3

ENGLISCH —
24

Das Magazin zur englischsprachigen Welt

Artificial intelligence
AI and the future
of language learning

New York
Street food
from the heart
of Manhattan

CHICAGO
St. Patrick’s Day fun,
perfect pizza and BILLIE
EILISH
Deutschland € 9,90

A·E ·I ·L · SK € 11,20

beautiful blues
in the Windy City
CH sfr 15,50

We’ve got
this covered! WHY SHE IS THE KEY TO
Australia’s
iconic headwear
UNDERSTANDING GEN Z
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JETZT ZUM
VORTEILSPREIS
SICHERN!
 FROM THE EDITOR
Titelfotos: Lillie Eiger/Guardian/eyevine/laif, Georg Lechner mit Leonardo KI, Kathrin Koschitzki, Franz Marc Frei, Robyn Mackenzie/Shutterstock.com; Fotos: stellalevi/iStockphoto.com; Gert Krautbauer

It’s all about

communication

T
he English language is rich in archaic
words and phrases that turn up in every-
day communication. If you find yourself
betwixt amusement and exasperation
on discovering yet another curious expression,
you may be interested to read “Fossil words”, be-
ginning on page 50, where the meaning of some
of the most common archaic terms is explained.
From the old to the new. Artificial intelligence
will change the way we learn languages. To find
out how AI is influencing how English is learned
and taught, we spoke to Nik Peachey, who re-
searches and writes about innovations in teach-
ing. You’ll find the interview on page 26. betwixt (arch.)
Finally, the US singer Billie Eilish was 17 when , zwischen
she recorded the Oscar-winning theme song exasperation
for the James Bond film No Time to Die with her [Ig)zÄspE(reIS&n]
brother, Finneas. The two collaborated again on , Frust, Ärger
“What Was I Made For?” written for the film theme song [Ti:m]
Barbie. So, what’s Eilish’s secret? Find out on , Titelsong
page 22, and get the background on “What Was collaborate
, zusammenarbeiten
I Made For?” on page 32.

INEZ SHARP, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EDITORIAL SPOTLIGHT 2024 3

 CONTENTS

38
Chicago
A US

Evan Thoreau Heigert shares his insider

tips on what to do on your first visit to
the Windy City.

6 In the Picture M
The fabulous Book of Kells,
at Trinity College, Dublin

8 Names and News E M A

News and views from around the
English-speaking world

11 Britain Today E
Colin Beaven takes a humorous
look at Britain and the Brits

12 Books and Films E M A

Our recommendations on what
to read and watch

14 Science and Nature M

How animals make a quick
escape in the wild 32 Songs and Sonnets E US 48 Auszeit / Time Out

Fotos: Franz Marc Frei, Universal Music, Georg Lechner mit Leonardo KI
“What Was I Made For?” Our regular bilingual
16 Iconic Products M by Billie Eilish column by colleagues
Akubra hat: chosen headwear of at DIE ZEIT
Australian ranchers 34 Short Story A US
“The trophy hunter” 50 Fossil words M
18 A Bite to Eat A US Old-fashioned words and
Street food: New York’s best 36 The Lighter Side E phrases we love to use
chicken biriyani Jokes and cartoons
64 Puzzle and Feedback
20 A Day in My Life M 37 American Life A US A fun language puzzle and
Meet Mel Murphy, a relationship On the use and abuse of your letters to Spotlight
coach from Dublin presidential pardons

30 Peggy’s Place M 46 Around Oz M

Visit Spotlight’s very own Peter Flynn looks forward to
49–68 The language section
London pub the Paris Summer Olympics

4 SPOTLIGHT 2024 CONTENTS

 ZEIT für Englisch Newsletter –
Ihre 10 Minuten Englisch pro Woche

22 Our free weekly news-

letter with quizzes, fun
language exercises
and thought-provoking,
Billie Eilish serious journalism that
will help improve your English. To subscribe, go to
A US https://www.spotlight-online.de/zeit-fuer-englisch
or scan the QR code.
“Growing up famous
is a bruising experience,”
according to Billie Eilish.
How to use Spotlight
Hannah Macready takes a
look at the skyrocket career What we do
of a music prodigy. Spotlight can help improve your English, while keeping you
up to date with what’s happening in the English-speaking
world. The first part of the magazine has news, features,
travel, recipes, columns and interviews; the second part is
the language section, explaining vocabulary and grammar.
Both these sections include related exercises. We use
British spelling and punctuation in all texts unless you see
the symbol for US English: US.

What level are you?

All our texts are one of three language levels which
correspond to the Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages:
EASY MEDIUM ADVANCED
A2 B1–B2 C1–C2

26
The level of the text is shown at the top of the page. You’ll
notice that some words are underlined: this means that the
German translation is given in the glossary on the same
page. If the pronunciation is difficult, we give the phonetics.
After some words, you’ll see US, which means the word is
mostly used in the United States. N. Am. means the word

AI for is used in North America (US and Canada). We’ve also

highlighted and explained interesting words and phrases.

More content
learners • Look for AUDIO or and listen to our recordings on the
Spotlight Audio CD/download.
• Look for ÜBUNGSHEFT or and support your learning by

and doing the exercises in our Spotlight Übungsheft.

What we write about

teachers In the first part of Spotlight, we report on events and people
from the English-speaking world. We cover countries
where English is the main language, or where English is an
M important language. Those countries include:

the United Kingdom Australia

How artificial intelligence is changing the
way language is learned and taught, and how Ireland the United States
best to use it. Canada South Africa
India Pakistan

CONTENTS SPOTLIGHT 2024 5

 IN THE PICTURE

The Book
of Kells
Die illuminierte Handschrift aus dem neunten
Jahrhundert kann jetzt ganz neu erlebt werden.
Von MARTHA PARIS

MEDIUM AUDIO

T
he Book of Kells, an illuminated gospel book,
was, historians believe, written and illus-
trated by three monks living in a religious
community on the island of Iona around
the ninth century. To protect the manuscript from
Viking raids on Iona – which is today part of the Inner
Hebrides – it was moved to mainland Ireland, first to
the monastery of Kells and then to Dublin.
Filled with vibrantly coloured vellum pages, the
book measures 33 by 25 centimetres. It’s on display
at Dublin’s Trinity College Library. Until now, it has
been possible to view only two pages of the book at
any one time. But from this year, it can be enjoyed as
an immersive experience. In the Book of Kells Expe-
rience, visitors are led past large, illuminated panels
of the pages, and there are explanations of the sym-
bols and language used in the manuscript. If they
were alive today, those three monks would be proud.

illuminated Hebrides vellum [(velEm]

, illuminiert [(hebrEdi:z] , Pergament
, (wg. Aussprache)
gospel book time: at any one ~
, Evangelienbuch monastery , jeweils
[ˈmɒnəstri]
historian , Kloster immersive
, Historiker(in) experience
vibrantly , etwa: Multimedia-
monk [(vaIbrEntli] Kulturerlebnis
, Mönch , kräftig, leuchtend
panel
Viking raid [(vaIkIN]
, Tafel, Bild
, Wikingerüberfall

