Class by class, student by student, Margrit Zinggeler
is on a mission.
She wants students to understand the need to learn a second
language in today's global economy. For Zinggeler, that
means translating her "lifelong love affair" with German
life and culture into practical knowledge that will help
Eastern Michigan University German and business graduates
cut deals with their German counterparts.
 |
LANGUAGE LOVER: On her birthday, Margrit
Zinggeler, an EMU professor of German, poses on
the
Jungfraujoch in the Swiss Alps, known as "The
Top of
Europe" rail station at an elevation of 11,332
feet.
The Aletsch Glacier sits in the background.
She is
presently on sabbatical at the University
of Neuchtel
on a fellowship funded by the Swiss
National Science
Foundation. |
Zinggeler, a professor of German in EMU's World Languages
Department and an adviser to the Language and International
Trade Program (LIT), points to the complex economy of Germany.
Which
U.S. company might be best prepared to deal with its
singular laws and regulations, and governmental structure?
And, more specifically, which individuals are best equipped
to do business with German companies? Zinggeler's
emphatic answer: Those who can create personal connections
through the spoken and written word.
She notes thate there are about 200 German-owned companies
in Michigan alone, and that Germany leads the world in
hosting trade shows.
"Although English is the world business language, having
a competency in the language of one's business partner
spawns cultural understanding and builds trust necessary
to establish and secure business relationships and, ultimately,
business contracts," Zinggeler said in the latest edition
of the newsletter of the International Business Program
at EMU's College of Business.
Zinggeler notes that all over the world, especially in
Europe and Asia, learning foreign languages is part of
the core curriculum at all levels of education.
"The image of the monolingual and culturally incompetent
and ignorant American is still prevalent in the eyes of
the world and in international business settings," she
said.
Learning a second language can also improve your cognitive
skills, along with helping problem solving and memory abilities,
Zinggeler notes. And the process creates understanding
and empathy for other cultures as well.
Students in Eastern Michigan's International Business
Program must have at least two years of a second language.
Zinggeler would love to see more EMU programs have such
requirements. Every student who continues learning languages
at the college level will have an advantage and a competitive
edge in the global job market.
 |
GREAT OUTDOORS: Margrit Zinggeler, an
EMU
professor of German, takes a break from hiking
up
Mount Great Mythen in Switzerland.
|
Such a global orientation radiates, even in Zinggeler's
book-filled, windowless office in Alexander Hall. A native
of German-speaking Switzerland, she is presently on sabbatical
at the University of Neuchtel on a fellowship funded by
the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Her project is on second-generation Swiss immigrant authors,
and how their stories are influencing and transforming
the Swiss literature scene. She also has taken time to
climb mountains, bike, and visit various sites, including
a trip to Jungfraujoch in the Swiss Alps, the highest rail
station in Europe.
When Zinggeler was sworn in as a U.S. citizen in 1993,
she listened closely as the judge advised her to become
involved in community life. Her many extracurricular involvements
include serving on the EMU Faculty Senate, which she has
done since first coming to Eastern in 1999. Last fall,
she received an award for lifelong excellence in foreign
language education by the Michigan World Language Association.
She received her doctorate and master's degree in German,
and her bachelor's degree in English, all from the University
of Minnesota. She specialized in teaching business German.
Her husband of 40 years still works in Minnesota; Zinggeler
came here alone.
"The marriage has survived," she says enthusiastically.
Among Zinggeler's myriad writings is a textbook that teaches
German grammar through "the magic of the Brothers' Grimm
Fairy Tales." A second volume is planned for teaching
German phonetics.
She enjoys the emphasis on teaching and contact with students
at Eastern, yet also revels in her research.
"It was the right place at the right time for me," Zinggeler
says now of her decision to come to Eastern.
