Cultures- Germany

Sorry for the delay with the short country brief for this week. But here it is at last, hope you enjoy it and it can be of help to someone out there.

Location:

Germany is located in central Europe, bordering the North sea and the Baltic sea between the Netherland, Poland and Denmark.

Total area: 356.910 km^2

The capital of Germany is Berlin. Germany has 16 States.

Government

Federal Republic of Germany (Deutschland)
People

Population in Germany is estimated around 81,337,541. Migration rates is estimates around 2.46 migrants

Ethnic Divisions: German 95.1%

Turkish 2.3%

Italians 0.7%

Greeks 0.4%

Poles 0.4%

Other 1.1% (made up largely of people fleeing the war in former Yugoslavia).
Religions

Protestant 45%

Roman Catholic 37%

Unaffiliated or other 18%

Language

German (Deutch)

Independence (History)

The German Empire Unification was on the 18th Jan 1871, divided into four of occupation (UK, US, USSR and later France). IN 1945 following World War II, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US and French zone: unification of West and East Germany, took place on 03rd October 1990 and all four power rights formally relinquished 15/03/1991.

Social Characters of Germans (likes and dislikes)
Like
Germans are quite polite people; their language contains many polite phrases built into it (Formal way of Talking).

Germans Like group singing and often join choirs.

They also love nature and tend to take care of their surroundings.
Dislikes

A German will always shake hands when meeting and greeting people, even if introductory has been made already. Make sure your hands are not in your pockets when you meet or visit people, as this will be considered rude.

Avoid chewing gum in the presence of a German, as they consider gum unpleasant and animal like to keep on chewing all the time.

Be aware of your posture when in the presence of a German. They dislike the American casual posture and prefer to stand tall and upright.
Good workers
It has been known about Germans to be great builders, inventors and they hold the reputation for being the hardest working people on the planet. A German writer called Hermann Eich is famous for saying (The Germans have mania for work. They have no Idea how to enjoy Life)!

Germans are perfectionists and when they do something they tend to do it properly. They also like to be organised and give great attention to details.

Of course being proud of their work, gives them the reputation for being fussy.
Social

Germans will not always come up and introduce themselves to strangers especially if you don’t speak their language. Not all Germans speak English and even if they do they do they might not be comfortable using it. They will always appreciate it if you show them that you like learning their language.

Germans are very private people and they might seem to foreigners that they like to keep to themselves, and although this is not completely true. Germans do value their privacy.
Titles

Titles are important in Germany. Titles are used a lot in Business environment. Some Germans might continue to speak formally to others (using surname) even after a number of years of knowing each other. Foreigners and Businessmen should not take the liberty of addressing their German hosts without a title unless their host give his permission.
Eating

Germans have their definite eating hours. Everyone eats all of their meals with the family. If you are invited for a meal, you should never be late as this is considered very rude.

Lunch time: Twelve is lunch time for almost everyone in Germany. People all over Germany have leave at twelve to go home and eat with their families. And in result almost all Businesses and shops close at twelve and will reopen again between 1.00pm-2.00pm. Lunch in Germany is when they eat their main meal in the day. Supper or tea consists of a small light meal (sandwich, baguette, cheese etc.)

Table Manners: German table mannerism slightly differs from other European countries. When seated at the table you should have both your hands on the table. Your plate should always be virtually clean after eating. If you leave something in your plate it is thought that you did not like the food. When finished with your meal, as a signal to everyone, the fork and knife are placed together, tips toward the middle of the plate together handles leaning towards the right.
German Law

Many of the German laws are there to protect, preserve and promote German Culture. In Germany all foreign language programs (TV, Films) must be dubbed in German before they can be shown. Subtitles are not allowed.

All migrants in Germany are required to take German classes before any settlement is agreed!

The German law is also designed to promote values which the majority of Germans value.

Family is an important part of the German culture and as a result many shops shut close during lunch time and on Saturday they close early and on Sunday almost no shop and Business opens. This is to allow workers and Business owners to spend time with their families.

There are also many laws supporting the environment and work to protect it. For example there are laws promoting the use of bicycles in the cities in the form of tax credits and additional fees for cars.
Business In Germany

Germany is a dominant nation in the worldwide business arena. If you are planning to conduct Business in Germany, then maybe it is a good idea to prepare yourself for a Business and work culture that is different than the known (The American casual Business)!

Punctuality: Being punctual and on time is taken very seriously by the Germans. A 5 or 10 minutes delay can result in you getting disapproved frowns. If the delay is longer than that, it could seriously damage any future business relations. If being late is unavoidable, a call should be made to the host with a good explanation as to why.

Appointments: Always make an appointment if you want to start business with a German Business always arrange your meeting appointment beforehand. Germany is a closed-up society and a drop up visit will rarely be welcome. The ideal times to book a business meeting are between 10.00am and 1.00pm or in the afternoon between 3.00-5.00pm. Avoid arranging appointments on a Friday afternoon as most German Businesses close early on a Friday.

Conversations: In Germany there is a line drawn between social and personal time. A business visitor should not expect to be entertained every evening by their host. Stay away from topics about World War II and the holocaust and do not try to ask personal questions or how much they earn.

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