German language goes digital

By Ryan May
Daily Forty-Niner

A new language program where users learn German via the Internet is currently in its first testing phase at Cal State Long Beach.

"German on the Web: Reading German," is in the first of two test phases, sponsored almost entirely by a grant from the German government, said Dr. Jutta Birmele, a professor of German at CSULB and co-founder of the project.

"We believe that there are many people interested in learning a language who are ... working or are inconveniently located to the next CSU campus ... and the Internet for that purpose, I think, lends itself quite well," Birmele said.

Presented at the International Conference for German Studies in Vienna earlier this fall, the project incorporates professionals in academic areas from the United States and Germany. Targeting completion for fall 2001, the program will serve as a two-semester course for beginners.

Birmele said she considers the course unique, using texts selected by professionals in fields like engineering or the sciences, rather than those typically chosen by language experts.

"Usually, language textbooks are written by language experts and so the subject matter is selected by them on account of what they understand, which might not be interesting for the user," Birmele said.

Nicola Wuerffel, a doctoral candidate from Germany, points to the rarity of such a venture.

"The whole thing of Internet-based courses for learning a foreign language isn't very developed yet," Wuerffel said. "This is one of the first courses which will be out."

The program works by teaching the student to employ strategies for translation. For example, all nouns in German are capitalized.  By simply focusing on the nouns, the user can get a basic understanding of the text without ever setting foot in a classroom, Wuerffel said.

"We spend almost a quarter of our lives in school or study," said Evan Backes, a sophomore in graphic design.  "Why can't we make that aspect of our lives more efficient as well?"