Frequently, very frequently I find myself confused by living in the US again. The culture is simply so different from German culture, which is where I began my post-grad school life. I couldn't put words to all of it, but then a friend of mine asked me recently, "Of all the places you've been, where did you have the most culture shock?" It took me weeks to sort out my answer. After considering the 21 countries and perhaps 18 states I've visited, I've finally got my answer.
In this episode we'll explore three specific cultural differences based on the Hofstede Insights, which are extraordinarily helpful in comparing cultural values.
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/germany,the-usa/
Plus you'll learn a German phrase which indicates how long-term the Germans really think.
They do so love to plan ahead, too.
But that's an episode for another day.
Today: German culture vs. US culture.
N.B. While the GermanWithNicole.com Podcast no longer exists, you can still hear all of the audios here on the blog. The audios are available on the blog posts published between August 1, 2021 and October 1, 2024. Viel Spaß beim Hören!
The culture that I'm talking about today is the broader, country culture. The entirety of everything. The country culture of how we interact with one another, the assumptions we make based on those interactions, and how much we know we can rely on that to be the same tomorrow.
The Hofstede Institute has created a country comparison chart that is hugely helpful in understanding culture in the U.S. and in Germany. The Hofstede Institute compares six cultural values which give you insights into how people interact with one another. Three of them helped me sort out my culture shock, which I'm not sure I've ever gotten through:
individualism – where the U.S. scores 91 out of 100, Germany 67
uncertainty avoidance – Germany scores 65, the US scores 46.
long-term orientation – Germany's 83 towers over our 26
One of my clients introduced me to the Hofstede Insights, and I'm really quite grateful.
It put into words the high emphasis on “I” in the US, as opposed to an orientation that tends anywhere towards “we.” It helped me understand better why it was so jarring to return from a country with an understanding of interdependence to a country where you can't even be honest and direct with other people—because their feelings somehow matter more than facts.
Whenever I interpret, I warn the US people that “Germans will ask you a lot of questions. You will likely feel insulted by the sheer amount of questions they ask. Because they want to get the big picture before they give you an answer.” Undoubtedly, the US people answer a lot of questions and then feel insulted, and the Germans can then make a decision. Because they want to know that the decision they've made is well thought-out.
Germany has such a long-term orientation they build their houses out of bricks and cement. They could easily withstand a tornado rolling right over the top of the house. They have mannnny inches of insulation and triple-paned windows, yet their climate is milder.
They do not value the things which lead people here to angle constantly for something bigger/better/faster/more."
They say Was heute billig ist, ist später teuer.
What's cheap today is expensive later.
Because you'll probably have to buy it again.
Was heute billig ist, ist später teuer.
N.B. The A1-A2-B1 German Sentence Structure Guide has been expanded and made part of the German lessons and classes. Find out more about learning German with Frau Warner using the menu items above.