BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The growing Anglicization of the German language especially affects medicine. This is true not only in medical research but also for congresses and publications. This leads to far-reaching consequences also for continuing medical education. This questionnaire study obtained the opinions by a selected group of doctors attending a general medical congress. METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed to 365 attendees of the 51. Doctors' Congress in Berlin in June 2002. In addition 345 questionnaires were sent to doctors working at 3 university clinics, 27 clinics at teaching hospitals and 9 at communal clinics throughout Germany. Answers were divided by work place (clinical or non-clinical) and age. RESULTS: There were 360 respondents (188 non-clinical, 172 clinical; 51.1%): 20% reported good self appraised knowledge of written and spoken English. 84.7% were against English as the only language at meetings of German medical societies, while 98.3% were against it for national congresses (except for foreign guests). 84.3% agreed that German and English should be the languages, both of talks and discussions, at international congresses held in Germany. English as the language of specialist journals was less strongly rejected by young respondents. There was no age-related difference regarding the other questions. CONCLUSIONS: The respondents considered it as self-evident that German be the only language at German national congresses and of journals by German publishers directed at German doctors, but certain exception were acceptable. At international congresses held in Germany, both German and English are equally acceptable in order to avoid a large part of the interested German medical community being disadvantaged in their acquisition of medical-scientific information were English to be the sole language.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The growing Anglicization of the German language especially affects medicine. This is true not only in medical research but also for congresses and publications. This leads to far-reaching consequences also for continuing medical education. This questionnaire study obtained the opinions by a selected group of doctors attending a general medical congress. METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed to 365 attendees of the 51. Doctors' Congress in Berlin in June 2002. In addition 345 questionnaires were sent to doctors working at 3 university clinics, 27 clinics at teaching hospitals and 9 at communal clinics throughout Germany. Answers were divided by work place (clinical or non-clinical) and age. RESULTS: There were 360 respondents (188 non-clinical, 172 clinical; 51.1%): 20% reported good self appraised knowledge of written and spoken English. 84.7% were against English as the only language at meetings of German medical societies, while 98.3% were against it for national congresses (except for foreign guests). 84.3% agreed that German and English should be the languages, both of talks and discussions, at international congresses held in Germany. English as the language of specialist journals was less strongly rejected by young respondents. There was no age-related difference regarding the other questions. CONCLUSIONS: The respondents considered it as self-evident that German be the only language at German national congresses and of journals by German publishers directed at German doctors, but certain exception were acceptable. At international congresses held in Germany, both German and English are equally acceptable in order to avoid a large part of the interested German medical community being disadvantaged in their acquisition of medical-scientific information were English to be the sole language.