Abstract
The use of English in advertising aimed at non-native speakers of English is claimed to enhance image and text evaluation and to have no negative impact on comprehension. We tested these claims using promotional websites aimed at Dutch youngsters. Dutch secondary school pupils evaluated a completely English and a partly English homepage and completely Dutch versions of these homepages. Each participant evaluated a version with English of one homepage and a completely Dutch version of the other homepage. No significant differences were found between the Dutch and English versions of the homepages regarding image of the product advertised, evaluation of the website, and intention to use the product. The Dutch version either scored better than the English version on text evaluation, or the differences between the versions were not significant. Respondents were better at describing the meaning of Dutch terms than of their English equivalents.
