Bu siness skills: b et ter me etings 1 — 21 business englisch bu sin es s e n g L is

41 
1/2021
Business Spotlight
LANGUAGE
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Other useful vocabulary
craft knife
,
Tapziermesser
decorate sth. 
UK,
wallpaper sth. 
,
etw. tapezieren
dust sheet 
UK,

drop cloth 
US
,
Abdecktuch
lay sth.
,
etw. verlegen
masking tape
,
Abklebeband
paint sth.
,
etw. anstreichen, malern
plaster sth.
,
etw. verputzen
prime sth.
,
etw. grundieren
putty sth. 
[(pVti]
,

spackle sth. 
US
,
etw. aus-, zuspachteln 
sand sth.
,
etw. abschleifen
scraper
,
Spachtel
seal sth.
,
etw. versiegeln
strip off wallpaper
,
Tapeten abreißen
tile sth.
,
etw. fliesen
tongue-and-groove 
system
,
Nut-und-Feder-System
topcoat
,
Deckanstrich
undercoat
,
Grundierung
wallpaper remover
,
 
Tapetenablöser
1. net curtain 
UK, 
sheer curtain 
US
,
Gardine, Store 
2. interior decorator/designer
,
Raumausstatter(in);
Innenarchitekt(in) 
3. stepladder
,
Trittleiter
4. homeowner 
,
Hausbesitzer(in)
5. plumber 
[(plVmE] 
,
Installateur(in), Klempner(in)
6. shower cubicle 
[(kju:bIk&l]
,
Duschkabine
7. tile 
[taI&l]
,
Fliese, Kachel
8. tiler
,
Fliesenleger(in)
9. woodchip wallpaper
,
Raufasertapete
10. decorator, paperhanger
,
Tapezierer(in)
11. wallpaper paste
,
Tapetenkleister
12. pasting brush
,
Kleisterbürste
13. pasting table
,
Tapeziertisch 
14. paint roller
,
Farbrolle(r)
15. painter
,
Maler(in), Anstreicher(in)
16. paint bucket 
[(bVkIt]
,
Farbeimer
17. floor layer
,
Bodenleger(in)
18. parquet floorboard 
[(pA:keI]
,
Parkettdiele
19. kitchen cabinet 
[(kÄbInEt]
,
Küchen(einbau)schrank
20. carpenter
,
Tischler(in), Schreiner(in)
Renovation work (I)
Interior redecorating 
Die Coronapandemie bestimmt noch immer weitgehend
unseren Alltag. Reisen ist kaum möglich. Und so nutzen
viele die Zeit für Renovierungsarbeiten innerhalb des Hauses.
Nützliches Vokabular dazu finden Sie auf diesen zwei Seiten.
Von HILDEGARD RUDOLPH
EASY
Spoilt for choice
Taste is a matter of choice, and this is all 
the more true when it comes to redecorat-
ing your home.
⋅
Walls
You can vary the appearance of walls 
by covering them with 
photo(graph-
ic)
or 
textile wallpaper
, with 
tapestry
(
Wandteppich, -behang
) or 
wood(en) 
panels
(
Holzpaneele
), or you can simply 
apply a 
coat of paint
(
Farbanstrich
).
⋅
Flooring
Depending on the purpose of the room, 
you can adapt the 
flooring 
(
Bodenbe-
lag
) by laying 
carpet
(
Teppich
) or 
cork
(
Kork
), 
flagstone
(
Steinfliese
), 
laminate
[(lÄmIneIt]
(
Laminat
), 
parquet
[(pA:keI]
(
Parkett
) or 
vinyl
[(vaIn&l]
flooring. 
⋅
 Windows
At the windows, you can have a 
curtain
(
Vorhang
), 
net 
(
UK
)
/sheer 
(
US
) 
curtain
(
Store
) or 
pane curtain
(
Scheibengar-
dine
), or blinds such as 
roller
, 
vertical 
or 
pleated blinds
(
Spring-, Vertikal- oder Plis-
seerollos
) and 
Roman shades
(
Raffrollos
).
Don’t confuse!
Handwerker is usually a 
(manual) workman 
in English. The term can also refer to a 
craftsman/-woman or craftsperson, 
tradesman/-woman or tradesperson. A 
Kunsthandwerker(in) is an 
artisan. 
Don’t say 
handworker, as this refers to 
a person who works with their hands 
rather than machines. Typical examples of 
handwork (Handarbeit) are embroidery 
(Stickerei), hairdressing, beads-making, 
soap-making, phone or watch repair. 
What’s 
Parkett
 in English?
The German word 
Parkett
has various 
English translations, depending on the 
context. In construction, it is 
parquet 
[(pA:keI]
or 
parquet floor(ing)
(
Parkett- 
(boden)
).
At the stock exchange, shares are traded 
on the 
(trading) floor
(
Börsenparkett
). 
In a cinema or theatre, a seating place 
in the 
stalls
(
UK
) and 
orchestra (section)
(
US
) corresponds to the German 
Parkett
. 
In a global business context, people are 
active on the 
international scene
or 
stage
(
auf dem internationalen Parkett
). 
Finally, you dance on a 
dance floor
(
Tanzparkett, -fläche
). 

