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English usage style guide

This guide sets out to advise about the use of international English at our University to:

  • ensure a clear and consistent use of language that can be understood by English-speakers from a wide range of backgrounds and countries
  • answer common queries and address common mistakes
  • provide references to recommended resources

1. GENERAL

  • Always write for your specific audience. Texts should be clear and accessible to them.
  • State whether your event is in English or German or both and who should attend.
  • In cases where there is no exact translation (for instance, it is a German concept such as WissZeitVG or Impressum), please use the German word in italics and explain as necessary. Sometimes, such terms can simply be omitted from a text.
  • Places, buildings, street names, rooms etc should not be translated into English equivalents unless the English is also in general usage. If in doubt, check google maps or local signage.
  • If there is more than one correct way of writing something, choose whichever uses least space and ink (email instead of e-mail).

Disclaimers and legal queries: There is no such thing as an exact translation. Words and phrases in different languages always differ in meaning, connotation and cultural context. If your text may have legal consequences, please use a disclaimer such as: "English translation provided for informational purposes. If the English and German versions allow different interpretations, the German version should be followed." If your text is produced by translation software, please make this clear: "Automatic translation produced by machine translation service and provided for informational purposes only.

2. COMMON MISTAKES

The University of Göttingen

  • General texts: University of Göttingen or the University of Göttingen, also acceptable: Göttingen University
  • Scientific journals: University of Göttingen (see Affiliation Policy of the University)
  • When referring to the legal entity: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. Note that the hyphens are required.
  • Please do not combine German and English, as in Georg-August University.
  • Capitalize "University" and "Campus" when referring to the University of Göttingen or the Göttingen Campus, not when referring to a university or campus in a general sense.
  • Use UGOE as an abbreviation in texts where the word count is important (for instance grant applications) as long as the name is stated in full when first used.
  • Please refer to Corporate Design to download the logo and for further advice. The University does not use an English version of its logo.

Equal opportunities: always use inclusive and respectful language
Please avoid outdated terms that stereotype or stigmatize. Note that language evolves very quickly. Check websites that represent the group you want to describe or the recommended resources below, such as the UN or BBC or APA websites. For example: "wheelchair users", not "people in wheelchairs"; or "older adults", or be specific about age "people aged 65 years and above", not "the aged" or "the elderly".

Commonly mistranslated words
This table shows some examples taken from our University Glossary. See Claire’s clear writing tips (PDF Download) for other common errors when German-speakers write in English.

GermanEnglishClarification
Controllingauditing
monitoring
review		The word "control" and "controlling" is much stronger in English and usually means something that will be changed rather than checked. As an example, "GleichstellungsControlling"could be translated correctly to "equal opportunities monitoring".
DrittmittelResearch grant fundingNote: "Third party funding" is often used by EU funders and so you should use this term if this is your audience. However, it wouldn't be widely understood outside Germany.
Mensacafeteria
dining hall
canteen		if you are referring to a specific "Mensa" such as the Alte Mensa (which is now the University's conference centre) or Mensa am Turm (which is still a canteen), you should use the German term exactly as it is and explain as necessary.
Nachwuchswissenschaftler*inPostdoc or Early Career Researcher (ECR)Postdoc refers to the phase following PhD completion, whereas Early Career Researcher includes other researchers who may still be studying. Avoid using "young" (as in "young scientist") unless describing schoolchildren or there is an age restriction, for instance as in some funding schemes.
sogenannt (X)known as (X)
referred to as (X)
called X
"(X)"		In English, "so-called" is often used sarcastically as in "my so-called friend". "Sogenannt" may often be omitted or the word being referred to can be put in quotations or a phrase like "known as" can be used.
Wissenschaft/Wissenschaftler*inScience/scientist
or research/researcher
or academia/academic		"Science" is sometimes perceived as referring to the natural sciences only. Depending on the context, "academia/academic" or "research/researcher" may be better choices to ensure inclusivity. "Scholars" is inclusive and includes students.

Abbreviations and acronyms
Before using an abbreviation or acronym, consider whether there is any benefit in doing so. Many English-speakers do not recognize these forms – especially in spoken language – and such words can spoil the fluency of a text. For example, local institutions such as GGNB would not be immediately recognised and Latin phrases such as NB (nota bene) would not be understood by most people.

