With over 80 million potential customers in Germany, it is not surprising that many Dutch entrepreneurs are keen to expand their operations to our eastern neighbours. It can’t be that hard, right? After all, most Dutch people do speak a fair bit of German and if not, you can always switch to English. This is a misunderstanding we would like to clear up.
Many Dutch entrepreneurs think they have sufficient language skills to do business abroad, while in practice this is often not the case. Lack of fluency in the language regularly causes communication problems: the entrepreneur does not properly understand what the German client or partner means, or they are misunderstood themselves. This reduces the chances of a successful deal. It is also usually thought that the younger generation of Germans speak particularly good English. However, this is not usually true, especially in smaller companies and in rural areas: English will not get you very far in these cases. A good command of German will help you make a better first impression. This is essential when dealing with an unknown foreign company.
Smalltalk vs. content
So how proficient are Dutch entrepreneurs in German? Their proficiency is generally not bad, but the differences are huge. Some companies put lots of effort into their employees’ language proficiency because they know how important it is for good communication. However, there are also many Dutch entrepreneurs who overestimate their language proficiency. A friendly chat at a trade fair is very different from a substantive conversation about a product’s technical specifications or a price negotiation. It is really important to be able to formulate your sentences accurately in these situations. You need to be well prepared.
1-0 down
German grammar is a total nightmare for many Dutch speakers. The cases, tricky prepositions, Umlaute and conjugations of verbs, including the many exceptions: it is far from easy. Just how important is it to master all the ins and outs of German grammar? It depends on the situation and the purpose. It is not too important to have perfect grammar while making smalltalk or during a meeting at a trade fair. However, it is more important when writing PowerPoint presentations, brochures or if business emails are riddled with errors. Just as clothes maketh the man, grammatical correctness can also make or break a text. Think about it the other way around: what does a Dutch entrepreneur think if they receive an email in Dutch that is full of errors? The product on offer may be great, but this will hurt your performance, and you will end up 1-0 down.
False friends
There is no denying that Dutch and German are very similar. This is a huge advantage: many words are almost the same, and this can be useful. However, the fact that the two languages have so much in common can also be disadvantageous. There are many ‘false friends’: words that are very similar or even the same but mean something completely different. For example, ‘ich belle morgen’ in German means ‘I will bark tomorrow’ and ‘doof’ in German means ‘dumb’. Another problem is that the Dutch are much more amicable than Germans. They switch pretty quickly to addressing someone as ‘du’ in combination with their first name. In Germany, however, this is much less common: our eastern neighbours are more reserved, less direct and often speak more in the polite form. This takes quite some getting used to for Dutch speakers.
Everything has to be right
What else should Dutch speakers pay attention to if they want to enter the German market? We repeat the importance of being well prepared. Your product may be fantastic, but if the translation of your brochure or the German of your presentation contains too many mistakes, you will not make the best impression. Dutch companies often go for ‘quick wins’: just a quick trip to Germany, show off the product, sell it. Germans, however, value reliable, long-term partners. Everything has to be right: the presentation must look great and the language has to be flawless.
Work in a targeted way
Any tips for Dutch entrepreneurs learning German? How do they achieve the best results? You can easily cover key points in a relatively short course, for example, regarding vocabulary, sentence structure, style, grammar and pronunciation. This results in significant improvements in language proficiency, especially if you opt for a tailor-made course that allows you to focus on your personal learning objectives. A short immersion course of three to five days is also great for this purpose.
Anton Stapelkamp, mayor of Aalten, benefited from a five-day language course at In’to. He shared on LinkedIn:
"My German isn’t bad at all but, as mayor of an Achterhoek border municipality, I find it important to further develop my skills for my work. After all, the last time German classes I took were 42 years ago. This five-day tailor-made intensive programme helped me to speak German even more freely and easily, but it helped me to improve my grammar and pronunciation too. After all, my motto in such cases is Immer Besser. Thanks to my teachers Lieselotte Bürgi and Karin Derksen as well as the rest of the In’to team, Deutsch macht jetzt noch meer Spass!"
Lots of practice
As a course participant, you will receive lots of feedback in a short amount of time, and you can continue working on your language skills independently after completing the intensive language course. It is very important to keep putting your new language skills into practice afterwards. You have to apply what you learn in practice. The more you use the language, the better you become at it. Übung macht den Meister, as the Germans say.
