Translation

Tricky translations

How do you say “supervisor” in German? In business, a “supervisor” is someone who oversees the work of others. In other words, it is another way of saying “boss”. It is translated as Vor

gesetzte(r) or sometimes, in the production and construction sectors, as Aufseher(in):

“I need my supervisor’s approval before I can refund the money.” — Ich brauche die Genehmigung meines Vorgesetzten, bevor ich das

Geld erstatten kann.

Note that German companies have a “supervisory board”

(Aufsichtsrat), which oversees the activities of the management board.

In academia, a “supervisor” is the professor or senior lecturer who oversees someone’s doctoral thesis. We translate this as

“My supervisor suggested some additions to my dissertation.” — Mein Doktorvater hat ein paar Ergänzungen zu meiner Doktorarbeit vorgeschlagen.

Note: In US English, a “town or county supervisor” is an elected official who manages local government services.

Doktorvater/-mutter:

How do you say (sich) anstellen in English? In firms, anstellen means “give somebody a job”. It is translated as hire, appoint or employ: Die Firma möchte zwanzig neue Mitarbeiter anstellen.— “The company wants to hire 20 new employees.”

For electrical equipment, anstellen means “activate a switch”. It is translated as turn on or switch on:

Stellen Sie zuerst den roten Schalter an. — “First, turn on the red switch.”

Sich anstellen can mean “stand and wait in a line”. It is translated as queue (up), line up, stand in a queue or stand in line. “Queue” is used in British English, whereas “line” is used in American English:

Die Fans stellten sich schon um 4 Uhr an der Kasse an. — “The fans were already queuing at the box office at 4 a.m.”

The verb sich anstellen describes the way somebody behaves. It is translated as make a fuss or behave stupidly:

Stell dich nicht so an! Wir hatten nur zehn Minuten Verspätung! — “Don’t make such a fuss! We were only ten minutes late!”