Search Results
German Vergangenheitsbewältigung Posted by Constanze on Jun 14, 2016
Guten Tag! Today I’m bringing you another untranslatable word, but it’s a bit more of a ‘serious’ one this time, rather than the light-hearted ones we’re used to! The word of today is die Vergangenheitsbewältigung. This is a very famous German word so perhaps you know about it already – or perhaps you’ve seen it…
TOP 10 GERMAN POSTS OF 2015 Posted by Constanze on Dec 16, 2015
It’s nearly the end of the year, and we’ve had a brilliant 2015 at Transparent Language, with the blogs hitting the 1 million views mark in August for the first time ever! So thank you all very much for your continued support and interest in our work here at Transparent Language. Without further ado, here…
Why ‘Germans Are Rude’ Part 2 Posted by Constanze on Nov 18, 2015
I recently wrote a post called Why ‘Germans Are Rude’, which was inspired by an article on how different cultures give criticism. Firstly, I want to thank everybody who commented on it. It seems that this is a topic everybody has something to say about, which is great! The Germans are arguably one of the…
The Turkish Guest Workers of ’60s Germany Posted by Constanze on Sep 20, 2015
The Turkish make up the largest ethnic minority group in Germany. But why is that, exactly? Der Gastarbeiter (pl: Die Gastarbeiter) It all began during the Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle) of the 1960s and 1970s, when Germany and Austria experienced rapid industrial growth and reconstruction of their economies following WW2. However, being severely low on labour…
Obscure German Sorrows: Weltschmerz and Lebensmüde Posted by Constanze on Apr 15, 2015
Today’s untranslatable German words post was inspired by John Koenig’s project, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. This ‘dictionary’ fills gaps in the English language for feelings that were never given a name. One of the ones I came across on there had a German name: Altschmerz. “Altschmerz: weariness with the same old issues that…
Die Überfremdung and PEGIDA Posted by Constanze on Mar 4, 2015
Guten Tag! Often when I write posts about ‘untranslatable’ German words I try to include references to German culture (where applicable) or add in extra information relating to those words. Today I’ve chosen a word that is relevant to the current political situation in Germany. Die Überfremdung. What does Überfremdung mean? Überfremdung describes excessive…
Festive Germany: Munich’s Marienplatz in December Posted by Constanze on Dec 5, 2014
Happy December! December is the month that Germany comes alive with Weihnachtsmarkten, Glühwein, and festive spirit. Exactly one year ago, I took my husband to see München for the first time. I thought this would be the perfect time to show you the cosy, Christmassy atmosphere that you can find in Marienplatz – the centre…