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Do you speak Office?

Be careful with abbreviations in customer communication

Even if all employees and team members know and understand the abbreviations in their sleep - this office language is of course taboo for customers and business partners. Precisely because such codes and abbreviations not only exclude, but are simply misleading or incomprehensible.

Moreover, shortened communication can be perceived as a sign of a lack of appreciation and a lack of professionalism.

The problem with this: We all tend to be blind to operational issues. Once the terms have become second nature, they take them for granted (in the literal sense) and easily forget to switch in external communication.

This is a general dilemma of language habits and customs in an industry: if you don't know the technical jargon, you quickly raise doubts about your competence. But if our counterpart only understands the train station, we discredit ourselves as aloof nerds and communication dilettantes.

The happy medium here is often: learn, know and understand all the necessary vocabulary, abbreviations and acronyms - but at best use them in doses.

Important abbreviations & acronyms from office language

Speaking of learning and understanding: Of course we cannot decode every culture-specific jargon here (you are welcome to expand the collection with comments), but we have listed the most important abbreviations and acronyms in the job or office here in alphabetical order.

Of course, you can also read the list as a small self-test: Do you already speak office?

• Asap- Like many of the following acronyms, this abbreviation also comes from English and stands for "as soon as possible" - in German: "as soon as possible", in urgent cases also: "until yesterday!". Results that should be available asap are therefore important and urgent (see Eisenhower principle). If you want to go a step further here, write the increase asapst. Anyone reading this knows: the hut is on fire.
• btw- This acronym stands for "by the way" and means something like "by the way". In the office, it is often used to attach additional information that is not directly related to the actual message.
• CC– You know this abbreviation from the daily e-mails that are sent to several recipients at the same time. "Cc" stands for "Carbon Copy" and actually comes from the pre-copier era. In front of the copiers, copies were made by hand with carbon paper or carbon paper - hence the name. The well-known abbreviation "BCC" stands for "Blind Carbon Copy" - i.e. a secret copy of which the recipient does not notice anything.
• CEO– In terms of function and position, the “Chief Executive Officer” roughly corresponds to the German CEO. In larger companies, he is often supported by a COO, a "Chief Operating Officer". This is always the case when the tasks of the CEO are of a more strategic nature and the COO takes care of the operative business accordingly.
• Ct– This abbreviation is less common and is more commonly used for social occasions and business "Ct" stands for the Latin "cum tempore", which means "with time". The abbreviation is mostly used in connection with appointments and allows you a certain delay in appearing. The abbreviation can be equated with the well-known academic quarter of an hour. On the other hand, events marked “st” (sine tempore) appear to the minute.
• CU- The English short form for "see you" (roughly translated: See you !) should be used with caution in business life - too succinctly. Although it can be found in many e-mails from English-speaking business partners, it is only really appropriate if you have known each other well and long enough and there is a trusting relationship.
• dr hc- The addition hc makes it clear that this is an honorary title, because hc stands for "honoris causa". The title therefore does not have to be based on a doctorate; today it is also awarded to people who have made outstanding contributions to science or society. However, that does not make the title any less important, on the contrary: some holders attach more importance to their honorary title than to a “real” doctorate with a doctorate.
• Fubar- A harsh engineering acronym for something irretrievably lost: "fucked up beyond all repair". In office language, this not only describes broken technical devices, but also failed negotiations.
• FYI- This short form for "for your interest" or "for your information" also comes from the English-speaking world. So in German you would write: “for information”. However, FYI has established itself as the standard comment in international business transactions. If an e-mail or communication is initiated in this way, you should read it, but you usually do not have to react to it. If you want to point out the humorous content of your email right at the beginning, use FYA, "for your amusement ".
• HP– Describes the so-called high potentials, i.e. the next generation of managers from whom great things are expected.
• HSE Manager– Human Resources or HR Manager for short are now established in German usage. The HSE manager is different. Many employees still have a hard time with this. HSE stands for Health, Safety and Environment - the corresponding manager is therefore responsible for occupational safety, health management and environmental protection issues. As the topic of sustainability becomes more and more important, the number of HSE managers is also growing.
• IMO– Also a popular acronym suffix. It stands for "in my opinion" (my opinion...) and is intended to express that this is not about facts, but a personal assessment. If you like it a little more submissive, write "IMHO" - "in my humble opinion" (my humble opinion). But beware: modesty is often only played. Anyone who writes like this doesn't really want to be convinced of the opposite.
• KISS- Of course it's not about physical flirting in the office - even if such associations were desired for better memorability. However, there is an important problem-solving principle and acronym behind it, which originally stood for "Keep It Simple, Stupid ! " Because the request doesn't sound very charming, however, KISS is translated today as "Keep It Short and Simple" - in German: Make it short and simple! Many a meeting, many a presentation and many emails would do well to take the principle into account.
• OoO– “Out-of-Order” signs are appearing more and more frequently on elevators and escalators – also in this country. In the office context, however, the acronym stands for something else and is more likely to be used in automatic emails: "OoO" here stands for "Out of office" and lets the recipient know that the contact is "out of the office" and he is with an better not count on a quick reply to his e-mail.
• Tba- The abbreviation is often used when distributing tasks or defining appointments. In short, it is a placeholder and stands for "to be announced". This means that the scope of the event has not yet been fully determined - the place, time, space or actors still have to be named and submitted later. But you should make a note of the date, at least what is known.
• TGIF– If colleagues are already sending around emails with the abbreviation TGIF on Friday morning, the week was probably stressful and exhausting. Behind the expression is the English sigh "Thank god it's Friday" - thank God it's Friday! So soon the weekend. However, if this acronym becomes the norm at the end of each week — and it's meant to be — you might want to ask yourself if you're really working at the right job or company.
• THX- There is no new sound system by George Lucas behind this, but the short form of the English "thanks". But it should only be reserved for good friends in such a succinct manner.
• WOMBAT- No, it's not an animal, it's a devastating judgment when a project is judged that way at the end. This acronym stands for: "waste of money, brain and time". In other words: all in vain, wasted money, brainpower and time.

