Beware of the false friend!

LANGUAGE | Tricky Words
Beware
of the
false
friend!
VANESSA CLARK über die Gefahren
und Freuden der „falschen Freunde“.
F
alse friends are words that look similar in two
languages, but have quite different meanings. For example, “gift” is another word
for present, but in German, Gift means poison.
This is what happens: you see an English word that resembles a German word,
so you think you know what it means.
“Actually” must mean aktuell — right?
Wrong! It means eigentlich, wirklich.
It also works the other way round,
of course. You are searching for
an English word (Wie heißt
“ein aktuelles Foto” auf Englisch?) and you use one that
sounds like its German
equivalent (“an actual
photo”). Unfortunately, it
doesn’t work. In English,
your photo needs to be “current” or “up-to-date”.
This kind of similarity can
cause confusion. An English
speaker who needs an “ambulance” (Krankenwagen) is more
seriously ill than the German
speaker who only needs the
Ambulanz (“out-patient clinic”).
False friends can be entertaining, too.
A German visitor to Scotland may
not share his Scottish host’s enthusiasm for the beautiful “mist” (Nebel)
over the mountains.
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MIST
1. Most common
Here are some of the most common false friends.
German translated into English
German
mobile phone (UK) / cell phone (N. Am.) Handy
English
English translated into German
handy
praktisch, nützlich, handlich
donate, give
spenden
spend
(Geld) ausgeben; (Zeit) verbringen
current, up-to-date, topical
aktuell
actual(ly)
eigentlich, wirklich
possibly, maybe
eventuell
eventually
endlich, schließlich
trillion
Billion(en)
billion
Milliarde(n)
get, receive
bekommen
become
werden
carry out, make
sth. happen
realisieren
realize
erkennen,
begreifen
boss
Chef
chef
Koch, Chefkoch
Correct the six “false-friend” mistakes in the text below. Use the list above to help you.
Yesterday, the big chef of our firm announced that he wanted to realize a big plan. He would like to spend eventually
even €250,000 to a charity that provides handys to people in Africa. That’s more money than I become in five years.
Answers: 1. Most common: chef–boss; realize–carry out;
spend–donate / give; eventually–possibly / maybe;
handys–mobile phones (UK) / cell phones (N. Am.); become–get
2. Food and drink
Here are some common culinary false friends.
German translated into English
German
English
English translated into German
chilli pepper
Peperoni
pepperoni
Salami
sparkling wine
Sekt
sect
Sekte
set menu, set meal
Menü
menu
Speisekarte
jam
Marmelade
marmalade
Orangen-/Zitrusmarmelade
spot (on the skin), acne
Pickel
pickle
Essiggurke
poison
Gift
gift
Geschenk
A German student (G) has language problems when talking about British food. An English friend (E)
helps him out. Choose the right word from the box to complete each explanation below (a – e).
Fotos: Digital Vision; iStock
chilli peppers | jam | poison | salami | sparkling | sweet-and-sour
a)G: I asked for some marmalade with my toast. It had a
bitter orange flavour. I wanted raspberry.
E: Next time, ask for ___________.
b) G: I was offered a cheese-and-pickle sandwich. I wasn’t
sure about the pickle, so I asked for just cheese.
E: Oh, pickle is a bit like chutney. It’s a ___________ mix
of vegetables in a vinegar sauce. It’s good with cheese.
c)G: I asked for a pepperoni pizza, but when it arrived, it
was covered in meat. I’m a vegetarian!
E: Yes. Here, pepperoni is a spicy sausage, like
___________. Next time, ask for ___________.
d) G: I asked for Sekt and the waiter didn’t understand.
E: You should have asked for ___________ wine.
e) G: I bought something for my mother in a gift
shop. That’s funny because, for us Germans, Gift is
___________.
Answers: 2. Food and drink: a) jam (raspberry: Himbeere); b) sweet-and-sour (vinegar: Essig);
c) salami, chilli peppers (spicy: pikant, scharf); d) sparkling; e) poison
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LANGUAGE | Tricky Words
3. At work
The workplace also has its share of false friends. We’ve highlighted a few for you below.
