About us

"The AvH, the DAAD, the GI, and the HRK are of the conviction that the topic "German as a scientific and cultural language" is not to be seen in terms of English and German competing against each other but complementing each other. The internationalisation of science means that a multilingual scientific community is emerging which, on the one hand, has mastered English as a common scientific language for participating in the worldwide communication of science. On the other hand, this does not mean having to give up one’s own language but being so successful in that language that foreign colleagues and newcomers will want to learn it too.

The attractiveness of a geographic location in terms of research and studying has a far-reaching effect on the usage of the language spoken at that location within and outside the universities. In some regions of the world, students and scientists, including those in the natural science and engineering fields, are realising with a growing interest that there is added value to be gained in learning the German language. It facilitates their professional and social contacts with German universities and their cooperation with German companies. The preliminary requirements for doing so are provided by a wide range of linguistic and cultural programmes and measures offered by the four participating institutions. In this respect, the cooperation between the said organisations is to be further strengthened.

Common events, such as the DAAD conference on "Deutsch als Wissenschaftssprache" (German as a Scientific Language) or the AvH conference on "Braucht Deutschland eine kohärente Sprachenpolitik?" (Does Germany Need a Coherent Language Policy?) staged within the scope of the GI festival "The Power of Language", reflect our institutions’ own position and simultaneously promote a stronger consciousness of language policy issues in society and the political world. In the summer of 2009, the DAAD and the AvH will address the issue of multilingualism in the sciences within the scope of the GI event "Sprachen ohne Grenzen" (Languages without Borders).

It is already clear now what kind of demand lies behind the concept of multilingualism promoted by the EU and implemented by us for many years within the scope of our activities: if we take this concept seriously, including the scientific context, and wish to sustainably secure German as a scientific and cultural language, then a corresponding level of financial backing is required. This could, for example, help deploy interpreters at international conventions or support scientific translations. Guest scientists could be familiarised with Germany in specialised language courses. Our motivation in this respect lies in the challenge of developing new promotion measures."