English is Essential in Global Business

During my Plus3 study abroad program in Augsburg, Germany, it was way easier to interact with locals than I had expected. It was my first time leaving the country, so I initially expected there to be a huge language barrier between us students and the Germans. Turns out, many of them spoke English.
 
            Dr. Feick, our program professor, told us before we left Pittsburgh that all the students and faculty at the University of Augsburg that were participating in this program all spoke English very well. I had some doubt about if this was true, but I was immediately proved wrong. When we officially got to the university, every program participant only spoke English to us, and they spoke it perfectly. Turns out that in order to participate in this program, the German students had to be a specific major (Global Business Management) and already know English. Some of the students even told us that they started learning English as soon as they were in Elementary school. So, throughout our whole time there, we were able to easily communicate with them when we were working on our projects or if we had any questions about the city.
 
            As for local residents, many of them spoke English, too. Every restaurant we went to, they either had an English menu or a QR code to a translated menu. Every waiter/waitress spoke English or were able to understand us Americans. As automobile company site visits were a part of our program, every tour guide spoke English. We barely had to use any German at all and when we did, we only used basic phrases like “Yes”, “No”, “I want…”, or “Where is the bathroom?”. We later learned that the whole reason why so many citizens already knew English is because English is the universal language in the business world. In order to be successful in business, English is essential, so a majority of Germans are also fluent in English.
 
            Because everyone we interacted with spoke English, it was very easy being an American abroad. There was a lot less stress and it was way easier to enjoy our time. All the German students loved hanging out with us, as they always traveled with us wherever we went. They showed us all the great restaurants to eat at and all the fun things to do around the city. Overall, the trip was very easy for us Americans to adapt.