6 SPOTLIGHT 2024 GOOD TO KNOW

GOOD TO KNOW
SPOTLIGHT 2024
Foto: Trinity College Dublin pr

7
 NAMES AND NEWS

Texts by TALITHA LINEHAN

turmoil
, Aufruhr, Auf und Ab

repress sth.
, etw. unterdrücken,
verdrängen
outlet
, Ventil

disingenuous
[)dIsIn(dZenjuEs]
, unehrlich

ENTERTAINMENT
WHO EXACTLY IS… OLIVIA RODRIGO?
MEDIUM US AUDIO

B orn in the L.A. area, Olivia Rodrigo started acting

on the Disney Channel when she was 13. Then,
at the age of 18, she released her first single, “Drivers
so grateful all the time, so many people want this
position. And that causes a lot of repressed feelings.
I’ve always struggled with wanting to be this perfect

License,” and became a global phenomenon. The
single went straight to number one and was followed
by more hits and two albums, Sour and Guts.
Growing up in the public eye hasn’t been easy for
Rodrigo, who told The Guardian, “I’ve experienced a
lot of emotional turmoil” over feeling the need to “be
Fotos: Erik Pendzich, Paul Rushton / Alamy Stock Photo, IMAGO/Pond5 Images, Supplied: World’s Ugliest Lawn
American girl and the reality of not feeling like that
all the time.”
Through music, Rodrigo, 21, has found an outlet
for her repressed feelings, saying it’s important to Diesen Text hier
kostenlos anhören!
be emotionally honest. “A song is so not good if I can www.spotlight-online.de/
tell it’s coming from a disingenuous place,” she said. audio-gratis/03

WORDS OF THE MONTH

Update your English with this expression

kidult
EASY

Some people never grow up!

A “kidult” is an adult who likes to
spend their time doing things that
are intended for children – like
watching cartoons – or generally
behaving like children.

8 SPOTLIGHT 2024 GOOD TO KNOW

SCIENCE Under threat:
human sperm
Reproduction reduction
ADVANCED US

Sperm concentration in men
around the world has declined
by as much as 50 per cent over
the past 50 years. Now, a new
study from the George Mason
University in Virginia suggests
that one of the factors causing
this decline is our exposure to
pesticides found on the food we
eat and in the products we use.
These pesticides may be causing
damage to testes cells.
exposure to [ikˈspoʊʒər]
Melissa Perry, one of the study’s
, Belastung durch
authors, told The Guardian that
testes cells [(testi:z]
the use of pesticides needs to
, Hodenzellen
be reduced so that “men who
interference
are planning a family” can have [)Int&r(fIrEns]
children “without interference.” , Beeinträchtigung

EDUCATION
Ugly nature is a winner!
EASY

Kathleen Murray from Tasmania is the

winner of the 2024 ugliest lawn con-
test. The slogan of the contest, started
in 2022 in Sweden during a water short-
age, is “A global initiative to save water
by changing the norm of green lawns”.
Murray now spends less time caring for
her garden. She told The Guardian, “I’m
all for guilt-free weekends, especially
since my ex-husband left with the lawn-
mower back in 2016.”

water shortage guilt-free [gIlt]

, Wassermangel , ohne Schuldgefühle
Kathleen Murray and her ugly lawn

GOOD TO KNOW SPOTLIGHT 2024 9

 NATURE
Flight risk
EASY US

New Yorkers are celebrating resident

, Bewohner(in)
the return to Central Park of a
much-loved resident, Flaco the owl
, Eulenvogel
owl. The Eurasian eagle-owl
has been living in Central Park Eurasian eagle-owl
LETTER FROM [ju&(reIZ&n]
since escaping from the park
New York zoo last year.
, Uhu

ADVANCED US Recently, he flew to the East

Village, maybe looking for a girl-
Dear Spotlight readers friend. New Yorkers were wor-
New York saw a new record in the new year: The city had gone ried about whether Flaco would
700 days without significant snowfall. Another consequence be safe on the city streets, and
of climate change. What some people register with relief – no were happy when he returned
sliding around on streets, no digging out the car – makes me to the park after two weeks.
nostalgic. I remember when there were two or three storms in
the winter months, covering the city with a blanket of snow.
The morning after, a muffled silence lay over the streets and
Manhattan’s skyline looked like a snow globe. In Brooklyn’s
Prospect Park, children slid down any available slope, happy to
have a free “snow day.” Most used plastic tubs as sledges, or lids WORDS OF THE MONTH
of garbage cans or cardboard boxes. Snow is a big deal for New Update your English with this expression
York’s mayor. Snow-clearing vehicles are in trouble if they ar- vibe check

Fotos: IMAGO/John Angelillo, Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock.com

rive too late! There was outrage when it emerged that mayor EASY US
and billionaire Michael Bloomberg was at his villa in Bermuda
during a blizzard in 2010, while in New York buses broke down This expression is used to ask if
and emergency vehicles couldn’t get through. Four years later, someone is having a good time.
mayor Bill de Blasio apologized after a blizzard because too few For example: “How was your trip to
evacuation vehicles had been used on the Upper East Side. De New York? Did it pass the vibe check?”
Blasio had to defend himself against accusations that he had de-
liberately left out this wealthy neighborhood. Maybe the snow
will come. And then, in the thaw, when I sink knee-deep into a
pool of brown slush at the street corner, I’ll be swearing like all
the other New Yorkers.
Best
Heike Buchter
Heike Buchter is a correspondent in the New York office of DIE ZEIT.

muffled [(mVf&ld] lid snow-clearing billionaire

, gedämpft , Deckel vehicle [(vi:Ek&l] , Milliardär(in)
, Räumfahrzeug
snow globe garbage can thaw
, Schneekugel (N. Am.) outrage , Tauwetter
, Mülltonne , Skandal
tub slush
, Wanne cardboard box emerge , Matsch
, Pappkarton , herauskommen
sledge swear
, Schlitten , hier: fluchen

10 SPOTLIGHT 2024 GOOD TO KNOW

 BRITAIN TODAY

Party animals
Was haben der New Forest, eine Komödie von
Shakespeare und die britische Politik gemeinsam?
Sie sind voller Esel, findet unser Kolumnist.

EASY AUDIO

I
was driving through the New Forest the oth- COLIN BEAVEN is a free-
er day. It’s a large area of heathland near the lance writer. He lives and
south coast, stretching from Southampton to works in Southampton on
the south coast of England.
Bournemouth. The New Forest is beautiful,
even though you don’t see many trees there.
You do, however, see quite a few animals. Ponies heathland [(hi:TlEnd]
, Heideland
are free to move about as they want. You never
know where they’ll be, and they often stop and contemplate
, nachdenken, sinnieren
stand in the middle of the road, lost in thought and
acorn
contemplating the mysteries of existence.
, Eichel
You also meet cows. I saw one waiting at a bus
donkey [(dQNki]
stop. In autumn, you see pigs that have been sent
, Esel
out to eat up the acorns. Otherwise, the ponies
charge: those in ~
would feed on them and make themselves ill. , die Verantwortlichen
The animals are lovely but can have the same to resign after breaking Covid rules, but
billion
effect as road repairs, such as when I met a long , Milliarde(n)
while still a member of parliament, Han-
line of cars coming in the other direction – stuck cock took part in the TV show I’m a Celebri-
health secretary [helT]
behind a group of donkeys. I felt sorry for the driv- , Gesundheits- ty… Get Me out of Here! – where people who
ers, for they really were being led by donkeys. minister(in) think they’re important spend time in the
Fotos: esvetleishaya, SurfUpVector, vectorplusb, cenkerdem/iStockphoto; privat

