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    Guide

    Glossary of English business terms

    ratgeber-business-glossar_1920x980
    • Content

      1. English department names
      2. False friends
      3. Glossary A-Z

    English department names

    If you’re looking for the English name/translation of a department at an English company or government agency, then you’ve come to the right place: our comprehensive list of the most important company departments in English.

    English German
    Accounting Buchhaltung
    Administration Department Verwaltung
    Assembly Montage
    Complaints Department Beschwerdeabteilung
    Controlling Controlling
    Customer Service Kundenservice
    Finance Department Finanzabteilung
    Human Resources Personalabteilung
    Management Geschäftsleitung
    Marketing Department Marketingabteilung
    Market Research Marktforschung
    Payroll Accounting Lohnbuchhaltung
    PR / Public Relations PR/Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
    Sales Department Verkaufsabteilung
    Warehouse Lagerhalle

     

    False friends

    The following words are considered ‘false friends’ (false cognates) between German and English. Why? Though these words may sound like or have a similar spelling to a German term, they have a completely different meaning in English. Use with caution.

    • 38 false friends and their correct translation

      English term means not Correct translation
      actual wirklich, tatsächlich aktuell current, topical
      also auch also so
      billion Milliarde Billion trillion AE, billion BE
      brief kurz Brief letter
      chef Küchenchef Chef boss
      concern Angelegenheit, Anliegen Konzern corporate group
      critic Kritiker Kritik criticism
      engaged verlobt, besetzt engagiert committed
      eventually schließlich eventuell possible
      failure Versagen Fehler mistake
      fart Furz Fahrt journey
      for für, denn vor before, ago, in front of
      gift Geschenk Gift poison
      guilty schuldig gültig valid
      gymnasium Turnhalle Gymnasium Grammar school BE, High school AE
      handy praktisch Handy mobile phone BE, cellphone AE
      hose Schlauch Hose trousers BE, pants AE
      I can ich kann ich kenne I know
      meaning Bedeutung Meinung opinion
      note Notiz Note mark
      oldtimer Veteran Oldtimer classic car AE, vintage car BE
      personal persönlich Personal personel, staff
      probe untersuchen, erforschen Probe rehearsal, sample
      rat Ratte Rat advice
      self-conscious verlegen selbstbewusst self-confident
      sensible vernünftig sensibel sensitive
      serious ernst seriös respectable
      smoking Rauchen Smoking tuxedo, dinner jacket
      sympathetic mitfühlend sympathisch nice, pleasant
      tablet Tablette Tablett tray
      technique Technik, Methode Technik, Technologie technology
      to become werden bekommen to get
      to control regulieren, steuern kontrollieren to check, to monitor
      to prove beweisen prüfen to check, to monitor
      to spend ausgeben, verbringen spenden to donate
      wellness Wohlbefinden Wellness spa, health farm
      when wann wenn if
      I will ich werde ich will I want

       

    Business English Glossary A–Z

    • Business English Glossary A–D

      English German
      account Konto
      accountant Buchhalter:in
      accounting Buchhaltung
      accounting period Abrechnungszeitraum
      administration Verwaltung
      advertisement Anzeige
      advertsising Werbung
      advertising agency Werbeagentur
      advertising campaign Werbekampagne
      after-sales service Kundendienst
      agriculture Landwirtschaft
      Annual General Meeting Jahreshauptversammlung
      annual report Jahresbericht
      applicant / candidate Bewerber:in
      application Bewerbung
      application form Antragsformular
      appoint ernennen
      assemble montieren
      assembly line Montageband
      audit Revision durchführen
      average cost Durchschnittskosten
      balance Saldo, Bilanz
      bank loan Bankdarlehen
      bankrupt Bankrott
      bank statement Kontoauszug
      bank transfer Banküberweisung
      benefit Vorteil
      board of directors Geschäftsleitung, Vorstand, Verwaltungsrat
      bookkeeping Buchhaltung
      borrow (ent)leihen, Kredite aufnehmen
      boss Chef:in
      branch Filiale
      brand Marke
      broker Makler:in
      business plan Geschäftsplan
      capital Kapital
      chain of command Befehlskette
      collateral Sicherheit, Pfand, Hinterlegung
      commerce Handel
      commission Provision
      comparative advantage Vergleichsvorteil
      competition Wettbewerb, Konkurrenz
      component Bestandsteil
      consumer goods Konsumgüter
      credit rating Kreditwürdigkeit
      currency Währung
      dealer Händler:in
      debt Schuld
      decline stage Rückgangsphase
      demand Nachfrage
      department store Warenhaus
      depreciation Entwertung / Geldabwertung
      direct debit Direktabbuchung
      distribution channels Absatzwege
      domestic inländisch

