How do you say “trade” in German?

TRICKY TRANSLATIONS

If trade refers to the buying and selling of goods, it is Handel in German: “Trade between the two countries has increased.”

Der Handel zwischen den zwei Ländern ist gestiegen.

If trade is used as a verb to mean “buy and sell goods”, you can say Handel treiben or handeln: “Our company now trades in over 30 different countries.”

Unsere Firma treibt inzwischen in über 30 Ländern Handel.

If you are talking about someone’s trade, as in the type of work that person does, you can say Beruf or Handwerk: “He’s an electrician by trade. And he really knows his trade.”

Er ist Elektriker von Beruf. Und er versteht sein Handwerk sehr gut.

Trade can also mean “a particular industry or type of business”. In this case, it is translated as Branche or Gewerbe:

“They are a reliable partner in the trade.”

Sie sind ein zuverlässiger Partner in der Branche.

And finally, trade can also mean “business” or “amount of business”. Here, it is translated as Geschäft: “We did a roaring trade over the weekend.”

Wir haben über das Wochenende ein Bombengeschäft gemacht.