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Culture in Germany


Culture in Germany

Especially in the English-speaking countries, Germany and the Germans have earned themselves a reputation for being stiff and strict with rules but also hard working and efficient. If you are caught breaking the rules, this will be pointed out you by a fellow citizen. The two exceptions to rules in Germany seem to be queues and speed limits. The German language is not as softly spoken as English, so even a friendly word can sound harsh to the English-speaker. More important, the German sense of "politeness" differs significantly from the Anglo-American concept of courteous remarks, small talk and political correctness. Germans highly value honesty, straight talking, being able to cope with criticism and generally not wasting other people's time. Many times, unfortunately, this applies to your interactions with them, and not their interactions with you. Once tempers are lost, they are very hard to reign in again. Consequently, business meetings tend to lack the introductory chit-chat. The Germans tend to be very formal people (especially in business) and titles rule the roost. Any titles (such as Dr., Prof. etc.) are used recursively, e.g. Herr Prof. Dr. Müller. Some colleagues that have worked together for many years still call each by their title and surname. When a German introduces himself to you, he/she will often simply state their surname, prompting you to call them "Mr/Mrs...". Using first names immediately may be seen as derogatory. There is also a strong desire to achieve mutual agreement and compromise. As for the infamous efficiency: Germans are the world's leading recreationists (at an average of 30 days of paid leave per year, not counting public holidays), while maintaining one of the highest productivity rates on earth. A late-running train is considered a sign of the degradation of society. The Germans tend to be quite impatient (which may be related to that efficiency) and don't think twice about queue jumping or driving over the speed limit if it gets them where they want to be faster. If there is a queue in the supermarket (which are common sights at cheaper supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl and Netto), there will be much huffing and puffing, snide comments and tutting until someone comes along and opens a new till. Despite popular belief, the Germans do have a sense of humour, albeit an eccentric one. It is not true that Germans have no sense of irony and sarcasm. Although, it might be good to know when and how to be ironic or sarcastic. If you are around people you know well, sarcasm and irony are very common kinds of humor. Nevertheless, being ironic or sarcastic with your boss or professor is considered very inappropriate.

The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Germany


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Germany Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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