People complain that they’re led by donkeys
when they feel frustrated by the actions of those
in charge. In fact, “Led By Donkeys” is the name of
a campaign group that’s been highly critical of the
Conservative government, and especially Brexit.
The group recently spoke to a Rwandan offi-
cial about the Conservatives’ plan to send illegal
migrants to his country. The official’s comments,
recorded without his knowledge, suggested that
using Rwanda wasn’t such a great idea.
Apart from Brexit and the government’s con-
troversial deportation policy, what makes people
think that Britain is led by donkeys? Perhaps it was
Liz Truss, whose policies cost the country billions,
or Boris Johnson and his colleagues, with their
lockdown parties in Downing Street.
Or maybe it was Matt Hancock, who was health
secretary during the Covid-19 pandemic. He had
resign [ri(zaIn] jungle eating snakes, insects and worse.
, zurücktreten It reminds me of Shakespeare’s A Mid-
jungle [(dZVNg&l] summer Night’s Dream, where many of the
, Dschungel characters spend time in a forest. One of
fairy them, called Bottom, also has a very high
, Fee, Elf(e), Fabelwesen opinion of himself and is turned into a
tempting donkey by one of the fairies. The only dif-
, verlockend ference is that the TV show doesn’t need
fairies. Those who take part are already
donkeys when they get on the plane.
When you meet a group of donkeys
leading a queue of motorists slowly
through the forest on a nice sunny day, it’s
tempting to lean out of the window to tell
them: “Look, be reasonable! Stop blocking
the road! The British may enjoy being led
by donkeys, but haven’t these drivers al-
ready suffered enough?”

BRITAIN TODAY SPOTLIGHT 2024 11

 BOOKS AND FILMS
S
OMME NDATION
HT’S REC
SPOTLIG
UCAS
by EVE L
FILM | DRAMA
ADVANCED US
Past Lives (Amazon Prime) was critically praised as
one of the best films of 2023. Covering a 20-year
period, it tells the story of Nora (Greta Lee), a
Korean-born American playwright, and Hae Sung
(Teo Yoo), her childhood sweetheart, who still
lives in Korea. After years of silence, the couple
reconnect via Facebook and begin chatting on
Skype. Finally, they meet up for a week in Nora’s
home city of New York.
The movie has a specific set of characters (in-
cluding Nora’s American husband, Arthur, also
a writer), but its topic is universal: how, as young
adults, we try to grow new lives from the roots
of old loves and friendships. We all want to see
ourselves in a continuum. A bridge between re-
ality and nostalgia, social media has become part
of this deal, a connection between our present
and past lives. By adding a migrant story, Korean-
Canadian director Celine Song widens the ex-
perience. This film transforms the pain of losing
who we were as younger people into a realization:
that art can turn loss into beauty – but it’s still loss.
Not what it seems: John Magaro and Greta Lee
in Past Lives
playwright [(pleIraIt] director [dE(rekt&r]
, Dramatiker(in) , hier: Regisseur(in)
childhood sweetheart
, Sandkastenliebe
12 SPOTLIGHT 2024
PODCAST | LIFE AND ART
MEDIUM
The weekend edition of the Finan-
cial Times is famous for its compre-
hensive coverage of issues that are
not limited to only finance and
economics. So, why not try listen-
ing to FT Weekend’s Life and Art pod-
cast? Episodes vary in scope and
organization, hopping from AI to pizza baking to Russian
bankers. Maybe try some of the older episodes first. In some,
host Lilah Raptopoulos talks to a guest on the programme
about how to live a good life – food, fun and philosophy. In
others, three FT journalists sit down to discuss a topic from
the art world. We loved the Dolly Parton episode… but they’re
all good. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/life-and-art-from-ft-week-
end/id1179847741
comprehensive coverage scope host
, umfassend , Bericht- , Bereich, , Moderator(in)
erstattung Umfang
BOOK | NOVEL
ADVANCED US
off This Other Eden by U.S. writer Paul Harding
, hier: vor tells of Malaga Island, off the coast of Maine,
outcast which he calls Apple Island in the novel. After
, Ausgestoßene(r) the 1860s, the island was home to former
inbreeding slaves and outcasts from Black and ethnic
, Inzucht minorities. Then, in 1912, the inhabitants were
Fotos: pr (3), ddp/LMKMEDIA Ltd, Apple TV+
transform sth. “examined” for inbreeding and were sent away
, etw. umwandeln for reasons of “humanity and public health.”
lament “This other Eden” is a quotation from Shakes-
, Klage peare’s play Richard II. But what Shakespeare
describes in the play as the loss of England,
Harding transforms into a powerful lament
for how we lose our humanity when we reject
others because they are different from our-
selves. Hutchinson Heinemann, €9.99
GOOD TO KNOW
 BOOK | AMERICAN CLASSIC
EASY US

This year marks 100 years since the birth of James

Baldwin. The African-American writer and civil
rights activist, who was born on August 2, 1924,
is probably best-known for his 1953 novel, Go Tell
It on the Mountain. The central character is John
Grimes, a young boy growing up in Harlem in
the 1930s. As John celebrates his 14th birthday,
the reader is given flashbacks of his earlier life
civil rights activist
and of the lives of his father, mother, and aunt. [)sIv&l (raIts )ÄktIvIst]
Considered Baldwin’s finest novel, Go Tell It on , Bürgerrechtler(in)
the Mountain explores religion, sexuality, and race. flashback
Penguin Classics, €12.50 , Rückblende

Will music bring them together? Eve Hewson and Orén Kinlan in Flora and Son
FILM | ROMANCE
MEDIUM

director [daI&(rektE]
Irish film director and songwriter John Carney has specialized in films that , hier: Regisseur(in)
show how music shapes our everyday lives.
single
His latest film, Flora and Son (Apple TV+), continues that theme with the , hier: alleinerziehend
story of Flora (Eve Hewson), a single mother living on a housing estate in
housing estate (UK)
Dublin with her semi-criminal teenage son, Max (Orén Kinlan). Hoping to , Wohnsiedlung, Sozial-
interest him in a hobby, Flora gives him a guitar that she’s found on the street. siedlung
But it’s Flora who ends up taking guitar lessons on Zoom with Jeff (Joseph based in
Film and literary reviewer
Eve Lucas was born in the
Gordon-Levitt), a musician based in California. , in...lebend UK and studied languages
It’s clear almost from the beginning that music will save the day. Despite day: save the ~ at King’s College in London.
the expectation of a happy end, Carney includes the demons that threaten to , die Rettung sein Eve has lived in Bonn,
Moscow, Berlin, Brussels,
derail this process. This keeps the movie real while allowing us to enjoy the derail sth. [di:(reI&l] Paris and Rome. She is also
charm of its message. , etw. scheitern lassen an artist.

