"German is Wunderbar" -- German Embassy Launches Nationwide "Spot the Bus" Contest

"German is Wunderbar" is the slogan of the German Embassy's latest promotional bus campaign, which has begun running on three WMATA Metrobuses in Washington, DC, and on a virtual bus online at www.Germany.info.

The bus and its bright, colorful design support the German Embassy's new "do Deutsch" campaign promoting the German language to American kids, teens and college students.

All over the bus, vividly colored banners, flags and signs containing German words pop out from the vivid green background. The words, 18 in all -- including "kindergarten," "mensch," "zeitgeist," and "wanderlust" -- were chosen because they are commonly used in English, are familiar to most Americans and because they convey fun or uniquely German concepts.

The German Embassy asked students at the Savannah College of Art and Design, working under the direction of Professor T.J. O'Donnell, to deliver a design that embodied a sense of fun and playfulness.

Pedestrians in the city and website visitors throughout the United States are invited to "Spot the Bus" and take a picture or screenshot of it for a chance to win a package of www.Germany.info gear, including bags, t-shirts, pens and more.

Visitors to the German Embassy's annual EU Open House on Saturday, May 7, will have an especially easy opportunity to photograph one of the buses as it will be parked on location from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: German Ambassador Residence, 1800 Foxhall Road, NW, Washington, DC 20007.

Every day through July 2011, the "German is Wunderbar" bus will travel on Metrobus lines out of Metro's Western Garage. This is the eighth such promotional bus that the German Embassy has launched since 2004.

Embassy Spokesman Karl-Matthias Klause explains the reasoning behind the bus and the "do Deutsch" campaign:

"German is wunderbar -- I really believe that German is a wonderful language. Some of the hottest tickets in the US are tickets to the New York Metropolitan opera's Wagner Ring cycle -- sung in German. 'Das Auto' is known by many who want to drive a German car and appreciate German engineering. Berlin and its Brandenburg Gate are the symbol for the end of the division of Europe and for peaceful revolution. The German economy is the driving force in Europe, and German companies have recently built some of their most modern production sites, with thousands of jobs, in the United States. And here too: German is important, and can even be a career maker.

"The particularly vibrant and lively bus design and the slogan, 'German is Wunderbar, are meant to specifically deliver the message that German is fun in an ironic way. We are proud that the Savannah College of Art and Design produced such a wonderful design that so beautifully reflects our campaign. Washington, DC, is a wonderful place to live and a world-class tourist city. With our "German is Wunderbar" bus we want to bring a light and funny impression to the streets of Washington this summer - and maybe encourage people to think about learning languages -- in particular German.

"The 'do Deutsch' campaign aims to raise awareness among students and their parents, teachers of German and political decision makers and the media of the value of language learning in general and professional training in particular. Languages open up opportunities."