Visits to the Doctor in German

[Speakeasy]

I hope that this post is not braking any Forum Rules. My intention is not to promote a particular product. Nonetheless, since many Forum Members studying German are unlikely to discover the book discussed below on their own, it is rather difficult to mention it without seeming to promote it, nicht wahr?

I have been studying German, as an independent-learner, for a few years and am probably somewhere around the CEFR B1-B2 level of competence. One aspect of the introductory and intermediate materials available for self-study that has surprised me is that the situational dialogues and vocabulary surrounding “visits to the doctor” are often limited to very elementary statements such as “I have a headache, I have a sore throat, it hurts here, I am giving you a prescription” whereas my real-world experience informs that (1) very few people would seek medical attention for such vague or minor complaints, particularly during a short visit to a German-speaking country, and (2) a much wider vocabulary would be required for communicating one’s more serious complaints to medical staff and for understanding their responses. Consequently, when I came across “Deutsch für Mediziner”, quite by accident, I suspected that it would present me with an opportunity to widen my vocabulary for dealing with medical professionals and assist me generally in improving my spoken German. The fact that the book is accompanied by audio recordings, for which transcriptions are included, was an additional attraction for me. The book seems to be part of series of texts for medical professionals and for others desirous of improving their German. I stumbled upon it, quite by accident, on Amazon.de. http://www.amazon.de/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_14/279-6203432-9596830?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=deutsch+f%C3%BCr+mediziner&sprefix=deutsch+f%C3%BCr+me%2Caps%2C225. Am I allowed to say that I am pleased with this product?

[rdearman]

This is more along the lines of recommending material than promotion. I've recommended material and commented on it, as have many other members. It might be different if you'd written the book.

[emk]

This is more along the lines of recommending material than promotion. I've recommended material and commented on it, as have many other members. It might be different if you'd written the book.

In case it helps, here's a bit of historical background on how the moderators handled this at HTLAL.

A couple of long-standing HTLAL members wrote really interesting language-learning books, and they created threads saying, "Hey, I wrote a book! Here's what's in it, and here's where you can buy it. Feel free to ask me questions." As a general rule, the moderators said, "Yay! One of the people we know wrote a cool book!"

Now, obviously, if you were to promote your book in every single thread, or if you just created your account for hit-and-run spamming, that's different. But one thread about your book is perfectly reasonable, provided that you're an actual member of the community in good standing.

If you're not already a forum member, and you just published a genuinely interesting language-learning book, we might be willing to host a discussion where you can answer questions. But it would be better to contact a moderator via PM first, so we don't mistake you for a spammer.

[Speakeasy]

@emk and @rdearman:
Thank you for clarifying the issue for me.

Reviews of "Deutsch für Medeziner"
I was pleased with the presentation of the materials in "Deutsch für Medeziner" and would recommend this book, along with the accompanying audio recordings, for Intermediate Students of German who wish to expand their knowledge of the language in the very specific area of doctor-patient communications. The "Customer Reviews" of this book on Amazon.de make for interesting reading, particularly as they range from 5 stars down to 1 star, and represent the opinions of at least one student of German, one professor of German, and one German-speaking medical student. The rather broad range of viewpoints actually helped convince me that it might be of some benefit to students of German seeking more advanced vocabulary for dealing with medical professionals. Despite any faults in this work, the authors exceeded my expectations.