GOOD TO KNOW SPOTLIGHT 2024 13

 SCIENCE AND NATURE
How animals
calculate a quick
escape Erst mal vorsichtig abwarten? Nichts wie weg da? Oder lieber gleich zum
Angriff übergehen? FIONA ODOJ präsentiert faszinierende Erkenntnisse
darüber, wie dieser Entscheidungsprozess im Gehirn von Tieren abläuft.
F
ight or flight: it’s the first decision
that animals must make when
they’re faced with danger. And that
decision has to be made in a split
second because any delay could mean the
difference between life and death. To un-
derstand survival strategies across animal
species, neuroscientists are studying how
the brain calculates the best escape plan.
Complex calculations
Sometimes, there’s no time to identify
the type of threat that’s coming along.
The fastest reaction that scientists have
identified is simply flight from a rapidly
“looming”, or growing, threat. When the
eye detects a rapidly expanding object, it
sends a signal directly to a part of the brain
14 SPOTLIGHT 2024
MEDIUM
split second
, Sekundenbruchteil
neuroscientist
[)njUErEU(saIEntIst]
, Neurowissenschaftler(in)
loom
, sich abzeichnen, drohen
detect
, wahrnehmen, erkennen
owl
, Eule
survival of the fittest
, Überleben des Angepasstesten
that creates a map of the surrounding area.
This map is created from visual informa-
tion, sounds and smells. The information
is passed on to another part of the brain
that decides on escape as the correct reac-
tion to the identified threat. From there,
the command to flee is sent to a brain re-
gion that tells the muscles to move.
“It doesn’t matter if it is an owl or a car
or an object,” says neuroscientist Tiago
Foto: Georg Lechner mit Leonardo KI
Branco of University College London.
“If it’s coming fast in your direction, you
really want to get out of there and think of
what it might be afterwards.”
Survival of the fittest
When the threat is further away or un-
clear, other parts of the brain help make
GOOD TO KNOW
more complex calculations. Depending on
the sights, sounds and smells announcing
danger, the animal accesses stored infor-
mation about the type of threat, which
can determine the best escape strategy.
If there’s enough time to flee to safety, it
finds the way to a safe shelter, using infor-
mation stored in its memory. However,
certain nerve signals sometimes prevent
a successful escape – for example, if the
need for food or the importance of pro-
tecting young is greater than the threat.
We already know a lot about how some
steps in the escape process work; other
steps remain unknown. For example,
where exactly in the brain are relevant
pieces of information stored so they can
be accessed quickly when they’re needed?
GOOD TO KNOW
shelter
, Unterschlupf
sophisticated [sE(fIstIkeItId]
, hochentwickelt
adaptive behaviour [bi(heIvjE]
, anpassungsfähige
Verhaltensform
predator [(predEtE]
, Raubtier, Fressfeind
And why have certain animal species de-
veloped a more sophisticated response
than others?
Neuroscientists are interested in how
the brain reacts to danger because it in-
volves mechanisms that developed early
in evolution, across many different spe-
cies, independently of one another. It’s
considered to be one of the most basic
adaptive behaviours.
As Tiago Branco says: “From the mo-
ment there was life, there were species
feeding on each other and therefore strong
evolutionary pressure for evolving behav-
iours to avoid predators.” Understanding
how animals calculate their escapes could
therefore be key to discovering more
about how the brain works.
SPOTLIGHT 2024 15
16 SPOTLIGHT 2024 LIFESTYLE
 ICONIC PRODUCTS

Akubra hat
Der Filzhut aus Kaninchenhaar ist seit über hundert Jahren
die einzig wahre Kopfbedeckung im australischen Outback.
JULIAN EARWAKER über die Geschichte des Klassikers.

MEDIUM AUDIO

I
n 1874, 34-year-old Englishman Benjamin transform sth.
, hier: etw. umformen

Dunkerley arrived in the Australian island state wide-brimmed

, breitkrempig

of Tasmania and decided to start a hat-making headwear

, Kopfbedeckung

business in the capital, Hobart. He invented a ma- trademark sth.

, etw. als Marke
schützen lassen
chine to remove hair from rabbit fur. Using hot water slouch hat [slaUtS]
, Schlapphut
and steam, the underfur was then transformed into a typify sth. [(tIpIfaI]
, etw. repräsentieren
wide-brimmed hat. outback: the ~ (Aus.)
, Wildnisregionen
In the early 1900s, Dunkerley moved his business im Landesinneren Aus-
traliens
to Sydney, where he employed Stephen Keir, a young
hatmaker from England. Keir married Dunkerley’s
daughter and soon became general manager. The
name “Akubra” – believed to be an Aboriginal word
meaning “headwear” – was trademarked in 1912.
When the First World War began, Akubra supplied
the slouch hats worn by the Australian army. More
styles followed, including the best-selling Cattleman
hat, which typifies the look of the Australian rancher.
Foto: XRobyn Mackenzie/Shutterstock.com

Dunkerley died in 1918, but the firm is still run by

Diesen Text hier
kostenlos anhören!
the Keir family today – producing timeless hats that
www.spotlight-online.
de/audio-gratis/03 can be worn in all weathers, in town or in the outback.

LIFESTYLE SPOTLIGHT 2024 17

 A BITE TO EAT

New York
In unserer neuen Serie reisen wir auf der Suche nach
köstlichem Streetfood um die Welt. Dieses Mal kosten wir
einen Klassiker aus New York. Von LORRAINE MALLINDER
ADVANCED US

N
ew York City is famed for Midtown magic:
its exciting street food. On Royal Grill Halal Food
almost every corner of the
city, you’ll find food carts,
with people from all around the world
cooking and serving up their favorite
dishes from back home. And there’s no
better place to go than Royal Grill Halal food cart additive
, Imbisswagen, , Zusatzstoff
Food, which sells the best chicken biri-
Food Truck
yani in town. preservative
chicken biriyani [pri(z§:vEtIv]
Owners M. D. and Hira Alam are meat before it’s cooked. Free from addi- [)bIri(A:ni] , Konservierungsstoff
originally from Bangladesh. Hira start- tives and preservatives, this is viewed , herzhaftes Gericht
safe bet
ed the business on her own in 2005 and as a healthier option than convention- mit gebratenem Reis und
, sichere Sache
was later joined by her husband, who ally prepared meat – and it’s probably a Huhn
fluffy
gave up a job in a restaurant to work safer bet than a hot dog! flavorsome
, flockig
, schmackhaft
with her. The couple make everything You won’t have any trouble finding
rave reviews (ifml.)
themselves, using the freshest and the cart. Located at 44th Street and cilantro (N. Am.)
, höchstes Lob,
, Koriander
most flavorsome ingredients. They Sixth Avenue in Midtown, on an aver- glänzende Kritiken
serve big portions of food, with a age day, the line stretches all the way black mustard seeds
chicken tikka
, schwarze Senfkörner
spoonful of mango chutney or their down to Fifth Avenue. We recommend , Currygericht mit Huhn
special chili sauce, made with garlic, the fluffy chicken biriyani, which has line: be in ~ with sth. in pikanter Tomatensauce
, in Einklang mit etw.
chili, cilantro and black mustard seeds. got rave reviews from customers. But stehen
buck (N. Am. ifml.)
Halal food is prepared in line with whatever you choose – chicken tikka , Dollar
drain
Islamic law – the animals are killed hu- and the kebabs are also favorites – it , abfließen; hier: aus-
manely, with all blood drained from the won’t cost you more than ten bucks. bluten lassen

