Pseudoenglish

I just came across this wiki that attempts (I say attempts because it looks like there are more than a few mistakes--part of the problem with wikis) to define "Pseudoenglisch" or "Denglisch" words. And here's another wiki dealing with Scheinanglizismen (German words that look like English words but wouldn't be understood by an English-speaker who doesn't also speak German--such as Talkmaster (moderator)).

My new favorite German words:

Body Bag -- Leichensack
Funeralmaster -- Bestattermeister, (Leichen-)Bestatter
Beamer -- Videoprojektor, Datenprojektor, digitaler Projektor, Projektor
Dressman -- männliches Fotomodell; männliche Person, die Herrenbekleidung vorführt

That's cool. I'm sure there are plenty more Scheinanglizmen that could be added. E.g. "Der Film hat ein Happy End", or "last not least". And what about "wellness"? Is that an english word?

My favourite

"Handy...Umgangssprachlich in den USA auch für Handjob verwendet..."

Is that true? I've never heard this usage of the word. Any americans like to comment?

This is a good place to mention "false friends". Words that have a similar-sounding meaning in another language, but actually a totally different meaning.

One good link

great link
I once made reservations at a German restaurant and they said in the confirmation that the "Somalier" would be recommending wines.

http://dict.leo.org/cgi-bin/dict/urlexp/20050426091820

Funny conversation on Leo about "Welness" and other related concepts

@kmuesli
Thanks for the link, it's hilarious!

As Tom_A can attest to, "Wellness" is my (least) favorite word in Denglish. I wish that every German advertiser that has chosen to use this horrible non-word would be strung up in the village square and beaten with "wellness" capri hose, "wellness" 3/4 arm tops, "wellness" drinks etc etc you get my drift.

Some of the false Anglicisms are now real though -- you can now use "beamer" in English to mean video projector. Just search for beamer on ebay.com and it refers you to searches for projectors.

"handy" for a handjob? Never heard it, but maybe I travel in the wrong circles. But check here: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=handy -- it's apparently "European" slang for a cellphone.

I dunno Gen - Ebay.com seems to always have "projector beamer" - not just "beamer" on it's own. I know I was bitterly disappointed in my first month in Germany after an excited conversation in which a colleague explained that he had bought a new Beamer for only 6,000 DM.

(and yeah, "wellness" is a hated adjective)

Sure randy, one word can have two entirely separate meanings, and if you don't know both, you'll be confused sometimes. Car parts in British and US English for example: boot is to trunk as hood is to bonnet. Plus if you were talking in DM, it will have been a while ago, and beamers are only gradually making their way into the home market from the company boardroom / classroom, so the word is also only gradually spreading. I only know one fellow who already has one for watching TV at home.

Maybe ebay's not the best place to find new words, but it's a place where tons of people are trying to describe things, regardless of dictionary use. Of course, it's also advantageous for the seller to put as many words as possible into the title, so "projector beamer" or "beamer projector" are common Ebay items. That doesn't mean you can't use the word on its own. Like this: Tiffany Stained Glass Chandelier Ceiling Lamp. Chandelier can be used on its own, as can ceiling lamp. In this context, they're redundant. Both are still in the name of the item, as the seller doesn't know what potential buyers will call it. Stained glass referring to a Tiffany lamp is redundant too. (Sorry if that link doesn't work anymore.) Maybe amazon examples are better: they also have products with "beamer" used on its own, including this one.

I should have used google first: beamer -projector gets me The LaTeX Beamer Class Homepage
LaTeX class designed for creating presentations for display with a video projector. Includes examples and installation details.

On Sourceforge no less. First hit. Enough essay writing for tonight, I'm going to bed.

Hooray, a 'wellness' bash. UGH!! This is on a level with 'Handy' for me.

Funnily enough when mobiles were just becoming popular, I went to England and started talking about Handys and everyone just stared blankly at me! I'd just assumed that the Germans had just taken the English name. God knows where it came from.

Here Here !!
i almost want to tear those f'ing fitness centre billboards down on the ubahn. The use of this word drives me crazy!

Common one at work right now is "fifty fifty". This also drives me nuts as they dont use fit or something thats in the balance but rather as open ended possibility ( ie more than two possible outcomes)

Where do they get these supposed definitions? This one is misleading, if not downright wrong. In German-speaking countries the word "handy" is commonly used, obviously, so at any rate it's not slang. We know it's not used in English in that sense, and I for one have never heard anyone use it in French, Italian or Spanish. That's a big chunk of Europe, so what countries do they have in mind? Central and Eastern Europe? Somehow even that doesn't ring true (bad pun, sorry, couldn't resist!).

Does anyone else call them "moby"?

Where? Where?

You write them yourself, and then other people vote on if they think they're correct or not. That's the thumbs up and thumbs down bit. If you don't like the definition, you write a new one.

I haven't heard "handy" anywhere but in German-speaking countries, but then I don't get around much.

I've only heard "Handy" here.

US and SA I head it referred to as "Cellphone" or just "Cell".

In Ireland it was "Mobile" or sometimes "Moby"...precursor to leaving the house, "Got me money, moby and marlys, right I'm ready".

