“Just Mache It!” : A quantitative study of German attitudes towards English advertisements, the comprehension thereof and preferences for English or German in advertisements

Abstract

This study examines German attitudes towards English advertisements, the comprehension thereof and preferences for English or German in advertisements. More specifically, it seeks an answer to the question of whether international businesses should use language-standardised English advertisements or translated advertisements. With an online questionnaire directed at a small sample of German university students, research was conducted to examine their attitude towards English in advertisements and their preferences for English or German advertisements. The results show that the participants had a neutral stance towards English advertisements but that they do prefer English advertisements over German advertisements. The participants assessed themselves as quite proficient, especially the female participants and a correlation between attitude and comprehension of English was found. This research provides empirical support for choosing standardised English advertising campaigns by international businesses that seek to advertise in Germany.