Speak you Denglish? Common English mistakes of German speakers
My (inexhaustive) list of Denglish words
If you regularly speak with Germans, be it for business reasons or during travel, you've probably stumbled upon your German counterpart using some pseudo-English vocabulary – a phenomenon called “Denglish”. Find out here what your business partner actually means when he says things like “Handy” or “Shooting”.
Obvious Denglish phrases vs. tricky ones
There are many obvious “Denglish” phrases – usually literal English translations of uniquely German sayings – that most people would flag, for example:
|
“All this was for the cat” |
German: “Das war alles für die Katz” Meaning: “It was all in vain” |
|
“With him is not good cherries eating” |
German: “Mit ihm ist nicht gut Kirschen essen” Meaning: “He's not the sort of person to be messed with” |
Far trickier for German native speakers are the many subtle “Denglish” words that can wiggle their way into their texts. To help you, who is dealing with German-speaking people via email, reports and social media posts in English, I have put together a list of “Denglish” words to look out for.
So here it is, my list of “Denglish” words, together with the correct English translation:
|
“Denglish” |
What Germans actually mean |
|---|---|
|
Baby phone |
Baby monitor |
|
Beamer |
Projector |
|
Bodybag |
Cross-body bag or messenger bag |
|
Body |
One-piece garment (or: a onesie) |
|
Chef |
Boss |
|
Chips |
Potato chips (and of course in the UK chips are French fries) |
|
Comic |
Comic strip or comic book |
|
Cutter |
Film editor |
|
Dressman |
Male model |
|
Drive-in |
Drive-through, drive-up |
|
Evergreens |
Classic songs (Golden Oldies), standards |
|
Ghettoblaster |
Boom box |
|
Hometrainer |
Home gym equipment |
|
Kicker |
Table football or “foosball” (how’s that for tit-for-tat language mangling?) |
|
Last, not least |
Last, but not least |
|
Lifting |
Facelift |
|
To mail someone |
To send an e-mail to someone |
|
Messie |
Hoarder |
|
Mobbing |
Bullying, harassment |
|
Neckholder |
Halter top |
|
Oldtimer (Youngtimer) |
A vintage or classic car (a youngtimer is a modern classic) |
|
Open Air |
Open air (music) festival |
|
Outing |
Coming out – self-disclosure of one’s gay/lesbian orientation |
|
Partner look |
People who are dressed the same or similarly. Nearest equivalent would be “you look like twins” |
|
Peeling |
Facial mask or body scrub |
|
Posting |
An online post |
|
Public viewing |
Public screening. |
|
Shooting |
Photo shoot |
|
Soft ice |
Soft serve ice cream |
|
Smoking |
Tuxedo |
|
Street worker |
Social worker |
|
Talkmaster/Showmaster |
(Show) host, emcee/MC |
|
Tramping |
Hitchhiking |
|
Walking |
Power walking |
|
Wellness |
If a hotel in Germany offers "wellness", it means they have a spa or spa treatment available. |
Are you about to publish a German text that either needs to be translated or has been translated and needs final proofreading by a native German speaker?
Or are you working on an important English text that is about to be published and you’re worried parts may sound like “Denglish” to native English speakers?
Feel free to contact me. I offer new clients a 15% discount on their first translation or proofreading order. Just remember to mention the discount code “0117” in your email to me.
Get a free, no-obligation quote
And if you know of a typical “Denglish” word that’s not in my list, fill me in – drop me a line in the comment section!
Comment by V. Y. |
Couple of words I've heard that are not strictly speaking Denglish: All rounder, and know-how. They're not entirely falsely used like "handy", just overused. While "all rounder" does exist in English meaning someone who's skilled at many things, such usage is rare. What Germans mean by "all rounder" is what we normally call a gopher. "Know-how" also exists in English and although it is sometimes used, I've heard it used 100 times more often by German speakers than native English speakers. It's a bit too cutesy for most people's taste; most of the time we prefer simple, concrete words such as "knowledge" or "skills". It also doesn't express anything more than the German words Kenntnisse or Fähigkeit.
Comment by David Rainey |
Most of the European country people are not good in English communication with a proper understanding of the word with their accent. So this blog is very helpful for a German speaker who wants to learn English. Thanks for sharing with us.