CHICKEN BIRIYANI PREPARATION sliced chunk toast

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4) Soak the rice in warm water, then wash , in Scheiben; , Stück, Stückchen , hier: (ohne Fett)
in cold. Heat butter in a saucepan and hier: in Ringe rösten
• 300 g basmati rice balti curry paste
fry the sliced onion with bay leaf, car- geschnitten
• 25 g butter , indische flaked almonds
damom pods, and cinnamon stick for bay leaf Currypaste
• 1 large onion, finely sliced [(A:lmEndz]
ten minutes. Add the turmeric, chicken, , Lorbeerblatt Mandelblättchen
• 1 bay leaf ,
and curry paste. Cook until aromatic. raisin [(reIz&n]
• 3 cardamom pods
Foto: Royal Grill pr, Kathrin Koschitzki

Stir rice into the saucepan. Add raisins, cardamom pod , Rosine soak
• small cinnamon stick
then pour over chicken stock. Place a , Kardamomkapsel , einweichen
• 1 tsp turmeric chicken stock
tight-fitting lid on the pan and bring to
• 4 chicken breasts, skinless, in chunks cinnamon , Hühnerbrühe saucepan
a boil, then put on low heat and cook
• 4 tbsp balti curry paste , Zimt [(sO:spÄn]
the mixture for another five minutes. cilantro (N. Am.) Kochtopf
• 85 g raisins ,
Turn off the heat and leave for ten turmeric , Koriander
• 850 ml chicken stock
minutes. Add the chopped cilantro. To [(t§:mErIk] scatter over
• 30 g cilantro, ½ chopped, ½ leaves chopped
serve, scatter over the leaves of the , Kurkuma , darüberstreuen
picked , gehackt
remaining cilantro and the almonds.
• 2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds

18 SPOTLIGHT 2024 LIFESTYLE

 A DAY IN MY LIFE

Relationship coach
– avoiding trauma
Seit ihrer eigenen schmerzlichen Scheidung unterstützt Mel Murphy Paare,
die in der Krise stecken. Inzwischen widmet sie sich ganz dem Beziehungs-
Coaching – und das beginnt schon lange vor der Ehe. Von TALITHA LINEHAN

MEDIUM AUDIO ÜBUNGSHEFT

y name is Mel Murphy. I’m 48,

M and I’m a relationship and divorce

coach, based in Dublin, Ireland. I’m
the owner of both Mel Murphy In-
ternational and Separation & Divorce Coaching
Ireland, and co-owner of the Divorce Coaching
Academy.
I do pre-marriage courses, couples counselling,
mediation and divorce coaching support. I also
do an online conference every year with other
experts, including a family-law lawyer, a financial
planner and a co-parenting expert. And I organize
in-person retreats for people who’ve been through
a divorce, because being with other people who
are going through the same thing as you is really
good for moral support and mental health.

~
Unfortunately, I went through my own painful
divorce about eight years ago. At the time, I was
working in IT and had a leadership position.
Once my divorce was over, I wanted to focus on

“It’s about
navigating those
difficult times”
counselling co-parenting
, Therapie, Beratung , gemeinsame Elternschaft

mediation mental health [helT]

, Vermitteln, Schlichten , psychische Verfassung

20 SPOTLIGHT 2024 PEOPLE

 As well as supporting
couples going through
divorce, Mel offers
relationship coaching
to help people avoid
breaking up

coaching and supporting people going through the hor-

rible and traumatic process of divorce. I did an accredited
course on divorce coaching in the US, and started my prac-
tice here in Dublin in 2019.
I’ve been going through a transition lately. I’ve expand-
ed my practice, so I no longer focus only on divorce, but
also on helping people to avoid the trauma of divorce,
through relationship coaching and pre-marriage courses.
I’ve also expanded globally because, although I’m based in
Ireland, I have clients around the world. And a while ago,
I left my position in IT to focus full-time on my coaching
business.

~
All my coaching is done online, in part because my clients
live all over the world, but also because they want priva-
cy. A lot of them will call and not even put the video on,
especially in Ireland, because it’s a small country, where
everyone knows everyone.
When I coach couples, I talk to them separately and
then bring them together. I find that more truth comes
out when they’re not sitting next to each other, worrying
about what they’re going to say and the impact it will have.
My advice to couples would be to have a weekly date
Fotos: privat, malerapaso/iStockphotos.com

together and to focus on their commonalities. I know cou- Mel believes that couples going through problems in their
ples who have a great marriage but still see a relationship relationship need to find the “commonalities” they still share
coach every six months, just to keep things on track, be-
cause people do change.
Both men and women can go through a midlife crisis,
which can be very tough on relationships. So, it’s about
accredited privacy [(prIvEsi] commonalities
navigating those difficult times. It doesn’t mean it’s the , zertifiziert , Privatsphäre [)kQmE(nÄlEtiz]
end. I think that people these days maybe walk away a lit- , Gemeinsamkeiten
transition impact
tle too easily. But we can often find a way to make it work , Wechsel, Übergang , Auswirkung(en) track: keep sth. on ~
– and if not, to remain friends, or at least friendly. , etw. auf Kurs halten

PEOPLE SPOTLIGHT 2024 21

22 SPOTLIGHT 2024 PEOPLE
 LOOKING AT LIVES

Ready for it all

Mit 14 unterzeichnete Billie Eilish ihren ersten Plattenvertrag –
inzwischen hat sie sieben Grammys gewonnen, einen James-
Bond-Song geschrieben und sich in die Herzen von Millionen
Fans gesungen. HANNAH MACREADY über eine Künstlerin,
die so gar nicht den üblichen Klischees entspricht.
ADVANCED US

S
tanding chest-deep in a pool
of black water, Billie Eilish, the
young music prodigy, slowly re-
moves her shirt. While her body
sinks into the thick black water, Eilish
stares directly into the camera, and
seems to ask her audience, “Is this what
you want?”
This moment, filmed during her set
at a concert in Miami, Florida, marks
one of the few times that fans have seen
Eilish’s bare body. Since her rise to fame
at the age of just 14, she has protected
herself fiercely, adopting a signature
baggy T-shirt and board-shorts style.
As the video rolls, Eilish speaks to
the swelling sea of her audience. “Some
people hate what I wear, some people
praise it, some people use it to shame
others, some people use it to shame
Fotos: Rachael Wright/CAMERA PRESS/laif, Alamy Stock Photo/Kathy Hutchins
interested them. Despite this rather
unconvential schooling, Eilish got her Name: Billie Eilish Pirate Baird
high school diploma at only 15. O’Connell
Billie and Finneas began making Born: December 18, 2001
Famous as:
music when they were children. They Singer-songwriter, activist
could often be found singing together Most famous albums:
When We All Fall Asleep, Where
in their rooms, riffing off each other’s Do We Go? (2019), Happier Than
verses, going back and forth on word- Ever (2021)
ing, and slowly whittling down the bars
until a finished song emerged.
In 2015, when she was 14, Eilish up-
loaded a song to SoundCloud that she
and Finneas had produced together,
called “Ocean Eyes.” It was meant to
be a sample for her dance teacher, but
it went viral overnight.
Soon, millions of people were asking
who the young girl behind this haunt- chest-deep pursue sth. [p&r(su:]
ing, deeply emotional ballad was. How , bis zur Brust , etw. verfolgen, nach
etw. streben
could someone so young have known prodigy
riff off sth. (ifml.)

