Fun Monday: Handy Tariffs Anybody?

14.September 2009 admin

Not all cell phones are handy, image source

When visiting Germany or encountering Germans who speak English you have probably wondered why mobile phones used by Germans are always handy. If you have been courageous enough to live in Germany for a while you might have also wondered why you are required to pay tariffs for your “always handy” cell phone.

It’s true that Germans are weird sometimes, they don’t accept gifts, their chefs don’t cook in most cases and when they get angry they start swearing about the weather (Mist!).

Not all Germans are weird though! In fact it’s German marketers you have to blame. The same kind of marketers who made us surf the Web instead of browsing it made cell phones handy per definition in Germany, even the big clunky ones. Of course blaming marketers of the digital era is just half of the story. You can’t blame marketers for making Germans and UK citizens pay tariffs for their mobiles.

You know, Germans don’t have cell phone plans they have tariffs or “Tarife”. “Tarife” means both rates and charges. You don’t have to pay them at the border though like other tariffs. It’s history stupid! In the US people have hated tariffs ever since the Boston Tea Party so they have plans not tariffs.

So remember next time you end up in the mist a cell phone will come in handy. Ask your chef to give you a gift! Tell him that you prefer prepaid! This is finally a real friend of yours in German. Prepaid means the same as in English, both American as British.

Today’s topics on fun Monday were these German-English false friends:

Entry Filed under: general