L ving and working in Germany has been pleasurable and rewarding. We’ve met a great many interesting and friendly people. We’ve learnt a lot from them. And this is our“British” way of repaying this friendship and hospitality.“German Secrets” is not intended as an academic dissection of Germany and the Germans, there are enough of those. On the contrary, this book is meant to be an affectionate and fun kaleidoscope of some of our impressions, and also an opportunity for Germans to talk about Germans. The book is divided into two sections: Part 1: Various impressions, presented alphabetically and in no order of importance. Dip in anywhere ! Part 2: A summary of“The Real Truth about The Germans”, an online survey carried out on One-Word-A-Day ( www.owad.de ), a free English vocabulary learning service. The survey addresses the question:“Do the Germans see themselves as others see them?” and provides some interesting answers. An old and rather tired joke starts with the question“Where would we be without a sense of humour?” the answer is“Somewhere in Germany !” We have a problem with this stereotype - we‘ve had more fun in Germany than in many other countries. This book is the result of our 30 year joint venture with thousands of Germans - friends, colleagues, and business partners.
Achtung ! (p. 10) Thanks to Hollywood films, comic strips, and the Rock Band U2, the German word“Achtung !” is now firmly embedded in the English language. And what a useful, life-saving word it can be. So much more concise and precise than its English cousins“Watch out !”,“Be careful !” or“Pay heed, kind Sir !” If a light-flashing Porsche is bearing down on you at 240 kph, you don‘t want to mess around with unnecessary syllables. Of course, we do use the word“attention” but never in the context of giving a warning or caution. The following wordplay joke, originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4, has even been known to raise a smile in Germany. Tell it carefully: A German farmer walks across a field, slips over in the mud, and falls face down into a cow pat. Rising to his feet, the only thing he can say is“Ach ! Dung !”
