Business communication in German in Vienna

Many people learn German so that they can work in their profession in Germany or Austria. How good does your German have to be in order to use it at work?

Working in German: an overview

In principle, the German used at work is not that different from the German used in private life. Some native speakers believe that it is necessary to use a special, more complicated German at work. But that is actually not true. You should simply master the rules of politeness and express yourself clearly and understandably.

The level of German you need for work also depends on the job you want to pursue. Here you will find an overview:

A2 German for simple jobs

In some professions, level A2 is sufficient to communicate with colleagues and perform simple tasks. This includes many manual trades, agriculture, cleaning, construction workers, and simple assistant tasks.

At this level, you can, for example: make appointments, understand work instructions, make phone calls, report what you have done (in the perfect tense), and write and respond to short emails or text messages. Your German grammar does not have to be perfect and error-free; what matters is that you and your colleagues understand each other.

B1 German for customer contact

In areas with customer contact that are similar and repetitive, level B1 is usually sufficient. This includes, for example, salespeople in retail, waiters and waitresses in cafés and restaurants, kindergarten assistants, receptionists in hotels, yoga and dance teachers, and similar professions. In these jobs, a certain number of typical customer contacts are regularly repeated. If the wrong case or article is used once, it is not a problem. What is important is competent and friendly service in the service sector and that the customer has the impression of receiving the best service. You may need to write simple reports, answer short emails, or understand longer work instructions. If there is a misunderstanding, or if you do not understand a phrase or word, you can usually ask a colleague.

B2 German for discussions and longer written texts

At level B2, you are able to express your opinion in a team meeting in a company and convince others of your opinion. You know how to politely criticize others and signal that you disagree with something. You can express yourself in a differentiated and precise manner. As a self-employed person, you can convince potential customers of your offer and understand detailed customer wishes.

This level is therefore necessary in many technical professions, for architects, IT experts, caregivers, graphic designers, bankers, managers, team leaders, marketing experts, etc.

You are also able to write and respond to longer professional emails while communicating your wishes and suggestions politely but clearly.

Unfortunately, there is a tendency in these fields for employees or officials to express themselves unnecessarily complicated, as they believe this makes them appear more professional (for example, by using too much passive voice and genitive). However, this is not a characteristic of good communication, but rather of status thinking, and you should not adopt this at all.

In this level you will also learn:
- effective meeting communication
- develop fluency for office settings in Austria
- business correspondence training in German
- learn to network professionally

C1 German for jobs that require highly nuanced communication

At the doctor, pharmacist, or even the psychotherapist, it is important for patients that communication is very precise and detailed. In science, accurate and unambiguous expression is essential, which is why German C1 is usually required here. Teachers must also master German at C1 level so that students do not adopt any mistakes from them.

Lawyers should also master at least this language level, as it is crucial in legal texts to interpret words and texts accurately. The same applies to historians, journalists, and politicians.

In this course you will also learn:
- Business negotiation skills in German
- Presentation skills in German

Do I need a special course to learn German for work?

For professions with a lot of technical vocabulary, it can be useful to attend specialized courses (such as those offered for “German in the healthcare sector”). However, for most professions, it is sufficient to complete a German course at the required level to learn the necessary linguistic tools. To learn technical terms from the respective field, further training that is also intended for native speakers is recommended. Here you learn how to formulate the activities you already master in your language in German. It is also advisable to complete an internship and learn the necessary phrases in practice.