Guten tag,

I have about 2 weeks vacation time around Christmas and I am considering traveling to Germany to take language courses (and of course to sightsee and soak of the culture).

I know that's a relatively short period of time, but I think such intensive language courses may ne available. My last visit to Germany (April) I noticed an advertisement for http://www.deutschakademie.de (3 hours/day for 4 weeks)

Ten years ago I took three semesters of German in college, but that was a while ago. I have a basic understanding of German I find it very difficult to learn German in the US because I have nowhere to use it (especially to speak). During my last two week trip I picked up a lot more being in Germany and learning the language with context.

Being around Christmas time may be difficult to find a course, but does anyone have a recommendation on this? I would prefer to take the course in Munich/Bayern or another major city.

If anyone is wondering, the reason I want to become fluent is to advance my career and find a job in Europe and/or travel frequently between the US and Europe. Becoming fluent in German would make me much more appealing to employers.

Eric

Hey!

That sounds great.

There are lots of places that offer German courses to foreigners.

Maybe you pick the place first and then we will figure it out!

hello *waves*

well if you consider berlin as a town to learn german lemme know i can do some research about courses there and uhm yeah take you arround for some real sightseeing..... the usual touristplaces, some insight places and TONNS of BARS

The Goethe Institute offers a range of good quality language courses at various sites in Germany:
http://goethe.de/ins/de/enindex.htm

The OP better schedule those two weeks before Christmans. Foe example Monday December 8th to Friday December 19th 2008. Otherwise it could be pretty hard to find any available courses due to Holidays. It's also a nice season in Germany with all the Christmas markets buzzing and general festive mood.

if "around Christmas" means "over the Christmas and New Year's holidays", chances are zero. About everything closes down till early January.

Yes, I was thinking of around December 22nd through January 1st. The holidays will probably make this difficult though.

Some schools for certain languages run special Christmas holiday courses, so it's not completely out of the question that you'll find a course. (I'm more familiar with Christmas courses in Spanish, though.)

I've taken a lot of language holidays (in fact, I just got back from a week in Barcelona) and I think they're a great way to brush up your skills and enjoy a solo holiday.

If you have studied German before and want to refresh your skills and advance a little, I would recommend either that you study a little before you get there or that you take private lessons. Otherwise, you're likely to get dumped into a beginner or near beginner course with a group of students who likely will be progressing fairly slowly because they're learning for the first time something you learned once before. That's the reason I took (relatively expensive) private lessons during my last learning holiday in Barcelona. I didn't have time before I left to study much, although I did re-read about half of my "Teach Yourself Spanish" book. My teacher at the Don Quijote school told me that, on arrival, I tested at about the low "A2" level (with A1 being the lowest and A2 being the highest, and A2 normally taking about 75 hours to complete). She said that the end of the week (20 hours of private lessons), I tested at the mid-B2 level (i.e. completed A2, then B1 and started on B2). Money well spent, I thought, for an efficient learning experience.

So, to get the most out of your two week course, try to find the time to review the basics before you get there. I found that the "Teach Yourself" series is a rather painless way to refresh your knowledge - and it's an easy book to read e.g. on the commute to and from work. Other options are exercise books designed to provide a review of high school or college level German (e.g. Schaum's Outlines) or verb review books (your knowledge of verb tenses is typically one of the most important elements they test when you arrive for a course).

I know that in France, there is a "quality association" of French language schools where the schools subscribe to a charter regarding teaching standards, transparency with respect to the program costs and components, etc. I'm sure something similar exists in German. Such an association also likely has a website that lists the schools, and that can help you find the right school with the right schedule for you.

I've taken classes in Bamberg from www.learn-german.com -- nice people and a smaller town atmosphere (not a plus if you're big into the club scene, though )

Don't know if they have classes around Christmas, but they have 1-on-1 classes (i.e. private tutors) and I'm sure something could be arranged.

I would suggest you go up to Bodensee (Lake Constance) Seehttp://www.german-immersion.com/lang...immersion.html

It will be cold up there that time of year. However, unlike Como, the place hasn't been ruined yet by Russians yelling into cell phones.

M8

Der Koenigsdeutsch -- the purest, best accent -- is spoken in Hanover. The OP has to decide which is the ultimate aim, having fun with a little German thrown in, or vice versa. It does sound like a great idea with the caveat about the holidays.

I learned my German through the Goethe Institut and can wholeheartedly recommend them. More to the point, they have well-researched and well-resourced programmes of study, and so you can carry on seamlessly from one location to another as they all have the same definitions and standards of teaching level, so that if you are at a B1 level in Hannover and you move to Berlin, you can continue on the same B1 level there, and continue to progress starting from where you left off.

And there are Goethe-Instituts outside Germany. I studied at the one linked to Nancy University in France, and I happen to know that there is a branch in Manchester, UK. They also offer exams which are considered to be correct in their level of assessments and are considered as valid statements of ability level in countries even outside Germany.

fwiw, my husband and I listened to the Berlitz "Rush Hour" German CD. I thought that it was very well done, cheerful, and a pleasant way to brush up on some basic grammar. I am not in any way suggesting that it would replace actual instruction, just something that you could listen to as you drive. auf wiederhoren --g.

Several years ago, I had a similar idea and signed up for a German language class with www.actilingua.com.

It is in Vienna, but they insist they actually speak purer German than the Germans. I've no idea as to the truth of this, but it was an interesting position. I thought I'd mention it so you might also consider Austria.

For about $800 I got a two week 1/2 time course PLUS housing in a "student apartment".

The apartment was fun - sort of casual and beat-up like student apartments are likely to be, but fully furnished including a full kitchen and bath which were shared with other students. Private bedroom though. Right on good public transportation. Even had apple trees in the back yard which we could enjoy.

The course - I'd signed up for "Absolute Beginner", as my intention was to sort of brush up, but also enjoy Vienna and surroundings the other half of the time. I'd taken a couple years of German in college many years ago, played with some computer courses, and visited Germany numerous times. Thought I'd manage easily. TOTALLY wrong assumption. Some people in class were chatting with the instructor in German the first day. The course hit the ground running, and never looked back. I used to be a pretty fair student, but spent the entire time as the class dummy. A new character building experience for me. And to avoid humiliating myself even further, did a lot of studying in off hours. I did learn a lot, so appreciate that, but have to admit it wasn't quite my original plan.

The instructors were patient and kind though and genuinely tried to help me. Very professional, and completely committed to their task.

For your consideration - Romelle

FWIW, Deutsche Welle offers a free online German course.