# German — Employment Sub-Lexicon

Auto-generated from translation experience. Maps German employment legal terms to their
correct English equivalents.

## Core Employment Terms

| German | English |
|---|---|
| Arbeitsvertrag / Anstellungsvertrag | employment contract / employment agreement |
| Arbeitsverhältnis | employment relationship |
| Arbeitgeber | employer |
| Arbeitnehmer | employee |
| Leitender Angestellter | senior executive / managerial employee |
| Geschäftsführerdienstvertrag (GmbH) | managing director's service agreement |
| Vorstandsdienstvertrag (AG) | management board member's service agreement |
| Befristeter Arbeitsvertrag | fixed-term employment contract |
| Unbefristeter Arbeitsvertrag | permanent employment contract / indefinite-term contract |
| Teilzeitvertrag | part-time employment contract |
| Leiharbeitnehmer / Zeitarbeitnehmer | temporary agency worker |
| Arbeitnehmerüberlassung | temporary agency work / employee leasing |
| Freier Mitarbeiter / Selbständiger | independent contractor / freelancer |
| Scheinselbständigkeit | bogus self-employment / false self-employment |
| Probezeit | probationary period / trial period |
| Stellenbeschreibung | job description |
| Arbeitsort / Dienstort | place of work |
| Arbeitszeit | working hours / working time |
| Überstunden / Mehrarbeit | overtime |
| Gleitzeit / Flexible Arbeitszeit | flexitime (UK) / flextime (US) |
| Vertrauensarbeitszeit | trust-based working time |
| Homeoffice / Telearbeit / Mobiles Arbeiten | remote work / working from home |
| Kurzarbeit | short-time work (Kurzarbeit) |
| Kurzarbeitergeld | short-time work allowance |

## Remuneration Terms

| German | English |
|---|---|
| Vergütung / Gehalt | remuneration / salary |
| Grundgehalt | base salary |
| Bruttovergütung | gross remuneration |
| Nettovergütung | net remuneration |
| Variable Vergütung / Bonus | variable remuneration / bonus |
| Tantieme | profit-sharing bonus / tantième |
| Gratifikation / Sonderzahlung | special payment / bonus |
| 13. Monatsgehalt / Weihnachtsgeld | 13th month salary / Christmas bonus |
| Urlaubsgeld | holiday pay / vacation bonus |
| Sachbezüge / Naturalleistungen | benefits in kind / fringe benefits |
| Dienstwagen / Firmenfahrzeug | company car |
| Betriebliche Altersversorgung (bAV) | occupational pension / company pension |
| Direktzusage / Pensionszusage | direct pension commitment |
| Pensionskasse | pension fund |
| Unterstützungskasse | support fund |
| Direktversicherung | direct insurance (pension) |
| Entgeltumwandlung | salary sacrifice (pension contribution) |
| Abfindung | severance payment / termination payment |
| Karenzentschädigung | garden leave compensation / non-compete compensation |
| Gehaltsfortzahlung im Krankheitsfall | continued payment of salary during illness |

## Leave and Absence Terms

| German | English |
|---|---|
| Urlaub / Erholungsurlaub | annual leave / holiday (UK) / vacation (US) |
| Mindesturlaub | minimum statutory leave |
| Urlaubsanspruch | leave entitlement |
| Urlaubsabgeltung | payment in lieu of untaken leave |
| Sonderurlaub | special leave |
| Mutterschutz | maternity protection |
| Mutterschutzfrist | maternity leave period |
| Elternzeit | parental leave |
| Elterngeld | parental allowance |
| Pflegezeit | carer's leave / care leave |
| Arbeitsunfähigkeit / Krankheit | incapacity for work / sick leave |
| Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung | medical certificate / sick note |
| Freistellung (von der Arbeit) | release from duties / garden leave |
| Bezahlte Freistellung | paid leave / paid release from duties |
| Unbezahlte Freistellung | unpaid leave |

## Termination Terms

| German | English |
|---|---|
| Kündigung | termination / notice of termination |
| Ordentliche Kündigung | ordinary termination (with notice) |
| Außerordentliche Kündigung | extraordinary termination (without notice) |
| Fristlose Kündigung | summary dismissal / termination without notice |
| Kündigungsfrist | notice period |
| Kündigungsgründe | grounds for termination |
| Betriebsbedingte Kündigung | redundancy / termination for operational reasons |
| Personenbedingte Kündigung | termination for personal reasons |
| Verhaltensbedingte Kündigung | termination for conduct-related reasons |
| Abmahnung (Arbeitsrecht) | written warning |
| Änderungskündigung | termination with offer of amended terms |
| Aufhebungsvertrag / Aufhebungsvereinbarung | termination agreement / mutual termination agreement |
| Abwicklungsvertrag | settlement agreement (post-termination) |
| Abfindungsvereinbarung | severance agreement |
| Kündigungsschutzgesetz (KSchG) | Protection against Dismissal Act (KSchG) |
| Kündigungsschutzklage | unfair dismissal claim |
| Sozialauswahl | social selection (in redundancy) |
| Sozialplan | social compensation plan / redundancy plan |
| Interessenausgleich | reconciliation of interests |
| Betriebsübergang (§ 613a BGB) | transfer of undertaking (TUPE equivalent) |
| Massenentlassung | collective redundancy / mass layoff |
| Massenentlassungsanzeige | collective redundancy notification |
| Zeugnis / Arbeitszeugnis | employment reference / certificate of employment |
| Einfaches Zeugnis | simple employment certificate |
| Qualifiziertes Zeugnis | detailed employment reference |

