Wednesday, 21 May 2014

Thirteen words misinterpreted by Germans as English

There are many English words in German language which has different meanings. This creates of confusion among native English speakers. Let us look some of these interesting words:

Handy’- This is one of the best examples of an English word used by Germans in entirely different way. In English, handy implies something which is convenient. However, when used by Germans, handy means a cell phone. How interesting! So let us form sentences. A cell phone can be handy for English speakers while it cannot be quite handy in case of Germans who try to buy it in UK- which is an English speaking country.

Smoking’- Don’t be surprised if a German asks you to dress in a smoking. In German, smoking means tuxedo which is an old English jacket.

Show master’- In German language, the word show master implies a TV host and not a ringmaster in circus. This word was introduced by a Dutch show master, Rudi who was a famous TV host in Germany. Likewise Germans have invented words like Talk master and Quiz master.

Tramp’- Tramp is German means looking cheap or provocative. So, when German daughters grew up, their mother would beg them not to tramp because it was bad and they were not at all talking about hitchhiking.


Wellness’-This word can be found everywhere in Germany. It is advertised in every hotel but its use in German is different from its meaning in English. In German language, ‘wellness’ is a word which denotes saunas, steam bath and massage services offered in hotels. So next time keep an eye for the signs like ‘Wellness area’ in your German hotel.

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