German Railway to Reduce Use of English

Another reason to learn German: the Deutsche Bahn is cutting back its use of English.

The railway company had been making loudspeaker announcements in both English and German, and had been increasingly using English terms for its services, like "Kiss and Ride" and "Call a Bike."

However, recent complaints has made the Deutsche Bahn reconsider its use of English, and return to using German. Riders had complained that they were getting annoyed by all of the announcements. But many complaints stemmed from worries that German is being marginalized due to extensive use of English.

This may reflect a larger trend. According to the website Sueddeutsche.de, the Minister of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs, Dr. Peter Ramsauer, stated that "I know of no country on Earth, in which one deals with one's own language with such a lack of respect." (1)  

See the articles here:

Monsters and Critics - "German railways to cut back use of English"
Sueddeutsche.de - Deutsche Bahn: Call a Mietrad Bahn spricht deutsch

1. Original quote in German: "Ich kenne kein Land der Erde, in dem man so respektlos mit der eigenen Sprache umgeht."


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