to the Cambridge Proficiency Certificate.
The summer courses are most filled with younger people, and combine
intensive language learning with activities for everyone’s
taste: music, sport, culture and plenty of social activities where
young people from all over the world get a chance to meet and develop
friendships. These friendships help promote multicultural awareness
and cross-cultural understanding, both of which are imperative for
the future.
The quality of the teaching is guaranteed by the language school’s
membership in CAMPUS AUSTRIA, an association of private language
school teaching German as a foreign language. This association requires
a high level of quality, which is ensured by a frequent inspection
schedule for every school.
The Author: Renate Schmid, Director of CULTURA WIEN
please visit: http://www.campus-austria.at/
This article first appeared in Studying Abroad (WW5)
