False Friends - Taschen Guide

building of the product.“
    Hannes: „Oh, you're right, yes, the design. We need to make a change to this part of the product, make it thinner.“
    Melinda: „But I am not sure if the material will still be as strong as before. If you make this part thinner, the product could break more easily and that would mean a lot of reclamations.“
    Sam: „Reclamations? What do you mean exactly?“
    Melinda: „When customers are angry about the product breaking and want their money back.“
    Sam: „I see. You mean complaints.“
    Important
    In Germany, only people who have an engineering degree are permitted to call themselves engineers. Native English speakers use the term less strictly: the people who come to repair your washing machine, your TV, your fridge or your freezer can all be called an ‚engineer‘ or a ‚technician‘ .
Tip
    It is normally very rare for native speakers to correct other people's English, because they do not want to create any embarrassment or cause you to feel insulted. If it does happen, then it is probably because the situation is very important and it is necessary to make certain that there is absolutely no confusion. In cases such as these you should make a note to remind yourself of your mistake.
Useful vocabulary
    to crop up
auftauchen
of paramount importance
von größter Wichtigkeit
consignment
Lieferung

Useful false friends to know
    If you mean…
say this:
This…
means:
absolvieren
to pass; to complete*
    He passed his exams with flying colours.
    They have all satisfactorily completed the software course.
absolve
freisprechen
Advokat
solicitor (BE) / lawyer**
    She has just qualified as a lawyer.
advocate
Verfechter; Befürworter
Aktion
campaign
    It was a very successful advertising campaign.
action
Handlung; Bewegung
aktualisieren
to update
    The statistics have now been updated.
actualize
verwirklichen
aktuell
current
    What is the current situation in banking?
actual
tatsächlich; Ist-
    * Words which are separated by a semi-colon have different meanings.
    ** Words separated by a slash have similar meanings and can be used as synonyms for each other.
    If you mean…
say this:
This…
means:
alarmieren
to alert
    Please alert the police in the event of theft.
alarm
in Angst versetzen; erschrecken
also
well / so
    Well, if you really want my opinion …
also
auch
Ambulanz
outpatients' (department)
    She's waiting in the outpatients' department to have her arm x-rayed.
ambulance
Krankenwagen
amüsieren, sich ~
to enjoy oneself
    We really enjoyed ourselves at the theatre.
amuse
belustigen; amüsieren
Angina
tonsillitis
    He's off sick with tonsillitis.
angina
Herzschmerzen
annoncieren
to advertise
    The vacancy is advertised in this week's newspaper.
announce
ankündigen; verkünden
apart
elegant / stylish
    That's a very elegant suit you're wearing!
apart
abseits, entfernt
Argument
point
    I'm not sure I understand your point.
    But: The arguments for and against a change.
argument
Streit; Auseinandersetzung
arrangieren, sich ~
to come to an arrangement
    They've finally come to an arrangement about who will take over the job.
arrange
ordnen; sortieren
Arrest, unter ~ sein
to be detained
    He's being detained and I don't know why.
arrest
verhaften; festnehmen
Art
type / kind / sort; nature
    This type of product sells extremely well.
    It's not in his nature to complain.
art
Kunst
Artist
performer
    She's an excellent performer.
artist
Künstler/in
ausfallen
to be cancelled
    My meeting was cancelled this morning.
fall out
herausfallen
ausmachen
to represent
    These statistics fully represent our clients' opinions.
make out
ausstellen; dahinter kommen; darauf kommen
Band
volume; recording; ribbon
    This is the 3rd volume in the series.
    We have a recording of the whole conversation. I'd like a ribbon tied around the gift, please.
band
Kapelle; Gruppe; Streifen
Bank
bench; riverbank
    We waited outside on a bench. The spectators watched the boat race from the riverbank.
bank
Bank (Geldinstitut); (Fluss-)Ufer
Basis, (~-)
grass-roots; basis
    We need a grass-roots approach to this issue. But: We used the statistics as a basis for our decisions.
basis
Fundament; Ausgangspunkt
Beamer
(multi-media) projector
    I need a projector to show my presentation.
beamer
BMW
bekommen
to receive / to get
    I received a letter today from the tax authorities.
become
werden
beliebt
popular
    This type of advertising is very popular.
beloved
(heiß)geliebt
bilden
to form
    Have you formed a plan