More, but less frequently used English abbreviations

• AFAIC- "As Far As I'm Concerned"
• AFAICT- "As Far As I can tell"
• AFAIK- "As Far As I Know"
• AFAIR- "As Far As I Remember"
• AISI- "As I see it" - "As I see it"
• AIUI- "As I understand it"
• AKA- "Also known as" - "Also known as"
• BB- "Bye, Bye" - "See you soon" (German variant: BM - "See you tomorrow")
• BTAIM- "Be that as it may"
• BTDT- "Been there, done that" - "I was there and tried it myself"
• EOBD- "End Of Business Day"
• FOAD- "Fuck Off And Die" - "Go Die!"
• FYEO / 4YEO- "For Your Eyes Only"
• G2G- "(I've) Got To Go"
• Grats- "Congratulations" - "Congratulations!"
• HAND- "Have a nice day" - "Have a nice day"
• HTH- "Hope this helps" - "I hope this helps."
• IOW- "In other words" - "In other words"
• JFTR- "Just for the record(s)"
• LMGTFY- "Let Me Google That For You"
• MOTD- "Message Of The Day"
• NSFW- "Not suitable for work"
• PEBKAC- "Problem exists between keyboard and chair"
• POV- "Point of view" - "Viewpoint / point of view"
• QFT- "Quoted For Truth"
• RTFM- "Read the fucking manual" - "Read the damn manual!"
• SCNR- Sorry, Could Not Resist
• SRY- "Sorry" - "Excuse me"
• TBH- "to be honest" - "to be honest"
• TMI- "Too Much Information"
• YMMD- "You made my day" - "You made my day"
• YOLO- "You only live once" - "You only live once."