Local people enjoy a taste of German at free event and film

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German is the most commonly-spoken language in Europe, with 100 million speakers, and the mother tongue of famous figures from Albert Einstein to Arnold Schwarzenegger. The languages department at Swansea University recently pioneered a new way to give people a taste of the language, by offering free lessons and a free film screening.

The event, at the Taliesin Theatre, Swansea University, included

•    Free German language taster sessions – suitable for absolute beginners
•    Free special film screening – Lessons of a Dream – how British Football came to Germany


German taster dayPicture:  children getting taster lessons in German, with aid of student volunteers and puppets!

Around 50 people attended the lessons, with an even bigger crowd at the film screening.  Run with the help of 18 student volunteers, the aim was to give a taste of the language to school pupils, students, parents and anyone else who may be thinking of studying German.

The film tells the story of how football began in Germany, when an English teacher, Konrad Koch, introduced the game to the country by teaching it to his class. 

‌Set in the late 19th century, it was a time when football was banned in German schools, who focused instead on gymnastics.  

German taster day - cakesFootball was known as “the English disease” – yet today German teams such as Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen are amongst the best in the world.

Watch the film trailer

Koch used football as a way of introducing English to his pupils.  Now the Swansea team are doing the same as a way of introducing German.

Picture:  German-themed cakes were a big hit at the event

‌Christiane Guenther, from the Department of Languages at Swansea University, said:

"It was a chance for people to get a taste of German in a relaxed atmosphere.   We had native speakers who are used to working with complete beginners. 

German young peopleOur student volunteers study German language at Swansea at different levels.  They ran taster sessions,  language activities for children, plus workshops on Sports for the GCSE level and one on music festivals in Germany and Austria for A Level students.

It was a very successful event, and we hope to offer similar community projects during the next academic year."

The film screening was in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut

Selfie at Berlin Wall
•    Germany has the largest economy in Europe and the fourth largest in the world.

•    German speakers are highly sought after by British employers.  A CBI survey put it top of employers' list of languages

•    Germany is the UK’s biggest trading partner. In 2012, Germany exported goods and services worth almost €73bn to the UK, and imported UK goods and services worth about €44bn.

Ten reasons to study German

Study German at Swansea