The German language and its position in the world is under increasing pressure due to the growing importance of (American) English as the language of globalization. The articles deal with the national and international positions of German and English, language policies, the future of German as a language of science, German in the USA, the intellectual and aesthetic dimensions of encountering a foreign language. The anthology presents critical views, which consider the world as being on its way to becoming a linguistic colony of the United States, as well as positions, which do not see any imminent danger to linguistic diversity and regard English as resource rather than as a threat.