Abstract:
In a rapidly developing world, technology plays an irreplaceable role in the
socio-economic growth of a country. Speaking of Sri Lanka, the field of
Information Technology is a front-line player in the development process.
Moreover, the industry has started a trend with the application of foreign
languages in the industry, especially German as a Foreign Language. In the
present context, for many careers in the field of IT, knowledge of a foreign
language is of remarkable value. Thus, this study was conducted among IT
graduates and employees in the IT industry in Sri Lanka to identify the
significance of learning a foreign language and its usage with special reference
to German as a Foreign Language. Data gathering for the study was conducted
by distributing a structured questionnaire to the IT graduates in the IT industry,
which ultimately helped in identifying the experiences, challenges, and
perceptions regarding the use of German as a foreign language in the IT
industry. The descriptive analysis of the results obtained by identifying the
above-mentioned points showcased that, most of the IT graduates in the IT
industry are not aware of the significance of learning a foreign language like
German for the growth of their career in the industry yet their interest in studying
German as a foreign language is high, which also proves that there will be a
competitive demand in the future for IT graduates with foreign language
proficiency in the IT industry in Sri Lanka.
