Make your online presence fit in with the German market

We’ve created this guide to help you get closer to your German customers. A web presence that is in tune with the German culture will make your customers feel well disposed to you, and give them confidence in doing business with you. By understanding these little yet important details, you'll be in a good position right from the start in your new market.

German is the main spoken and written language in Germany.

According to EF English Proficiency Index 2018 report, Germany ranks at number 10 out of 88 countries.

Should you be formal or informal when addressing your German customers?

In German, most products are written about in an informal way. At times this can verge on playful. Products with this informality include YouTube, Gmail, and Google Play.

If you have a financial product, a legal service, or are talking about money, you should adopt a more formal tone and style.

Numerals

Decimal separator

• This is a comma (,) – e.g. 1,5 hours.

Thousand separator

• The thousand separator is a full stop (.),
  • e.g. 1.524 people.

Telephone numbers

• Telephone numbers are usually in the format of a country code and a city code. (+49) 30 12345678.

• Without the country code the number is: 030 12345678

• Mobile numbers start with 0151.

  • e.g. 0151 1234567

• Mobile numbers with a country code follow this format:

  • e.g. +49 151 1234567

• Freephone numbers are usually: 0800 2 123456

The Germans trade in Euros. This is represented by the euro symbol € and its trading three letter code EUR. The € is placed after the figure. The coin denomination is the cent represented by a c.

The note denominations are 500€ 200€100€ 50€ 20€ 10€ 5€.
The coin denominations are 2€, 1€, 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c and 1c.

In all contracts it is compulsory to write a financial amount in the following format: 200 EUR, e.g. “the amount owed is 200 EUR".

In Germany the date format is DD/MM/YYYY. A dot is often used to separate the numbers, e.g. 24.03.2017.

In Germany the 24-hour format is used in both written and spoken contexts.

The 24-hour format is favored on digital devices like PCs, phones, tablets, etc. and is the standard format on Android where the separator is a colon, e.g. 14:24.

Standard working days are Monday to Friday.

Every culture has different superstitions and traditions which are always worth noting, especially when entering a new market.

The Germans consider it very unlucky to say “happy birthday” to someone before it’s their birthday.

Here are the top five translation tips that will make you sound like a local in German market in no time:

1. Take a note of differences in spelling, punctuation, pricing, date formats, measurements and terminology.

2. Stay clear of colloquialisms and expressions used in your language, as they may not translate in the German market. For example, local slang.

3. Take account of cultural differences so you don’t confuse or offend your German audience. For example, don’t mention Boxing Day in a promotion or assume that it will be understood.

4. Give as much context as possible to assist your translator, let them know the purpose of your communication and its target audience. Provide visuals to show where the text is going to be, and use a native speaker to check your communications.

5. Sound like a local by avoiding being too literal and formal in your translation.

• Planning to recruit your team in Germany? Discover more about recruitment processes in the German market.

• Discover how to ensure your website is local in tone and language in our localization guide.