, Wunderkind
me,” she says. Her head slips beneath so much heartache? Later that year, just
, etw. abwandeln
the water, black, thick ooze bubbling days before her 15th birthday, Eilish fiercely [(fIrsli]
, vehement, radikal bars: whittle down the ~
against the surface. “Is my value only signed a record deal with Interscope
, etwa: an den Takten
based on your perception?” a recording Records. signature [(sIgnEtS&r]
feilen
, charakteristisch
of her voice sings. “Or is your opinion of The family home in Highland Park
emerge
me / Not my responsibility?” now became a creative hub. Eilish’s de- baggy
, entstehen
, übergroß, schlabbrig
but album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where haunting [(hO:ntIN]
Growing up Eilish Do We Go?, was written, recorded, and board shorts
, ergreifend, berührend
, Surfer-Badeshorts
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell, produced in Finneas’s bedroom. She hub
known to fans as Billie Eilish, was born and her brother won seven Grammys swelling sea
, Zentrum
, hier: immer lauter
in Los Angeles, California, on Decem- for the album in 2020. They also earned werdender Ansturm theme song
ber 18, 2001. Her parents are actors and a visual-media Grammy and an orig- , Titellied
ooze
musicians Maggie Baird and Patrick inal-song Oscar for their James Bond , Schlamm bunk
O’Connell. theme song, “No Time to Die,” which , Schlafkabine, Koje
perception [p&r(sepS&n]
Eilish’s upbringing was one of cre- was written and recorded on Eilish’s , Wahrnehmung basement
ative exploration. Homeschooled in tour bus. Or, as she told Vulture maga- , Untergeschoss
homeschool sb.
L.A., she and her brother, Finneas, were zine in 2021, it was recorded “in a bunk , jmdn. zuhause
encouraged to pursue any topic that in the dark on the bus in a basement in unterrichten

PEOPLE SPOTLIGHT 2024 23

 Eilish took the
Grammys by storm
in 2020

Fotos: picture alliance / Photoshot, Robby Klein/Contour by Getty Images for The Recording Academy, Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images, Daniel DeSlover/ZUMA Wire/ Alamy Images
Billie and Finneas Eilish doing
a “Tiny Desk (Home) Concert”
for NPR, August 2020

Texas.” The siblings continue to collab-

orate even today, on nearly every aspect
of Eilish’s musical career. young women to fit into conventional collaborate bruising [(bru:zIN]
standards. “I think that people have tak- , zusammenarbeiten , schmerzlich
Beyond conventional style en me more seriously because I’ve had submit to sth. exploitative
Eilish is one of the few pop stars who this more masculine [way of dressing],” , sich einer Sache [Ik(splOItEtIv]
unterwerfen , ausbeuterisch
hasn’t submitted to the pressure to she told Highsnobiety magazine during
adopt a hyperfeminized, flashy style. a 2022 interview. “If I had been more flashy grapple with sth.
, auffällig, schrill , mit etw. zu kämpfen
Her signature baggy T-shirts, tracksuits, feminine and girly, people would’ve haben
and spiked necklaces are more akin to been a lot less respectful of me.” tracksuit
, Trainings-, Jogging- record label [(rek&rd]
skate culture than haute couture. anzug , Plattenfirma
Publicly, she’s stated that her look Advocacy, action, and fame spiked necklace outspoken
is meant to disarm those who want to Eilish admits that growing up famous , Stachel-Halskette , offen
sexualize or fetishize her. Still, she finds is a “bruising experience.” Coming mental health [(helT]
akin: be ~ to sth.
a way to make even the most pared- up in an exploitative industry is hard, , sich etw. ähneln , psychische Verfassung
down outfits stand out. Her ever-chang- made harder by age, inexperience, and disarm sb. lyrics [(lIrIks]
ing hair, going from black and green to the cruel, judging eyes of the inter- , jmdn. entwaffnen , Songtext(e)
blue, blonde, grey, or black and red, has net. Battling health issues, including pared-down [pe&rd] profound
become an expression for her evolution, Tourette’s syndrome and chronic leg , auf ein Minimum , tiefgreifend
both as a young woman and a musician. pain, she grapples with the physical de- reduziert
toll
Her impact has been felt by her fans, mands of live performances and non- impact , hier: Tribut
with one telling Spotlight, “I always ad- stop record-label obligations. , Einfluss
exact sth.
mired that she dressed down and didn’t Despite her outward success, Eilish dress down , etw. fordern,
allow the world to sexualize her until has always been outspoken about her , sich leger kleiden abverlangen
she was older. Until she was ready.” struggles with mental health. Her lyrics diclose sth. suicidal ideation
While Eilish has always maintained reveal the profound mental and emo- , etw. preisgeben [su:I)saId&l aIdi(eIS&n]
, Suizidgedanken
that her style was meant to protect tional toll that fame can exact, touch- stem from sth.
her, she has recently disclosed that it ing on themes of death, disorientation, , auf etw. zurück- abuse [E(bju:s]
zuführen sein , Missbrauch
also stems from body issues. Even to- suicidal ideation, and abuse. “I feel the
day, she struggles with the concept of dark things, I feel them very strongly,” issue [(ISu:]
, hier: Problem
beauty as well as with the challenges she said in her 2021 documentary, The
of navigating an industry that forces World’s a Little Blurry.

24 SPOTLIGHT 2024 PEOPLE

 Beyond music, Eilish champions en-
vironmental and social causes, such as
climate change, Black Lives Matter, and
voting rights. In 2019, she offered free
concert tickets to fans who had taken
action on climate change. She has also
banned plastic straws from her con-
certs and encourages fans to bring their
own water bottles.
When the Covid pandemic paused
live performances across the globe,
Eilish helped raise more than $127 mil-
lion for relief in the fight against the vi-
rus, through the “One World: Together
at Home” special.

Coming into her own

Now aged 22, Eilish is honest about
being scared for the future. She pairs
her outspoken confidence with deep,
At the Academy Museum Gala, L.A., 2023 internal reflection. “What I’ve learned On the When We All
is that time goes by, and … you don’t Fall Asleep tour, at
the United Center,
Music, for Eilish, has always been a way have to push into pain to get out of Chicago, 2019
to free her feelings. Her 2021 hit single, pain. I’ve done that, and I don’t want to
“Your Power,” dissects the too-com- do it again,” she told Allure magazine in
mon trope of older men dating under- September 2023.
age women, an experience she claims Becoming her own woman has been
to have experienced at first hand. Wom- a journey, one not so easily faced in the
en’s rights have always been an issue public eye. When she wore a pink cor-
Eilish is willing to stand up for. She has set for Vogue U.K. in 2021, critics lashed
spoken out about abortion rights in the out, accusing her exploration of femi-
U.S., including at music festivals such ninity as hypocrisy. The New York Times
as Austin City Limits in the U.S., and quoted one Twitter user as saying,
the U.K.’s Glastonbury in 2022. “Before: unique, different, a class of her
Her single “What Was I Made For?” own. After: mainstream, exchangeable,
(see pages 32–33), which was created slick and polished. Why?”
for the 2023 Barbie movie, delves into Eilish doesn’t care. She’s happy being
the challenges women face under the who she is. Despite all the money,
patriarchal shadow. Eilish says this song fame, and success, she still
is for those “hard-won battles … celebra- lives in the same home
tions of lives fought for and well lived.” she grew up in, with her
parents. As well as the
seven Grammys she won
dissect sth. [daI(sekt] straw in 2020, she’s received 17
, etw. analysieren, , hier: Strohhalm
darlegen
Grammy nominations,
lash out and was the youngest
trope , auskeilen; hier: jmdn.
, Klischee heruntermachen
person, and first female
artist, to win Record of
underage [)VndEr(eIdZ] hypocrisy [hI(pA:krEsi]
, minderjährig , Heuchelei the Year, Song of the Year,
Album of the Year, and Best
stand up for sth. unique [ju:(ni:k]
, für etw. eintreten , einzigartig, besonders New Artist, in the same
year.
abortion slick
, Abtreibung , aalglatt Fame, it seems, is sim-
ply a by-product of a larger
delve into sth. calling
, sich eingehend mit etw. , Berufung, Bestimmung calling: making her voice
befassen known. Eilish – laughing,
champion sth. smiling, crying – is ready
, sich für etw. engagieren for it all.