       

    • Business English Glossary E-H

      English German
      earn verdienen
      economic wirtschaftlich
      economies of scale Einsparung durch erhöhte Produktion
      economy, the Wirtschaft
      efficiency Effizienz
      employ beschäftigen
      employee Angestellte:r
      employer Arbeitgeber:in
      entrepreneur Unternehmer
      exchange rate Wechselkurs
      expansion Erweiterung
      export exportieren
      external audit außerlichbetriebliche Revision
      factory Fabrik
      financial statements Finanzbilianz
      financial year Geschäftsjahr
      finished goods Fertigprodukte
      float a company eine Gesellschaft gründen
      founders Gründer:innen
      franchise Lizenz
      free sample kostenlose Probe
      funds Geldmittel, Fonds
      goal (Geschäfts-)Ziel
      go bankrupt bankrottgehen
      goods Waren
      government Regierung
      gross domestic product (GDP) Bruttoinlandsprodukt
      gross national product (GNP) Bruttosozialprodukt
      gross profit Bruttogewinn / -marge
      growth Wachstum
      guarantee / warranty Garantie
      headhunters Personalabwerber:in
      headquarters Hauptgeschäftsstelle
      human resources Personalabteilung

       

    • Business English Glossary I-M

      English German
      import importieren
      incentive Anreiz
      income, earnings, revenue Einkommen
      income tax Einkommenssteuer
      industry Industrie, Gewerbe
      inflation rate Inflationsrate
      insolvency Zahlungsunfähigkeit
      insurance policy Versicherungspolice
      interest rate Zinssatz
      inventory / stock Inventar
      investment Investition, Anlage
      investment bank Handelsbank
      job application Stellenbewerbung
      job description Stellenbeschreibung
      labor union, trade union Gewerkschaft
      launch Gründung, Markteinführung
      legislation Gesetzgebung
      liabilty Haftung, Passiva
      limited liability beschränkte Haftung
      loss Verlust
      management Leitung
      manufacturing Herstellung
      market Markt
      market leader Marktführer
      market price Marktpreis
      market share Marktanteil
      measure messen
      media Medien
      meeting Versammlung
      merchant Kaufmann, Kauffrau
      merger Fusion, Verschmelzung
      mortgage Hypothek
      motivate motivieren

       

    • Business English Glossary N-R

      English German
      negotiate verhandeln
      negotiation Verhandlung
      niche Nische
      number Zahl
      outlet Verkaufsstelle
      outsourcing Aufträge weitergeben
      overdraft Überziehungskredit
      overheads Fixkosten, Betriebskosten
      owe schulden
      packaging Verpackung
      patent Patent
      pay Lohn / zahlen
      pension fund Pensionskasse
      performance Leistung
      planning Planung
      pollution Verunreinigung
      premises Geschäftsräume, Grundstück und Gebäude
      president/chairman Präsident:in, Vorsitzende:r
      price Preis
      producer Produzent, Hersteller
      product life cycle Produktlebenszyklus
      product range Produktpalette
      profit Gewinn
      profitability Rentabilität
      profit and loss account Erfolgsrechnung
      promotion Werbung, Beförderung
      purchase Kauf / kaufen
      quality Qualität
      quantity Menge
      raw material Rohstoff
      real estate / property Immobilien
      register of companies Handelsregister
      research and development (R&D) Forschung und Entwicklung
      resources Mittel, Resourcen
      responsibility Verantwortlichkeit
      retailer Einzelhändler
      retirement Pensionierung
      risk Risiko

       

    • Business English Glossary S-Z

      English German
      salary Gehalt
      salesman Verkäufer:in
      sales target Verkaufsziel
      self-employed selbständig
      services Dienstleistung
      share / stock Aktie
      shareholder Aktionär:in
      skill Fähigkeit
      staff Personal
      stock exchange Börse
      supplier Lieferant:in
      tactics Taktik
      target market Zielmarkt
      tax Steuer
      total cost Gesamtkosten
      trade Handel
      trade mark Warenzeichen
      trainee Volontär:in / Praktikant:in / Azubi
      trial Probe, Probezeit, Versuch
      turnover Umsatz
      unemployed arbeitslos
      unique selling proposition einzigartiges Verkaufsargument
      user Benutzer:in
      value-added-tax Mehrwertsteuer
      vote abstimmen
      wage Lohn
      warehouse Lagerhaus
      waste products Abfallprodukte
      wealth Vermögen, Wohlstand
      wholesaler Grosshändler
      wholesale trade Grosshandel
      word-of-mouth Mundpropaganda
      working conditions Arbeitsbedingungen
      yield Ertrag

       

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