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Yet More German Pseudo-Anglicisms

There are quite a few English words that have been adopted by the German language but given different meanings or used in different contexts. These are called pseudo-anglicisms, with German speakers sometimes re-importing what they mistakenly think are English words into their non-native English, often with unintentionally humorous or incomprehensible results. This is the third installment in this series.

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Geh und check sein Handy

Go and check his mobile phone!

Caption 50, Die Pfefferkörner - Eigentor

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If something is "handy" in English then it is convenient, but German has taken the convenience of the cellular telephone and turned it into the pseudo-anglicism das Handy.

 

Public Viewing oder echte Stadion-Atmosphäre,

Outdoor screening or genuine stadium atmosphere,

der Übergang ist fließend.

the transition is fluid [seamless].

Captions 2-3, Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft - Deutschland - Portugal 4:0

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The English words "public" and "viewing" placed together as "public viewing" make sense as something that is accessible to be viewed by the public, but the German pseudo-anglicism das Public Viewing refers very specifically to a live outdoor screening of a sporting event.

 

Gibt's irgendwelche No-Gos auf dem roten Teppich für Sie?

Are there any taboos on the red carpet for you?

Caption 42, Bambi-Verleihung - Stars auf dem roten Teppich

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A "no-go" in English is an event that has been cancelled, or in the case of a "no-go area" someplace that is off limits, but in German das No-Go somehow came to mean a taboo.

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Further Learning
Review earlier Yabla newsletters German Pseudo-Anglicisms and More German Pseudo-Anglicisms and look for more examples on Yabla German to see how these words are used in a real-world context.

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