hi i am currently in my first year of the IB diploma program in the UAE, and i am very interested in taking medicine in Germany. i am aware of all the documentation and certificates that i must acquire before even applying, however i would like a bit of advice on learning the language and how that may come along. at the moment i have no knowledge of german whatsoever. if i choose to take this path i must start learning from now, over the course of my second year of IB, and hopefully 1 whole year in germany purely learning german. what i would like to know is, is that enough time, can i manage getting all the documentation and keep up after admission. i guess what im really looking for here is someone who has been through this situation. because part of me is afraid that it will be hard to keep up in a german lecture, or reading off a german text book despite of course passing the language tests. what is the level of german spoken in classes, and how do foreigners like me manage in them? i dont know my capabilities in learning german, but i do know how passionate i am for my aspiration in medicine. your replies are appreciated.
is learning german a big problem for international students.
- Thread starter Ali Tayeb
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I didnt pass through it, but I heard how the ones do say: How long it takes changes from one to another, but roughly in a year or 1,5, you do it very well. Even today with your regular studies, you can start a regular and enjoying way of learning German here:
https://www.livemocha.com/
At the beginning you specify Arabic as your current language (or English, or whatever you like) and German as the language you want to learn.
I cant say a word about its Arabic-German teaching quality, but I use Turkish-Polish version and its great. It has audio/video support and teaches in a very soft step-by-step lectures fashion. Its free, well developed and I can recommend it for anybody 🙂
By the way, medicine has its own jargon and whichever language you choose, you will need to learn that jargon in that language (as long as its not your own mother tongue) 😉
https://www.livemocha.com/
At the beginning you specify Arabic as your current language (or English, or whatever you like) and German as the language you want to learn.
I cant say a word about its Arabic-German teaching quality, but I use Turkish-Polish version and its great. It has audio/video support and teaches in a very soft step-by-step lectures fashion. Its free, well developed and I can recommend it for anybody 🙂
By the way, medicine has its own jargon and whichever language you choose, you will need to learn that jargon in that language (as long as its not your own mother tongue) 😉
My native language is English (American) and I learned German in my early 20s. It took about a year until I could speak well enough for normal conversations but two years until I felt comfortable enough to study in German. It was still hard in the beginning (especially due to some of the heavy dialects) but I didn't find it limited me in my studies.
I was entirely immersed in German and rarely spoke English. I think it would have taken much longer if I had more opportunities to "fall back" on my native language.
I was entirely immersed in German and rarely spoke English. I think it would have taken much longer if I had more opportunities to "fall back" on my native language.
thats very helpful thank you. as i said im still in IB 1 so ive got the rest of the school year, summer, next school year and its summer to study up. but as you said, its only when immersed in Germany that you really get the grip of it.
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This thread is already a bit old, but I just wanted to offer you a word in case you check this forum again.
As someone who is not of a German heritage and never lived in Germany, I think my experience with learning the language could technically be somewhat similar to what you may have in store for you. Simply put, the bottom line is: although German may be viewed as a challenging language in general, it is not (in comparison to other languages, that is). If you have enough spare time, if you figure out precisely how you are going to study in the most efficient/correct way (tutor, language school, etc), and if you are extremely determined, you can learn the language in roughly 24 months.
My own experience dictates that it's possible. I started learning German in my spare time, took the initiative to join a local language school, and literally 6 months later, I won 2nd place (to an native speaker!) in a German writing/reading/speaking competition. I've since slowed down the pace of learning the language because Dutch is my #1 priority and it's almost counterproductive to learn those two languages at once, but still - immense progress in just six months. It's possible, even if you're not German and even if can't be totally immersed in the language -- if you work hard enough, it's possible.
Viel Glück, und die besten Wünsche für die Zukunft!
As someone who is not of a German heritage and never lived in Germany, I think my experience with learning the language could technically be somewhat similar to what you may have in store for you. Simply put, the bottom line is: although German may be viewed as a challenging language in general, it is not (in comparison to other languages, that is). If you have enough spare time, if you figure out precisely how you are going to study in the most efficient/correct way (tutor, language school, etc), and if you are extremely determined, you can learn the language in roughly 24 months.
My own experience dictates that it's possible. I started learning German in my spare time, took the initiative to join a local language school, and literally 6 months later, I won 2nd place (to an native speaker!) in a German writing/reading/speaking competition. I've since slowed down the pace of learning the language because Dutch is my #1 priority and it's almost counterproductive to learn those two languages at once, but still - immense progress in just six months. It's possible, even if you're not German and even if can't be totally immersed in the language -- if you work hard enough, it's possible.
Viel Glück, und die besten Wünsche für die Zukunft!
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haha i always check back with the site for new threads, but im glad you responded despite this being old. thank you, i feel a lot more confident now. i already started classes, and will be following it with a summer course in germany. and i still have a lot of time, so thanks again and good luck to you too 😉
Danke 🙂 haha i actually understood 👍
