Unpacking Bureaucratic Nouns
Bureaucratic German (Beamtendeutsch) packs information tightly into long noun phrases. To make official texts accessible, advocates do the reverse: they "verbalize" the text by unpacking dense noun phrases into clear subordinate clauses with active verbs.
Here is how to translate common prepositional phrases back into plain-language clauses.
Expressing Method with "Indem"
Instead of expressing a method with a preposition and a noun (like durch das Umformulieren — "through rephrasing"), use the conjunction indem (by / by means of).
| The text can be simplified by rephrasing the officialese. | Der Text lässt sich vereinfachen, indem wir das Beamtendeutsch umformulieren. |
Expressing Time with "Nachdem"
A temporal phrase like nach dem Lesen (after reading) becomes a full clause with nachdem (after). Remember that the nachdem clause must happen one tense further in the past than the main clause (e.g., using the Past Perfect).
| After I had read the official decision, I immediately simplified the phrasing. | Nachdem ich den Bescheid gelesen hatte, habe ich die Formulierung sofort vereinfacht. |
Conditions and Causes: "Wenn" and "Weil"
Formal conditions (like bei or ohne) are much friendlier when rewritten with wenn (if).
| A layperson understands the paragraph better if we rephrase it without officialese. | Ein Laie versteht den Paragraphen besser, wenn wir ihn ohne Beamtendeutsch umformulieren. |
Similarly, prepositional causes like wegen der Bürokratie (because of the bureaucracy) can be unpacked into a simple weil (because) clause.
| The adult had not understood the official decision because the bureaucracy was too complicated. | Der Erwachsene hatte den Bescheid nicht verstanden, weil die Bürokratie zu kompliziert war. |
Purpose and Result: "Damit" and "Sodass"
To unpack phrases expressing a goal or intention (like zwecks), use damit (so that).
| We help you so that you can easily write the appeal against the bureaucracy. | Wir helfen Ihnen, damit Sie den Widerspruch gegen die Bürokratie einfach schreiben können. |
When a formal text describes a consequence or result, unpack it using sodass (so that), or by splitting it into so ... dass (in such a way that).
| This complicated phrasing can be avoided so that the paragraph becomes comprehensible. | Diese komplizierte Formulierung lässt sich vermeiden, sodass der Paragraph verständlich wird. |
Contrast with "Obwohl"
Finally, formal concessions (like trotz — "despite") are much easier to read when turned back into an obwohl (although) clause.
| Although the layperson had sent no appeal, we checked the case. | Obwohl der Laie keinen Widerspruch geschickt hatte, prüften wir den Fall. |