What do you do? Basic business grammar

These days, most Germans use English, or at least some Germlish, at the office. Nouns like "Meetings", "Tools" and "Strategies" are well-established in German. Often, newfangled management ideas get fancy English names. Just think of "Mission and Vision", which Germans like to joke about being "Mischen und Wischen", or "mix and mop".

No wonder some people are sick of English. Last week, Rüdiger Grube of Deutsche Bahn and Peter Ramsauer, the minister of transport, suggested that the Service Points at German train stations be renamed Auskunft, which is what they were called years ago. What the two men did not consider is that Service Points have expanded their range of services since the pseudo-English term was introduced. The old name no longer fits.

What do the Service Point staffers (or staffers at the service desk, to use correct English) actually do? Well, perhaps it's not really all that different from what you do. Brush up your business English with a review of the top 12 grammar mistakes you might make when you talk about what you do at work.

Anne Hodgson