emigration
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emigration
The process of permanently leaving one's home country in order to live in another country.
Im 19. Jahrhundert war die Auswanderung nach Amerika für viele Europäer die einzige Hoffnung auf ein besseres Leben.
In the 19th century, emigration to America was the only hope for a better life for many Europeans.
The word is made up of 'aus' (out of) and 'Wanderung' (migration/wandering). So it describes 'wandering out' of one's own country. The ending '-ung' shows that it is a feminine noun derived from a verb.
Die Auswanderung war für ihn ein großer und schwieriger Schritt.
Emigration was a big and difficult step for him.
To indicate the destination of emigration, you use 'nach' with most countries and continents without an article, or 'in' + accusative with countries that have an article.
Er plante seine Auswanderung nach Kanada sehr sorgfältig.
He planned his emigration to Canada very carefully.
People often talk about the 'Gründe für die Auswanderung' (reasons for emigration), for example economic or political reasons, or about a 'Welle der Auswanderung' (wave of emigration) when many people leave a country at the same time.
Armut war einer der Hauptgründe für die Auswanderung im 19. Jahrhundert.
Poverty was one of the main reasons for emigration in the 19th century.
migration
'die Migration' and 'die Auswanderung' both have to do with people permanently moving to another place. 'Migration' is the more general term. It describes the movement of people between places or countries and can be viewed from different perspectives. 'Auswanderung' is more specific: people leave their home country in order to live in another country. Learners may confuse the words because both often involve crossing national borders. But if you want to emphasize that someone is leaving their country, 'Auswanderung' fits better.
Mein Kollege plant die Auswanderung nach Kanada, weil er dort arbeiten möchte.
My colleague is planning to emigrate to Canada because he wants to work there.
In der Diskussion ging es um Migration und um neue Regeln für Familien.
The discussion was about migration and new rules for families.