Have been complaining about wellness now for ages as well. Another prime example of successful but crappy marketing. People really are that stupid it seems. Have recently seen an offer for "wellness for dogs".

Btw. cellphones or mobiles or whatever: Am a Saffer meself, at home everybody talks about their "cell". When I am talking to Germans I use the word "handy". When I talk to all other English speakers I use the word "mobile". So what is the correct word to use?

There is no 'correct' word! In GB it's mobile/mobile phone, Irish extra of moby, in DE it's Handy, in US it's cell/cellular/cell phone/cellular phone.. Just don't use Handy in an Englis-lang conversation

@UA

It has slipped out once, I have to admit. And I got a big grin as a reward.

I will if I want!

Don't know if it classifies, but I used schicki-micki once with my dad. He now knows what it means. I suppose the best translation would be hoity-toity although I would normally have used trendy or maybe posh. Wellness pisses me off no end, Handy I'm ambivalent towards, but what really irks me is how much technical jargon creeps into my profession in English when there're perfectly good German words for them.

You mean like "downloaden"? The word makes the little hairs on my arms stand on end whenever I hear it. Or another favorite of mine "voten".

"Downloaden" is barely tolerable in the present tense. But try to conjugate it to past tense or present perfect: Ich downloadete das Update/habe das Update downgeloadet/gedownloadet.

Wish I had read this a few years ago, before I told my boss that I wouldn't take their beamer to the customer presentation and I would take the U-Bahn instead. I can still see how they looked at me like something that came down with the last UFO.

It'll always be "me mob"...

I don't know if it's pseudo-English or not, but what annoys me is the number of businesses here that feel inclined to use "& More". It's everywhere! My E-plus contract was "Time & More", Lufthansa has "Miles & More", there's a bar near where I live called "Beers & More" or something, and I've even seen a shop on Sendlinger strasse called "More & More". Arrrgggh!

PS - I am very reassured by that false friends site, especially the fact that they correctly define marmelade: jam from citrus fruits. Strawberry marmelade my arse!

What about the term 'smoking' for a tuxedo?

I'd never heard that before I came here..

Again, they use that in Spanish (and maybe French) too, and I also find it riduclous. Where I come from, what they call a "Smoking" is a Dinner Jacket, or DJ. A Smoking Jacket would be something you wear over your clothes after a meal, when you have your cigars.

to download = herunterladen, I thought.

A favourite in football: die Jungs müssen fighten.

@ UA: Of course it is, but they use downloaden as well. Why use a German word when you can sound globally savvy?

updaten is one of my faves, as in "ich habe den Report upgedated"

I pissed myself when I first saw that. It's like it was invented by an English speaker to take the piss out of the German language. But anyway, I don't know if they are 'official', but I often use "upfucken", "upshutten", "outchillen" and stuff like that. "Shutten Sie up oder fucken Sie off", "Bitte outchillen!" etc etc.

ugh.. if anyone says that to me, i always reply 'du meinst aktualisieren'

personal pet-hates are using English words when they have a perfectly good German one just so people sound trendy and using English words incorrectly. Examples

die Family (instead of family)
forwarden (instead of weiterleiten)
Location (instead of Standort)
Ein Tackling (instead of tackle)

Isn't psuedo-english what the Ami's speak ?

...meckle runs for the hills!

If it's good enough for there to be an association named after the word, it's gotta be good enough for the rest of us:

Wellness Association

I do still hate that word though, particularly when pronounced 'vellness'. Bell-ends.

Yup I peronally hate the wellness word.

Of course its there for a reason - if you claim to do anything to do with promoting health - there are all sorts of regulations that apply - in Germany anyhow. But if you say you're promoting wellness - you can say what you like.

Even more complicated than "updaten" is "backupen"
Ich habe die Dateien gebackupt/upgebackt...

Did you ever hear a German try to say "Woolworth's"?
Comes out like "vooll-verse."

Ha. Kills me. But you should hear me speak da Deutsch.

BTW, have you ever said something to a German and have them scratch their heads, then you say it again a couple times, and then the light goes on and they repeat back what you just said, and you swear IT SOUNDS EXACTLY like you just pronounced it?

Makes me cuckoo.

what about the word "mobbing" and the verb "mobben" to mean bullying or harassment, now that really gets my goat...and also "Ein Piercing"

I like that one too, especially when the verb is split: datest du das up?

report is always pronounced Reeeport too I find

All the time.

Words like updaten instead of aktualisieren are not the same phenomenon as they are not changing the meaning of the original in any way. They are, rather, just pure borrowings and as such are relatively legitimate (although sometimes a little amusing, especially when used in the past-perfect tense).

My favourite peave at the moment would have to be "mobbing", which the Germans use to mean workplace bullying or harrassment, even if it is just one person picking on another! Totally wrong meaning.

It sometimes happens in the other direction too, however. Think of the use of the word "angst" or "angst-ridden" in English in the sense of some deep inner anxiety that all good artists and creative people have to have. In German it pretty much just means fear, like "Ich habe Angst vor Hünde" - "I am afraid of dogs".

There is no 'correct' word!

That's telling 'em. Good on ya!