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The Week in Germany: Culture

December 15, 2006

Kaffepaussi is Finnish for “Out of Order” – German Words Travel the World

The German Language Council has published the surprising and amusing results of its international contest “Word Migrations.” Over six-thousand entries from 70 countries flooded in to the Council this summer, and the best submissions are catalogued in the book “Words that Emigrated” (available in German only). Some highlights follow below:

Country	Word	Meaning	German word of origin	Original Meaning
Finland	Kaffepaussi	Out of order	Kaffeepause	Coffee Break
America	Wishy-Washy	Lacking a clear standpoint	Wischi Washi	Lacking a clear standpoint
France	Vasistas	Skylight	Was ist das?	What is that?
Japan	Arubaito	Odd student job	Arbeit	Work
Poland	Wihaister	Whatchamacallit	Wie heißt er?	What is his/its name?

Germanophiles can have fun guessing the meanings of more words with wanderlust with an online memory game and an advent calendar hosted by the Goethe Institute.

Links:

Wörterwanderung Memory Game

Wörterwanderung Advent Calendar

Dan Hamilton on German Words in the San Francisco Chronicle

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