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42 
Business Spotlight
1/2021
LANGUAGE
SKILL UP!
Work-life balance
Mit den Tipps dieser Doppelseite erweitern 
Sie Ihren englischen Wortschatz und halten Ihr 
Geschäftsenglisch auf dem neuesten Stand.
Von DEBORAH CAPRAS
MEDIUM
AUDIO PLUS
Tricky translations
Here, we look at words that are difficult to translate 
because they have several different meanings.
How do you say
Urlaub
in English?
1.
In the UK, we usually translate 
Urlaub
as 
holiday
. 
In the US, 
vacation
is more common: 
Sarah ist auf 
dem Weg in den wohlverdienten Urlaub. 
,
 
“Sarah is on 
her way to a well-deserved holiday.”
2.
We can translate 
Urlaub machen
as 
go on holiday
or 
take a holiday
: 
Wo machst du dieses Jahr Urlaub?
,
 
“Where are you going on holiday this year?”
3.
When referring to shorter holidays, we would 
translate 
Urlaub nehmen
as 
take a break
or 
take 
time off (work)
: 
Ich muss jetzt mal Urlaub machen.
,
 
“I need to take some time off (work) now.” 
4.
In a work context, we often prefer to translate 
combinations with 
Urlaub 
as 
leave
, as in 
Jahresur-
laub
(
annual leave
) or 
Erziehungsurlaub
(
parental 
leave
): 
Ihr Jahresurlaub muss bis spätestens Ende März 
des Folgejahres genommen werden. 
,
 
“Your annual 
leave must be taken by the end of March of the 
following year at the latest.”
Jargon buster
Know the jargon, but be careful how you use it, as
others may not understand it.
motherhood penalty
Example: 
“If I compare my future pension to my husband’s, I can 
see that I’ll be hit hard by the motherhood penalty.”
Explanation: 
In the US, working mothers tend to earn 70 cents to 
every dollar earned by fathers. This disparity in earn-
ings is called the “motherhood penalty”. Mothers of-
ten lose out financially when they have to juggle their 
career and raising children.
disparity 
[dIs(pÄrEti]
,
Ungleichheit,
Missverhältnis
juggle (two things)
[(dZVg&l]
,
(zwei Dinge) unter 
einen Hut bringen 
(
juggle
 
, 
jonglieren)
lose out
,
den Kürzeren ziehen
penalty
,
Strafe
False friends
Many words in German and English seem similar 
but have very different meanings.
What’s Rente in English?
Rente 
= 
retirement
⋅
John no longer works here. He’s taken early 
retirement. 
It’s not “rent”!
rent
= 
Miete
⋅
Our rent went up again last year. 
Note: 
Rente
can also refer to regular monthly pay-
ments. It is then translated as 
pension:
⋅
How much is your pension?
retirement
rent

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43 
1/2021
Business Spotlight
LANGUAGE
L
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U
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 SE
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ION
Fo
tos: f
erma
te, s
to
ckf
our
, P
eopleImage
s/iS
to
ck
.com
Essential idioms
Read the two versions of the dialogue. Then read the 
idiomatic one again. Can you remember the mean-
ings of the idioms? 
First, the idiomatic way
Saoirse:
I felt I was being 
back-burnered
at the com-
pany just because I have two kids. So, I left 
and 
set up shop
as a designer.
James:
 
And you’re
 doing well for yourself
?
Saoirse:
I am, but it was a 
baptism of fire
. Finding 
time for work and family is a 
balancing act
, 
but it has got easier over the years.
James:
 
Can you 
put your feet up
at all?
Now, more simply
Saoirse:
I felt I was being given low priority at the 
company just because I have two kids. So, I 
left and started a business as a designer.