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Many German words have simply been adopted into the English language without being translated.
This reflects the fascinating historical and linguistic influence of German on the English language. After all, English is a Germanic language, and both languages share common roots!
Type One: German Loanwords
These are German words for which no succinct English translation exists. Therefore the German is simply used in its original form. This process of adoption is one of the ways in which English is continually enriched and altered – a process going back over a thousand years!
Here are some of the most frequently used German loanwords:
| German word | English meaning |
| Angst | Fear, of an existential nature |
| Doppelgänger | “Double-goer”, double, look-alike |
| Freizeitstress | “Leisure-time stress", a newish one, but I saw it on the Radio 4 website today and so it must count! Refers to the stress caused by feeling impelled to fill up weekends with busy activity instead of relaxing! |
| Kindergarten | “Children-garden”, i.e. nursery school |
| Realpolitik | “Practical politics“, i.e. political realism |
| Schadenfreude | “Damage-pleasure“, taking delight in another’s misfortune |
| Sturm und Drang | “Storm and Stress”, meaning state of disturbance and disorder. Refers to a German literary movement of the C18th |
| Sturmflut | “Storm surge” or storm tide, meaning deluge - I saw this for the first time in the Economist magazine, in April 2009 |
| Übermensch | The term was coined by Friedrich Nietzsche in 1883 and described the "higher state to which he thought man might aspire" |
| Ur | Original, primary, primordial, used as prefix, e.g. ur-state |
| Weltanschauung | “World view” |
| Weltpolitik | “World politics” or global politics |
| Weltschmerz | ”World pain”, world-weariness |
| Zeitgeist | “Spirit of the times”, seen frequently, a really useful loan word! |
Notice how many of these words have a philosophical background?!
| TIP! When these German words crop up in a German text you are translating into English, then write them in italics - shows you are using the word deliberately and are aware that it doesn’t need an English equivalent! |
Type Two: German words which we don’t bother to translate
These German words are understood by an English-speaking audience when left in their original German form. Many of these words have particular cultural connotations which we wish to retain in an English text and can only be glossed (described using synonyms), not translated. Many have a historical context - they stem from a particular period and geographical location. Here is a selection:
| German word | English meaning |
| Autobahn | “Motorway”. We know the Germans love fast cars and no speed limits! If we were translating a piece about German motorways into English, we would leave the word Autobahn (spelt with a capital A) untranslated. |
| Bauhaus | Literally “building school”, this was a German stylistic period, dated 1919-1933, with its own style of arts, crafts and architecture. |
| Biedermeier | A period in 19th Central Europe (1815-1848), corresponding historically with English Regency style and US Federal style |
| Blitz | “Lightening”, historically the German air bombardment of London in 1940, also to do something quickly and intensively e.g. cleaning a room, “do a blitz on something” |
| Dummkopf | Blockhead, idiot, bonehead! |
| Ersatz | “Substitute” or “replacement” – in English this implies that it is not quite as good as the thing it replaces (not so in German) |
| Fuehrer | “Leader”, although Adolf Hitler automatically springs to mind for most English-speaking readers it remains a perfectly acceptable term in German. Unless your German translation refers to Adolf Hitler and the period around WWII, you would translate Fuehrer. E.g. Geschäftsführer – managing director. |
| Hausfrau | Housewife/homemaker – using “Hausfrau” means the people in question has an exclusive interest in domestic matters |
| Jugendstil | Style of art and architecture especially popular at the turn of the C19th . Literally “youthful style”, the German equivalent to Art Nouveau. It’s Austrian counterpart was the Vienna Secession. |
| Karst | Geological term for dissolution landscapes. (Many geological terms derive from German, e.g. gneiss, quartz, schist) |
