When we had to pick a language, 1 of my teachers said if you like science take German, bc you'll need it for literature. This was MOSTLY nonsense advice, but every...4 years? I'll find myself reading a German zoological paper from 1800-whatever. Currently reading one on Okapi.
Was this worth studying German for one zillion hours? NO! Would Spanish have been infinitely more useful in my field? YES! But whatever here we are. Danke for the weird advice, 7th grade teacher.
@SarahMackAttack Okapi? The mixed up sort of striped sort of not giraffe not deer thing?
@SarahMackAttack I took Latin way back when because I knew it would probably help in both science and English lit. Bonus is that it also helps in crossword puzzles. Maple genus Acer, for example. (Took Spanish as my spoken foreign language, also vy helpful.)
@SarahMackAttack In the 60s and 70s there were frequently proficiency exams related to PhD qualifying exams. Chemists largely learned German. Physicists German or Russian. You also needed an awesome typist.
@SarahMackAttack I would have thought German would be more connected to philosophy than science? Even music, religion and art. I tend to link Latin to science and medicine more. I took both in HS and they've helped a lot. Even understanding English better.
@SarahMackAttack Mine said that too, and I seriously considered doing a masters in Germany
@SarahMackAttack There was a time when you had to know German if you were in science. My major professor in the early 90s told me she took German for that reason and needed it. Living in California, I had Spanish that helped me with papers on El Nino from papers in Chile and Peru.