German translated into English
German
English
English translated into German
factory
Fabrik
fabric
Stoff
folder
Mappe
map
Stadtplan
forklift truck
Gabelstapler
stapler
Hefter, Tacker
PowerPoint slide
Folie
foil
Folie
management
Direktion
direction
Richtung
Choose the right word to complete these sentences.
a) Can I borrow this forklift truck / stapler from your desk?
b) I need a folder / map for these documents.
c) Do I have enough foils / slides for my presentation?
d) Can you drive a forklift truck / stapler?
e) We sell through small shops and large warehouses / department stores.
Answers: 3. At work: a) stapler; b) folder; c) slides; d) forklift truck; e) department stores (Kaufhaus; warehouse: Warenlager)
4. Describing people
Here are false friends that can confuse us when we want to describe another person.
German translated into English
German
English
English translated into German
sensitive
sensibel
sensible
vernünftig
to do with the family
familiär
familiar
bekannt, vertraut
flamboyant
extravagant
extravagant
verschwenderisch
soon
bald
bald
kahl, haarlos
glamorous, sophisticated
mondän
mundane
banal, alltäglich
Choose the right meaning for each of these descriptions.
a) They live a very mundane life.
1. They go to a lot of glamorous events.
2. They have a boring, routine life.
b) He’s terribly extravagant.
1. He’s quite dramatic and theatrical in the way he
dresses and behaves.
2. He spends too much money on luxuries.
d) She’s a sensible girl.
1. She cries easily
and often feels
hurt.
2. She never
does anything
wild or
crazy.
c) He’s bald on top.
1. He’s losing his hair.
2. He’ll soon be the winner.
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Spotlight 6|15
Answers: 4. Describing people: a–2; b–2; c–1; d–2
5. Borrowed words
Both German and English borrow from many different languages. When the two languages borrow the same foreign
word, but use it in a different way — voila, a false friend is born! For example, in France, your chef is your boss — and
German has adopted this meaning. In a French restaurant, the chef is the chef de cuisine — he’s in charge of the kitchen.
English has taken this meaning, so an English “chef ” is a professional cook.
German translated into English
German
English
English translated into German
palace
Residenz
residence
Wohnort
airs, affectations
Allüren
allure
Anziehungskraft, Zauber
avenue
Allee
alley
Gasse
imagination
Fantasie
fantasy
Einbildung, Hirngespinst
outline, plan
Exposé
exposé
Enthüllung(sbericht)
Choose the right word from the box to fill each gap.
alley | allure | exposé | fantasy | imagination | residence
a) It’s a(n) _________ of mine to have dinner with George
Clooney on his yacht.
b) When you read a book, you have to use your ________.
c) The documentary film was a(n) _________ of the porn
industry.
d) Jane is charming; she has a certain _________.
e) I’m a US citizen, but the UK is my country of _________.
f) He ran down a narrow _________, where the police car
couldn’t follow him.
Answers: 5. Borrowed words: a) fantasy; b) imagination; c) exposé; d) allure; e) residence; f) alley
6. Pseudo-English
Most languages around the world have adopted English words. Some languages have even made their own pseudoEnglish words that are unknown to native speakers of English. While they’re great words to use in German, don’t be
surprised if your English-speaking friends don’t understand them.
Fotos: Ingram Publishing; iStock; Photodisc
Match the pseudo-English words to their native-speaker equivalents.
a) fitness club
a ➯
1. graffiti artist
b) casting show
b ➯
2. workplace bullying
c) pullunder
c ➯
3. cross-body bag, rucksack with one strap
d) talkmaster
d ➯
4. working from home
e) sprayer
e ➯
5. sweater vest
f) public viewing
f ➯
6. chat-show host (UK), talk-show host (N. Am.)
g) mobbing
g ➯
7. dinner jacket (UK), tuxedo (N. Am.)
h) smoking
h ➯
8. gym
i) body bag
i ➯
9. TV talent show
j) home office
j ➯
charge: be in ~
of sth. [tSA:dZ]
tricky [(trIki]
etw. leiten, für etw.
verantwortlich sein
knifflig, verfänglich
10. outdoor screening
So, false friends can be tricky, annoying, interesting... and they can even be fun. Henning Wehn is a comedian who
comes from Germany, but who is very successful in England. If you’d like to watch his short film clips for the BBC about
the dangers of false friends and of pseudo-Anglicisms, go to www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german/comedy
Answers: 6. Pseudo-English: a –8; b–9; c–5; d–6; e–1; f–10; g–2; h–7; i–3; j–4
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