## Works Council and Collective Labour Law Terms

| German | English |
|---|---|
| Betriebsrat | works council |
| Betriebsratsvorsitzender | chairman of the works council |
| Betriebsvereinbarung | works agreement / works council agreement |
| Mitbestimmung | co-determination |
| Betriebsverfassungsgesetz (BetrVG) | Works Constitution Act (BetrVG) |
| Anhörung des Betriebsrats | consultation with the works council |
| Zustimmungspflicht / Mitbestimmungspflicht | co-determination requirement / consent requirement |
| Einigungsstelle | conciliation board / arbitration committee |
| Tarifvertrag | collective bargaining agreement (CBA) |
| Tarifpartei / Tarifvertragspartei | party to the collective agreement |
| Gewerkschaft | trade union (UK) / labor union (US) |
| Arbeitgeberverband | employers' association |
| Tarifgebundenheit | binding effect of the collective agreement |
| Allgemeinverbindlicherklärung | universal applicability declaration |
| Streik | strike |
| Aussperrung | lockout |

## Non-Compete and Confidentiality Terms

| German | English |
|---|---|
| Nachvertragliches Wettbewerbsverbot | post-contractual non-compete |
| Wettbewerbsverbot (während des Arbeitsverhältnisses) | non-compete (during employment) |
| Abwerbeverbot / Abwerbeklausel | non-solicitation clause |
| Geheimhaltungspflicht / Verschwiegenheitspflicht | duty of confidentiality |
| Nebentätigkeitsverbot / Nebentätigkeitsgenehmigung | restriction on secondary employment |
| Herausgabepflicht | duty to return (company property) |

## Section Headings

| German | English |
|---|---|
| VERTRAGSPARTEIEN | PARTIES |
| TÄTIGKEIT UND AUFGABEN | DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES |
| VERGÜTUNG | REMUNERATION |
| URLAUB | ANNUAL LEAVE |
| KRANKHEIT / ARBEITSUNFÄHIGKEIT | SICK LEAVE / INCAPACITY |
| WETTBEWERBSVERBOT | NON-COMPETE |
| VERTRAULICHKEIT | CONFIDENTIALITY |
| NEBENTÄTIGKEIT | SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT |
| SCHLUSSBESTIMMUNGEN | FINAL PROVISIONS |

## Notes

- **"Kündigungsschutzgesetz" (KSchG)**: German unfair dismissal protection applies to
  all employees with more than 6 months of service in establishments with more than 10
  employees. Termination must be socially justified (sozial gerechtfertigt). Reference as
  "Protection against Dismissal Act (KSchG)" on first mention.
- **"Betriebsrat"**: The works council — a powerful employee representation body with
  extensive co-determination rights under the BetrVG. Not a trade union. Must be consulted
  before any dismissal (§ 102 BetrVG); failure to do so renders the dismissal void.
- **"Sozialauswahl"**: In redundancy dismissals, the employer must select employees for
  redundancy based on social criteria: length of service, age, maintenance obligations,
  and disability. Translate as "social selection" with explanation.
- **"Arbeitszeugnis"**: German law requires the employer to issue a written employment
  reference upon termination. A qualifiziertes Zeugnis must describe duties performed
  and evaluate performance — using a coded language of positive formulations. No direct
  common law equivalent.
- **"Karenzentschädigung" (§§ 74-75a HGB)**: Post-contractual non-competes require
  the employer to pay at least 50% of the employee's last salary for the duration of the
  restriction. Without this compensation, the non-compete is void. Flag when translating
  non-compete clauses.
- **"Kurzarbeit"**: A specifically German instrument allowing employers to temporarily
  reduce working hours (and pay) during economic downturns. The government subsidises the
  lost income through the Bundesagentur für Arbeit. Keep the German term in parentheses.
- **"Betriebsübergang" (§ 613a BGB)**: Implements the EU Acquired Rights Directive.
  Employees transfer automatically to the new employer with all existing rights. Dismissal
  solely on grounds of the transfer is void.
