Archive for January, 2021
How Germans Helped Destroy Emotet, A Massive Computervirus Posted by Sten on Jan 28, 2021
The virus is defeated! Well, not that one. I’m talking about a rampant Computervirus (computer virus) called “Emotet” that was responsible for 30% of Schadsoftware (malware) attacks worldwide. Here’s briefly what happened, and how Germans talk about computers and computer viruses in their language! Was ist Emotet? To be fair, Emotet was not really a Computervirus…
More German ‘Non-Words’ of 2020 Posted by Constanze on Jan 27, 2021
Guten Tag! Today’s post is a follow-up to the Unwort des Jahres 2020 – the German ‘non-word’ of the year 2020. To fall into the category of an ‘Unwort’, the word must do one or more of the following: violate the principles of human dignity; violate the principles of democracy; discriminate against social groups; or…
Online Shopping in German Posted by Larissa on Jan 26, 2021
Our lockdown in Germany has been extended until the 14th of February. All shops across the country apart from necessities are closed at the moment due to COVID-19 19, which means online shopping is more popular than ever. Here are a few keywords that you need to know if you are ever shopping on a…
Vowels With Umlaut Next To Ordinary Vowels Posted by Constanze on Jan 20, 2021
Guten Tag! Today we’re going to talk about the Umlaut (ä ö ü) in German. More specifically, we are going to talk about how vowels with an Umlaut sound and look next to ordinary vowels. Read on to find out more! What is an Umlaut? First off, if you’re not yet familiar with the German…
Does Germany Need an Impfpflicht? Posted by Sten on Jan 14, 2021
In the last few weeks, Impfstoffe (vaccines) against the Coronavirus have been rolled out around the world. However, the rate at which Impfungen (vaccinations) have been administered caused a lot of concern. Also in Germany. With 1207 deaths in one day, the country saw a new record; and yet, the amount of people that are open to an Impfung remains…
Germany’s Unwort des Jahres – ‘Non-Word’ of the Year 2020 Posted by Constanze on Jan 13, 2021
Linguists from the Technische Universität Darmstadt have decided on Germany’s Unwort des Jahres (the ‘non-word of the year’) 2020. This year, and for the first year since the Unwort des Jahres started in 1991, there are two of them: Corona-Diktatur and Rückführungspatenschaften. Germany’s Unwort des Jahres – ‘Non-word’ of the year. At the end of…
Bleigießen – Will this German Tradition Tell Your Future? Posted by Sten on Jan 11, 2021
Happy new year, everyone! Some days ago, we looked at some German NYE traditions. Today, I want to talk about a tradition that came to an end, but we could still do this year – Bleigießen (“lead pouring”). What is it, how do you do it and where did it come from? Drop it like it’s…