| Lebensraum | “Living space”, the Nazi ideology of the German people requiring more geographical space. In German it also refers to ecological habitats, and is not a controversial term. |
| Lieder | Literally “songs”. Leave as Lieder when referring to European romantic music songs, especially songs composed to German poems, e.g. the Schubert Lieder. |
| Luftwaffe | The German air force |
| Lumpenproletariat | Literally “raggedy proletariat”, A definition coined by Karl Marx and used in its German form. |
| Mensch | “Human being”, connotations of the person describing having integrity and honour. |
| Oktoberfest | Famous Bavarian beer festival held in Munich each autumn |
| Putsch | Coup d’état, overthrow of a government |
| Über | "over" "extra" "excessive", often just spelt "uber" in English (no umlaut) |
| Umlaut | Ä, Ö, Ü | Vergangenheits- bewältigung | A coming to terms with the past, especially for the German nation after WWII |
Type Three: “I didn’t know they were German!” German words
German words which we have simply adopted into English and where we are frequently unaware of their German origins (seems to involve a lot of food!):
| German word | English meaning |
| Bratwurst | Delicious type of German sausage! |
| Deli | From Delikatessen - delicacy |
| Diesel | From Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel, inventor of the diesel engine |
| Frankfurter / Wiener | Hotdog sausages (Austrians say “Frankfurter” = “from Frankfurt”, Germans “Wiener”= “Viennese”) |
| Gestalt therapy | Form of psychotherapy, “Gestalt” = form/design, founded in the 1940’s and 1950’s |
| Kaput | Broken |
| Karabiner | Although spelt “carabiner” in English – a metal closed hook, climbing equipment |
| Kitsch | German and Yiddish word meaning tasteless, sentimental art |
| Lager | ”Storage” – the origins are from the cold storing of the beer - “lagering” before it is ready to be drunk |
| Leitmotiv | (Spelt “Leitmotif” in English), a recurring theme in music or literature |
| Meistersinger | Literally “master singer” – a German literary poet of the C14th to C16th |
| Muesli | Needs no explanation!, a Swiss invention |
| Poltergeist | From ”Poltern”+”Geist” – rumble and make noise+ghost. |
| Pretzel | Of George W. Bush choking-fame, German spelling is actually “Brezel” |
| Pumpernickel | Dark German rye bread |
| Rucksack | Literally “back”+”pack” |
| Sauerkraut | Fermented cabbage, often served with “Speck” – chunks of smoked bacon |
| Schuss | Clear run on a ski slope |
| Spritzer | Drink – white wine and soda, “spritzen”= to spray, squirt |
| Strudel | With apple or “Topfen”, delicious! |
| Torte | Flans, tarts, fancy cakes, often rich in eggs and with nuts or breadcrumbs, origins in Central Europe |
| Waltz | Dance form, frequently to the music of Johann Strauss! |
| Wanderlust | Desire to travel |
| Wunderkind | ”Wonder”+”Child”, a child prodigy |
| Zeppelin | An airship, e.g. the Hindenberg |
And lastly, and importantly for the translator, we have:
Type Four: “False Friends”
These are German words which lull you into a false sense of security by automatically suggesting an English equivalent, but which actually (usually) have a different translation:
Here are a few for your entertainment: (List being continually updated!)
| German word | English translation |
| Fusion | Fusion? Not unless you are talking about nuclear fusion. Otherwise amalgamation. |
| Eventuell | Eventually? No - possibly, potentially. |
| Impuls | Impetus, stimulus, boost, not impulse |
| Komfortabel | Often moderate, rather than "comfortable" |
| Konsequent | Consistent, not consequently |
| Kontrollieren | This is usually NOT control (Control is normally "steuern") but rather supervise, check, examine, monitor |
| KMU Klein- und Mittlere Unternehmen | Middle-Sized Businesses? No - Medium-sized |
| Chargen | Ranks, not charges |
| Seriös | Legitimate, reliable, not serious |
| Solide | Respectable, not solid |
Other articles in this German language series include:
Guide to pronouncing the German alphabet
The German umlaut – an explanation and keyboard commands
German currency – the Euro!
German holidays and customs
Common German abbreviations, their meanings and translations
The world of German SMS language – from A to L
The world of German SMS abbreviations – from M to Z
Return from German Words to Translating German
Return from German Words to Home
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