Germany has shaped its neighbours as much as they have shaped it. This applies not only to culture and technology but also to language.
The German language includes many loanwords. From French: das Portemonnaie, das Büro, das Restaurant. From Italian: das Piano, die Oper. From Slavic languages: der Mammut (via Russian), der Quark (from Polish).
Less known is the influence of German on Slavic languages, especially Russian. Many German words entered Russian in the 16th and 17th centuries through the Hanseatic League via Tallinn and Riga, which were then part of Russia. Tsar Peter the Great adopted Western European systems for taxation, education and trade. German craftsmen and academics were brought in, and their vocabulary stayed.
Russian still contains German-origin words such as Buchhalter (bookkeeper), Schlagbaum (barrier), Kurort (spa town), Kartoffel (potato), Straf (penalty), Landschaft (landscape), Zeitnot (time pressure), Absatz (turnover), Rucksack, and Butterbrot.
For English speakers, working with a German tutor can uncover patterns that make the language easier to grasp. German is shaped by contact with other languages, including Russian loan words.