Nonsense on the page

I disagree fundamentally with the Verein Deutsche Sprache (VDS). They think, in general, that Anglicisms, such as Sale or Location, should not be used in German. Instead, "German" alternatives should be preferred (or invented). I think, in general, that people should use whatever words they want. That's the fundamental difference between us.

Three main reasons are usually put forward for not using English terms in German: they are ugly; they are unnecessary; and they are often incomprehensible.

Only the third reason is valid. Who is to judge what is ugly? That's in the eye (or ear) of the beholder. And why is a word unnecessary just because an alternative exists? All languages have synonyms.

The third reason is indeed important, however. Languge that cannot be understood is often useless. (Not always, though. Poetry, lyrics and literature can have a beauty even when the meaning is not clear.)

In the business world, clear communication is usually essential. A recent article in Sprachnachrichten, the newspaper of the VDS, criticized the unclear language used by many managers. The article was titled Nonsens aus der Chefetage ("Nonsense from the management floor") and was a reprint from Handelsblatt from 14 January.

Unlike many of the articles in Sprachnachrichten, this one didn't seem to be criticizing English or Denglish — at least not at first. Instead, its main target was bad German: long sentences, complicated structures, overuse of the passive, and business jargon, such as kapitalmarktorientiert and Umsatzpotenziale.

But the author, Christoph Moss, a professor of business communication at the International School of Management in Dortmund — yes, that's its name — couldn't resist a swipe at English in his last paragraph. He criticized the use of Sale and Location, hardly the most difficult words.

Most ridiculous of all, however, was the box on the same page that identified English as one of the causes of the world economic crisis. I promise I am not making this up.

The bizarre explanation, attributed to Markus Lutter, a lawyer from Bonn, was that, because American investment contracts are in English, and many German bank managers don't understand English very well, these bank managers missed "hidden" clauses in the "400-page contracts" that would have alerted them to the high risk of their investments.

Well, maybe these contracts did contain such clauses. But note who is to blame here. Not the banks and its lawyers for failing to employ an English-speaking lawyer who could find and understand these clauses, or for failing to insist on a top-quality translation into German. No, the English-language itself is guilty, as it is for almost everything in Sprachnachrichten.

There is only one word for such reasoning: nonsense. Or, if you prefer it in German: Nonsens. Oh, wait a second. How silly of me — that's an Anglicism, too. I'll try again: Unsinn