  • If used, the trend is to avoid using full stops in common abbreviations: eg, ie, etc. However, many publications still use them, so follow their guidelines.
  • Always spell out the acronym the first time it is used in a text: "The project was completed with the support of the University Medical Center (UMG)."
  • If an entity has an English translation, you would normally continue to use the German acronym, as in: German Research Foundation (DFG). The exception to this is CRC/SFB (Collaborative Research Centre/Sonderforschungsbereich).
  • Do not combine "Professor" and "Dr". Please choose the most applicable title instead. For instance, use Professor Mary Smith, not: Professor Dr. Dr. Mary Smith
  • Choose either "Dr Jane Cooper" or "Jane Cooper PhD". Do not use both.

British vs American English
British spellings are recommended; however, clear communication and official names (eg German Primate Center) take precedence over all else. Be consistent within the text. For publications, follow the guidelines of that publication.

  • Use: colour, favour, enrol, enrolment, programme, fulfil.
  • NOT: color, favor, enroll, enrollment, program, fulfil (but enrolled, enrolling, fulfilling are correct).

Capitalization

  • Capitalize names of departments, qualifications, job titles: Department of History, Professor of Economics. Do not capitalize when it is not a title: "Professor Mary Smith is a professor in the Institute of Computer Science."
  • Capitalize months, days of the week, holidays: July, New Year‘s Eve, Advent.
  • Capitalize languages and nationalities: German, English language, Chinese food.
  • Do not capitalize seasons of the year: summer, winter semester, spring break.
  • Do not capitalize disciplines: economics, law, medicine, dentistry, physics.
  • AVOID BLOCKS OF CAPITALS. IT IS HARDER TO READ. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE SHOUTING.

Dates/Times
Use either dashes or from/to when referring to spans of time, but not a mixture of both. When using the 24-hr clock, do not use am/pm.

  • Use the 24-hr clock: 08:00-00:00: "Office hours are from 11:00 to 14:00".
  • You do not need to write "CET" (Central European Time) except if you are advertising an online event where people may join from all over the world.
  • The recommended date format is: "20 March 2019" or "Wednesday 20 March 2019". If you are advertising an event, it is recommended to include the day of the week.

Greetings in email communications
It is common to address the recipient as "Dear Dr LastName" or "Dear Professor LastName". If the rank is not known, you can use "Dear Firstname Lastname" (Dear Jane Cooper). It is usual to use "Dear Firstname" (Dear Jane) after a few emails or after speaking to someone.

Degrees and programmes

  • Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc)
  • Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), Master of Education (MEd)
  • master‘s programme or master‘s degree, doctoral degree programme, doctorate (PhD)

Punctuation in English

  • Exclamation marks (!) are used to convey joy, surprise, shock or humour, not the imperative.
  • Hyphens are used to join adjectives that describe other descriptors but not adverbs: large-scale projects, entry-level positions, internationally renowned team. They are used to link words that create an adjective: "state-of-the-art facilities". They are not used in a phrase: "the facilities are state of the art".
  • Hyphenate numbers used as adjectives: 18- to 21-year-old students.
  • Hyphens are used in words beginning with prefixes such as co, de, pre or re, when two of the same vowels appear together (re-emerge, de-escalate) but not when the vowels are different (proactive, reorder).
  • Hyphens are used to distinguish words with the same spelling but different meaning, for instance, to distinguish "re-sent" (meaning "sent again") from "resent" (meaning "hate").
  • Use dashes to separate a non-essential phrase – such as this one – but use sparingly.
  • Brackets are used (differently) in German than most other languages, as described here.

Numbers

  • Spell out whole-number words for one to ten and if a number starts a sentence.
  • Use numerals for 11 and above and for percentages, measurements and currency.
  • Internationally, the decimal point is a full-stop (period) and a comma is used to separate thousands, as in: 1,200.21
  • For currency, place the symbol directly before the number: £200, €21.99, $4.20
  • For most English-speakers, one billion is 1,000,000,000. One million is 1,000,000. They may be abbreviated as 1B and 1M, respectively.

Additional resources

Please contact Melissa Sollich, International Communications, Public Relations Department, with queries and suggestions about this guide.