Working in-house means meetings. The more meetings I attend, the more so-called “Neudeutsch” (new German) I learn. Here, a list of just some of the “new German” words I have heard spoken in the first quarter of 2011:
best practice
monitoring
roundabout
happy
headcount
training
insourcing
feedback(s)
toolbox(en)
pricing
last but not least
community feeling
service follow-up
data mining
product support
early warning
readiness
pay by use
thank you
in a nutshell
Keep in mind, these meetings were held at a German company, before a German audience, in Germany. Usually the speaker would interrupt himself in mid-sentence to warn us that the next words spoken would be “Neudeutsch”. In this case, Neudeutsch seems to be just another word for English.
I can understand when foreign words are adopted out of necessity but the majority of the English terms and phrases in use in the German business world do not seem to be filling in any gap in the treasure trove of German vocabulary. In fact, in many instances, I’d say that the same concept could be expressed more succinctly in German. Now, how do we tell the Germans that?
You write: “How do we tell the Germans that?”
Are you trying to start a war or something?
The managers who use that sort of mumbo jumbo can never be told anything. They know it all, and they would quite happily correct your English and contradict you if you ever dare to suggest that you speak English better than they do.
I suppose the only defence is to play dumb and flatter their ego: “Was genau meinen Sie mit insourcing/roundabout/toolboxen/etc.?”
Sometimes I wish I would live in France – in Germany you have to attend “Kickoff-Meetings” in order to listen to the “Good News” from the “Manger für Business Development”.
Agree with Victor. You cannot tell Germans what’s right or wrong – they will know better. Best is to play dumb and ask what they actually mean.
What I find just as awful, by the way, are those many Germans who oppose and ridicule this over-use of anglicisms by putting them into quotes, adding a “so called” here and a “wie es auf Neudeutsch so schrecklich heißt” there and generally sneering at the term in order to show how ridiculous they find the word – just to then use the word as if there was no German word for it. I find that just as bad as the “normal” over-use of anglicisms in business speek.
As for trying to tell most Germans anything regarding the English language, I’m sure you’re familiar with the old saying about arguing with fools….
Reminds me of the ‘worst case’
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnlslgW2pww&w=640&h=390
Great article. I think it’s really interesting how words like this are gaining popularity (or perhaps not popularity, but widespread use) when, as you say, equivalents do exist in German.
Mmm, and you forgot to write those words using a German accent! hahaha….