THERE are over 120 million speakers of the German language worldwide and there are a number of them here in Jamaica.

This is partly due to the continued efforts of the Jamaican-German Society (JGS).

Established by Jamaicans living in London back in 1954, the JGS, formerly known as Die Freunde Deutschlands (Friends of Germany) has the distinction of being the oldest friendship society in Jamaica.

Doreen O’Connor is president of the JGS and one of the tutors of the language at the society’s headquarters in St Andrew, having studied in Germany.

For O’Connor studying German has great advantages.

“There has always been a very strong bond between Jamaica and Germany. The European powerhouse was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with a newly independent Jamaica back in the early 1960s and this has continued throughout the years,” she said.

This relationship between the countries has resulted in a constant demand for learning this language.

She further explains that 60 per cent of the students who come to learn German are Jamaicans involved in relationships with German nationals, some of whom are preparing to migrate. The remainder is made of persons going to Germany for study and Jamaicans who just love languages and want to learn another just for recreational purposes.

The courses in German at the JGS range from basic proficiency through to preparation for the Zertifikat Deutsch Examination, a requirement for employment purposes.

The society also currently offers individual tutoring for immigration purposes and intensive short-term courses.

O’Connor states that the biggest advantage of learning German is the ability to travel to and communicate in Germany – the fourth strongest economy in the world.

For Janeita Reid, a student at the JGS, she has decided to study German as she intends to pursue postgraduate studies in Germany.

“The Germans have developed quite a strong foundation in engineering and I want to do my master’s in civil engineering,” she said.

This was echoed by Anthony Harvey, an engineer by profession who is also a student at the JGS.

“I travel a lot to Europe and have become very interested in the culture and language, politics and history of Germany, and realised that there is so much to learn and therefore decided to take up the language,” he said.

German is no longer taught in schools but institutions such as Immaculate Conception and St Hugh’s high schools have in the past established German clubs with the assistance of the JGS.

The language is not offered as a major by any of the universities in Jamaica at this time but was at various times in the past.

In addition to the JGS, German is also taught at the Language Training Centre which has branches in both the Corporate Area and Montego Bay.