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GuMo, BTW & Co.: a guide through digital abbreviations

"FYI: Need to move ASAP Deadline, but GJ IMHO. Do you take care of it until 1200? After that I'm OoO. And btw TGIF! Thx, G2G! LG“, Well, who understands what we are getting at? And no, we didn't make any spelling mistakes. Anyone who is chatting, be it online on the PC or mobile via WhatsApp, wants to save time when entering information via the keyboard. The fast pace of professional and private life is also reflected in the language. Digital abbreviations accelerate communication in everyday working life, especially among the younger generation. But if you don't know the common abbreviations and their meanings, the cryptic sequence of letters is often difficult to guess.

Digital Shortcuts Guide

Since when do all the abbreviations exist? Probably since the beginning of the digital age. They were already in use in early chat systems such as ICQ or IRC. The most commonly used acronyms and letter combinations have become established in chat and sometimes also in everyday language. This is particularly noticeable now, due to the increasing use of digital communication channels in recent months. Other abbreviations such as the English abbreviation "ASAP", which means "as soon as possible", have long been integrated into everyday office life. In German, this means something like "as soon as possible". Other abbreviations that colleagues often use in everyday office life are:

ATM = At ​​The Moment, in German: now
BB = Bye Bye, see you soon
BTW = By The Way, in German: by the way
CU = See you (pronounced like the English "C" and "U"), in German: man sees itself
EOM = End Of Message, is often used when an e-mail consists only of the subject line
FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions, announces answers to the most frequently asked questions
FYI = For Your Information/Interest
G2G = Got to Go German: must go
GJ = Good Job, in German: good work
HO = home office
IMHO= In My Humble Opinion, in my humble opinion
k = OK, okay
KISS = Keep It Short and Simple
OoO = Out of Office
THX = Thanks: thank you
Q&A = Question and Answer, in German: questions and answers

Too much of too little is bad for communication

Language is not just a means of communication – it always expresses belonging and identity, such as with regional dialects. Companies often have their own abbreviations that employees use for specific projects or customers, for example. The danger of using abbreviations, however, lies in overdoing it. In our example from the beginning, we went a little too far into the box of abbreviations. Such excessive use does not make communication easier, quite the opposite. The wrong use can lead to unnecessary misunderstandings and additional communication effort. Employees should also be careful who they communicate with. Because abbreviations, regardless of whether it's a classic "MfG" or a newfangled "CU", are usually too banal to appear in text messages to superiors.

Why the youth establish their own words

Where do the abbreviations come from anyway? The “Youth Word of the Year” has been chosen almost every autumn since 2008. Young people can submit suggestions for the contest on the Internet, which a jury then narrows down in a multi-stage process. The choice of word of the year for young people should be based on the changing language of young people, and this has increasingly prevailed since the beginning of social media. Since then, the above acronyms have also increasingly existed, which simplify communication on social networks, especially for young people. They spread quickly through social networks, also across countries, which is why ASAP, THX or BTW are already established abbreviations in daily communication, which other generations are now also using. On that note: THX for the attention, CU.