{"id":13065,"date":"2021-06-16T08:00:24","date_gmt":"2021-06-16T08:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=13065"},"modified":"2021-06-15T08:41:04","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T08:41:04","slug":"the-german-expression-vitamin-b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/the-german-expression-vitamin-b\/","title":{"rendered":"The German Expression ‘Vitamin B’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guten Tag! Today we\u2019re going to look at a term that isn\u2019t what it seems in German! The term in question is Vitamin B.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

What is Vitamin B?<\/h2>\n

In one context, the phrase Vitamin B<\/strong> is exactly what it looks like: the German translation of vitamin B. In German, the word Vitamin is spelt the same, but it\u2019s pronounced slightly differently to English: Vitt-ah-meen.<\/em> It\u2019s also capitalised, as all nouns are capitalised in German. You can call it Vitamin B, or you can use the plural B-Vitamine<\/em> (\u2018B vitamins\u2019):<\/p>\n

Wozu braucht man B-Vitamine?<\/strong>
\nWhat do we need B vitamins for?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"vitamin

Vitamin B. Photo by Michele Blackwell<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

However, there is another way of using this phrase which has absolutely nothing to do with vitamins and everything to do with connections.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the world of the German workplace, Vitamin B<\/strong> refers to having connections that help you get a job, or climb the career ladder. Some of the article headlines that come up when you search \u2018Vitamin B Karriere\u2019 (\u2018Vitamin B careers\u2019) include:<\/p>\n

Karriere durch Kontakte: Wie dir Vitamin B bei der Jobsuche hilft<\/strong>
\nCareer through contacts: How Vitamin B can help you with your job search<\/p>\n

Vitamin B: So wichtig sind Beziehungen im Job<\/strong>
\nVitamin B: This is how important connections are at the workplace<\/p>\n

Vitamin B am Jobmarkt: Du, ich kenn da wen<\/strong>
\nVitamin B at the careers market: Hey, I know someone<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So what do B vitamins have to do with landing your dream job? If you take more B vitamins, does that mean you\u2019re more likely to get hired? Nope! The answer here lies in what the B stands for in German!<\/p>\n

Vitamin B = Vitamin Beziehungen<\/strong> (\u2018Vitamin Relationships\/Connections\u2019)<\/p>\n

Or, sometimes:<\/p>\n

Vitamin B = Vitamin Bekanntschaften<\/strong> (\u2018Vitamin Acquaintances\u2019)<\/p>\n

\"vitamin

Vitamin B. Photo by krakenimages<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

It’s true that \u2018knowing someone\u2019 often makes you more likely to land a job \u2013 you could say knowing someone gives you der Vorteil<\/strong> (the advantage) in this situation. This, according to studies, is very commonplace in the German job market. No wonder the German language has the term Vitamin B to describe it! To use it, you might say something like,<\/p>\n

Er ist \u00fcber Vitamin B an den Job gekommen
\n<\/strong>He got the job thanks to Vitamin B<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This term can be used in a negative way, to criticise someone who only got the job because of their connections. However, it can also be used in a more positive way, if someone is very talented at networking, for example. Its use is not restricted to the job market, either \u2013 if someone has a way of always getting what they want, in any situation, they could be said to have a lot of Vitamin B!<\/p>\n

This is an informal, colloquial German expression. If and when you hear \u2018Vitamin B\u2019 used in a sentence, you now know that people may well be talking about die Karriere<\/strong> (career) and der Erfolg<\/strong> (success), rather than die Ern\u00e4hrung<\/strong> (nutrition)!<\/p>\n

I hope this has been interesting and taught you something new! Let me know in the comment box below if there are any other German words you\u2019d like me to break down!<\/p>\n

Bis bald,<\/em>
\nConstanze<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"vitamin

Guten Tag! Today we\u2019re going to look at a term that isn\u2019t what it seems in German! The term in question is Vitamin B. What is Vitamin B? In one context, the phrase Vitamin B is exactly what it looks like: the German translation of vitamin B. In German, the word Vitamin is spelt the…<\/p>\n

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