English-German

Since Namibia's Independence in 1990, a variety of English words have come into use, referring predominantly to political developments but also to changes in society in general. As German is one of the national languages in Namibia, these vocabulary changes also need to be expressed in this language. Yet because these terms are specific to the Namibian context, equivalent words cannot always be found in existing German dictionaries. Professor Marianne Zappen-Thomson, head of the German Section at the University of Namibia (UNAM), together with UNAM post-graduate students and colleagues from the University of Duisburg-Essen and the University of Bonn, in Germany, have coined appropriate terminology to express as accurately as possible the given English vocabulary in German. The aim is not to duplicate what can be found in existing dictionaries, but rather to elaborate on these with the unique situation of Namibia in mind, and to standardize the use of this terminology.