PEOPLE SPOTLIGHT 2024 25


AI and
language learning
Wie wird künstliche Intelligenz das Lernen und Lehren von Sprachen
verändern? Spotlight sprach mit dem KI- und Pädagogik-Experten
NIK PEACHEY über aktuelle Entwicklungen und Trends.
A
rtificial intelligence is chang-
ing our lives and will affect
how we live, work and behave.
What are the implications
for language learning, both for learn-
ers and for teachers? We asked Nik
Peachey, an expert on technology in
language acquisition, to give us his in-
sights.
AI FOR LEARNERS
Spotlight: What is AI in practical
terms?
Nik Peachey: Artificial intelligence, or
AI, covers several types of technology
that makes computers able to simulate
the way people think and use language.
The most recent development in AI
Illustration: Georg Lechner mit Leonardo KI
is known as “generative AI”. This ena-
bles computers to produce language
and information based on “large lan-
guage models”. These are vast collec-
tions of human-created communica-
tion. The words and sentences in these
collections are analysed so that a com-
puter can understand how they’re used
in various contexts and situations. The
computer can then use the analysis of
these examples to respond to human
SOCIETY
SOCIETY
MEDIUM
users in a way that seems like human
communication.
SP: Can AI help me learn a language?
N.P.: There are many ways in which
it can do this. AI can act as a conver-
sational partner, and you can practise
speaking and writing with it. It can act
as a teacher and give you feedback on
your speaking and writing. You can ask
it to produce text about any topic, and
it can help you with the vocabulary in
that text. You can listen to the text it
produces and develop your listening
skills. It can answer questions about
grammar, and create exercises to im-
prove your understanding of grammar
and vocabulary. It can also give you
feedback on language you produce, ei-
ther in written or spoken form.
SP: Can I have a conversation with it?
N.P.: Yes. Chatbots allow you to have
a spoken or written conversation on
any topic you choose. Many chatbots
artificial intelligence (AI) language acquisition
will also initiate a conversation and [)A:tI(fIS&l] [)ÄkwI(zIS&n]
ask you questions. You can listen to the , künstliche Intelligenz , Spracherwerb
chatbot and read what it says. You can (KI)
vast [vA:st]
also reply, either by using your voice or affect sth. , riesig, enorm
by typing your response. Some chat- , etw. beeinflussen
context
bots have been specifically designed to , Zusammenhang
SPOTLIGHT 2024 27
 help you learn a language: they will set
language-related tasks and give feed-
back.
SP: Can AI actually “teach” me things?
N.P.: On a tool like ChatGPT, you can
ask questions and it will explain gram-
mar points or vocabulary. It will also an-
swer questions about anything you ask
it – but be aware that the answers aren’t
always correct! Especially with factual
information, you need to check what
AI tells you against another source.
Sometimes, AI makes things up, which
is called “hallucinating”.
SP: Can AI help with grammar?
N.P.: You can ask a tool like ChatGPT to
create grammar exercises and tests for
you, and then you can ask it to check
your results. Before you do this, you
should tell it your language level. It’s
best to describe your level using the
Common European Framework of
Reference (CEFR). Also, tell the tool
what specific aspect of grammar you
want to study, such as the present per-
fect or first conditional. Once you’ve
finished the exercises, you can ask it if
your answers are correct. AI sometimes
gets things wrong though, so be sure to
check with your teacher, too.
SP: Can AI write homework and work
emails?
N.P.: Tools like ChatGPT can do your
homework and write your work emails
for you – but they can’t learn for you. If
you get AI to do your homework, you
won’t learn anything. It’s better to learn
how to use AI to help you do your work,
and to learn and improve.
SP: What do I need to know to use AI?
N.P.: To use general AI tools such as
ChatGPT, you need to learn how to
write prompts. These are the instruc-
tions that you type into AI tools to
make them do things. Understanding
how to write prompts can help you get
the best results. Your prompts need to
be clear, specific and concise.
Here’s an example of a prompt that
someone might write: “Please read my
text and suggest ways I can improve it.”
However, if you use this prompt, you’ll
get only very general feedback and sug-
gestions.
28 SPOTLIGHT 2024
AI FOR TEACHERS
SP: How do you think AI will change
the classroom?
N.P. Classrooms haven’t changed
much in hundreds of years, and I don’t
see them changing dramatically now.
I don’t see teachers being replaced
by onscreen AI chatbots at the front
“I hope AI of the class, however realistic these
may become. What I think will hap-
will make the pen, though, is that teachers will use
AI to do some parts of their work for
classroom them, especially things like designing
materials, planning lessons, marking
a more homework and other admin. This will
supportive give teachers more time and energy to
work on differentiated learning with
place for their students, and to focus on develop-
ing their interpersonal and soft skills. I
students” hope this will make the classroom a
more supportive and human place for
students, with less focus placed on sit-
ting in rows, just listening, and more on
interacting and enjoying learning.
SP: Will AI replace live lessons?
N.P.: Students need the opportunity to
interact with other real people. Com-
munication isn’t only about words:
there’s a range of other complex fac-
tors, such as body language, proximity,
Instead, use the following prompt, ed- tone of voice, gestures, eye contact and
iting the parts in brackets. You’ll get facial expressions. You can learn these
much more specific feedback: “Please only from speaking with a real person.
read my {type of text, e.g. email} about
{topic, e.g. my pay rise} that I am writing factual [(fÄktSuEl] persuasive
for {audience, e.g. my manager}. Please , sachgerecht [pE(sweIsIv]
, überzeugend
give me a list of bullet points about how make sth. up
I can improve it. Give suggestions for , etw. erfinden onscreen
, Bildschirm-
{how you would like to add to it, e.g. Common European
improving the grammar, adding more Framework of Reference marking
, Gemeinsamer Euro- , Benotung
persuasive reasons for my pay rise}. If päischer Referenzrahmen
you understand, then reply with ‘I’m admin (administrative)
für Sprachen
, Verwaltungs-, Büro-
ready’.” prompt
SP: Do I still need a teacher? interpersonal
, Anweisung, Prompt
, zwischenmenschlich
N.P.: A teacher can help you with a lot concise [kEn(saIs]
of things that AI can’t. They can moti- soft skills
, kurzgefasst, präzise
, Sozialkompetenz
vate and guide you, and push you to do edit sth.
interact
better. And they can help you to use AI , etw. überarbeiten
, interagieren
in a way that will assist your learning. bracket
proximity
A teacher can help you learn how to , Klammer
[prQk(sImIti]
check whether what AI is telling you is bullet point , Nähe
correct. Unlike AI, a teacher cares about
Foto: privat
, Stichpunkt
gesture [(dZestSE]
you and wants to help you learn. They e.g. (exempli gratia) , Geste
can share real-life experiences with you. , z.B. (zum Beispiel)
SOCIETY
Live lessons, with a real teacher and
real students, help motivate students
and provide structure to their learn-
ing. Few students have the discipline
to take full responsibility for their own
learning: they need the shared experi-
ence and motivation that a teacher and
other students can provide.
SP: What are the challenges facing
teachers?
N.P. There are three main challenges.
The first is “prompt engineering”. Teach-
ers need to start developing their under-
standing of AI prompts and how best to
write them. Having a good collection of
prompts, and knowing how to edit and
improve them, means that teachers can
get AI to do things for them, such as
creating classroom materials, or writing
lesson plans and tests. Getting AI to do
these things depends on the teacher’s
ability to structure prompts.
The second challenge for teachers
is coping with the specialized AI tools
and apps that are available, and decid-
ing which will be safe and effective, and
add value to the teaching and learning
experience. Teachers will need time and
practice to get used to this.
The final thing – and this is probably
the most difficult – is to teach students
how to use AI responsibly, so that it
enhances their learning and devel-
ops their skills. Many students will be
looking for ways to get AI to actually
do the work for them, but they need to
understand that doing the work is what
helps them to learn. We need to have
a process-guided approach to using
AI. Teachers need to think about how
students can use AI to produce better
writing and how AI tools fit into that
process. This will mean rethinking how
we teach the writing skill.
SP: What’s the most exciting aspect of
AI for teaching?
N.P.: AI has a lot of potential benefits.
One of the best things about it is that
it can help us and our students to learn
more about almost anything. It’s like
giving people free access to the entire
accumulated collective knowledge of
our global society in a way that’s very
quick to access.
SOCIETY
Nik Peachey is pedagogical
director at PeacheyPublica-
tions (https://payhip.com/
peacheypublications), author
of ChatGPT in the Language
Classroom and has designed
courses on AI and education-
al technology. He is a regular
conference speaker and
writes about technology and
language learning.
www.linkedin.com/in/nik-
peachey
www.facebook.com/
peacheypublications
pedagogical [)pedE(gQdZIk&l]
, pädagogisch
prompt engineering benefit
[)endZI(nIErIN] , Vorteil, Nutzen
, Erstellen, Formulieren
von Anweisungen accumulated
[E(kju:mjEleItId]
(Prompts)
, angesammelt
enhance sth.
engage with sth.
, etw. bereichern
SP: What’s been your most unexpected , sich intensiv mit etw.
discovery around teaching and AI? process-guided befassen
approach
N.P.: One thing that’s surprised me [(prEUses )gaIdId]
resilience [ri(zIliEns]
about the new generation of AI tools , Anpassungsfähigkeit
, prozessorientierter
is how simple they are to use and how Ansatz
quickly and enthusiastically teachers
have engaged with finding out how to
use them. Technological integration in
education is usually slow. Think how
long it took interactive whiteboards
to be widely used in schools. Technol-
ogies like videoconferencing, and tools
like Zoom, were available for around 20
years before the Covid pandemic came
along and forced teachers to use them.
Many teachers are open-minded
about looking for ways to integrate AI
into what they do. I think that’s a good
indicator of the strength and resilience
of our profession.
SPOTLIGHT 2024 29
 PEGGY’S PLACE

