Definition Archives - Page 2 of 2

Words for Working Without a Diagnosis

die Symptombekämpfung — fighting the symptoms. Das ist reine Symptombekämpfung, that is pure symptom-fighting, is a standard charge in political and business debate.

herumdoktern — to doctor around. DWDS: to try to heal with amateur methods, and more widely to try everything to get something working again.

an den Symptomen herumdoktern — to doctor around at the symptoms.

im Dunkeln tappen — to grope in the dark, to have no clear knowledge.

im Nebel stochern — to poke around in the fog.

auf gut Glück — on good luck, at random.

Words for Defining the Problem

der Ist-Zustand — the actual state, literally the is-state.

der Soll-Zustand — the target state, literally the should-state.

der Soll-Ist-Vergleich — the comparison of target and actual.

die Ausgangslage — the starting situation.

die Aufgabenstellung — the definition of the task.

das Thema abgrenzen — to delimit the topic, to state what lies outside it.

A Specification Every Bidder Reads the Same Way

When a German public authority tenders construction work, the work must be specified before anyone bids. The procurement rules for construction, the VOB/A, require the work to be described unambiguously and so exhaustively that all companies understand the description in the same sense. They must be able to calculate their prices safely and without extensive preliminary work. All circumstances that affect the price must be established and stated in the tender documents, for example soil and water conditions. The contractor may not be burdened with an unusual risk.

Describe the Symptom, Not the Cause

A client who reports a defect in building work to the contractor does not have to know its cause. The Federal Court of Justice has held this for many years under what is called the Symptomtheorie, the symptom theory. The client is not required to name the causes of the defect in detail. A description of the symptoms that such a defect typically produces is enough. For example, a homeowner may report a damp patch on the basement wall without knowing why it is damp.

A Commission on the Pandemic

On 10 July 2025 the Bundestag decided to set up a commission of inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic. It was constituted on 8 September 2025, with 14 members of parliament and 14 experts. Its task is to build an overall picture of the causes, course and consequences of the pandemic and of the state’s measures, and to draw lessons for future pandemics. Its final report is due by 30 June 2027. Its 28th session was scheduled for 21 September 2026.

Words for the Cause

der Grund — the ground, and also the reason. Aus welchem Grund? means for what reason, literally from what ground.

einer Sache auf den Grund gehen — to go to the ground of a matter, to investigate it to the bottom.

die Ursache — the cause. Ur means original, and Sache means the matter.

die Ursachenforschung — cause research, the investigation of why something happened. Die Ursachenforschung läuft, the search for the cause is under way, is a common line in news reports.

das Übel an der Wurzel packen — to grab the evil by the root.