It’s not about you!

In Spotlights fiktivem Pub führen Stammkundin Helen und
Chefkoch Sean ein längst überfälliges Gespräch. Sollte Helen
ihr Verhalten ihm gegenüber überdenken? Von INEZ SHARP

MEDIUM AUDIO

Helen: I’ll have the scampi Sean: I didn’t really know

and chips.
Sean: Of course! Would you
like another glass of the Sau-
vignon to go with it?
Helen: Yes, please!
Sean: What are you reading?
Helen: It’s an interview with
Ncuti Gatwa.
Sean: Oh, the new Dr Who?
Helen: He was in that series
Sex Education as well.
Sean: Oh, yes. He’s very cute.
I wouldn’t turn down a date
with him.
Helen: Say that again?
Sean: I said, I wouldn’t turn
down a date with him. Why?
Helen: Right, so you are dat-
ing men now.
Sean: Actually, I’m dating
one man at the moment.
Helen: Ian?
Sean: That’s right.
Helen: You could have told
me. I always seem to be the
last person to be told any-
thing.
Sean: Look, how can I say
this? It’s my business who
I go out with, Helen. I don’t
need to share the informa-
tion with anyone.
Helen: But we used to date!
Sean: Correction: we went
“You could have where to begin and I was
dealing with a lot of things.
told me” Helen: Like what?
Sean: Well, I was struggling
to walk with crutches after
my foot operation. Then,
out a couple of times and that was ages Ian’s mum saw me kissing
ago, so stop sounding so tetchy. him.
Helen: Does George know you’re dat- Helen: If you’d just told me...
ing his son? Sean: Then, there was Peg-
Sean: As a matter of fact, he does, and gy’s little chat, so then I knew
he’s fine with it. But I still don’t under- that she knew.
stand why you’re so angry with me. You Helen: I heard about that.
and I are still friends, right? And yours Sean: The thing is that there
is a friendship that’s very important to never seemed to be a right
me. time to tell anyone. And
Helen: That’s why I was the last person what I’ve noticed is that
to find out that you’re gay. when you tell people, they
Sean: Wow, what a gracious response! often don’t know how to
I’ll go back to the kitchen and we can react. In this day and age, it
talk again when you’ve calmed down. shouldn’t be a big deal, but
Helen: OK, OK! I’m sorry. Don’t go. in reality, most people aren’t
Sean: All right. Let’s talk this through. as laid-back as they think.
Do you mind if I sit down? Helen: OK?
Helen: Of course not. Sean: And then there are
Sean: So, I’ve always been attracted to those friends who make it all
women and men, but when I met Ian, about themselves. All they
it was a real ... what do the French call it? care about is how it might
Helen: A coup de foudre? affect their life.
Sean: That’s it. But I didn’t know if Ian Helen: Are you talking about
felt the same way, so I took things very me now?
slowly. Sean: Yes, I am. It would be
Helen: Yes, but you still could have con- nice if you were just happy
fided in me! for me and Ian.
Illustrationen: Martin Haake

chips (UK) turn sth. down gracious [(greISEs] crutch big deal (ifml.) affect sth.
, Pommes frites , zu etw. nein sagen , gnädig, freundlich , Krücke , große Sache, Thema , etw. betreffen, sich auf
etw. auswirken
cute [kju:t] tetchy coup de foudre day: in this ~ and age laid-back (ifml.)
, süß, nett , empfindlich, reizbar [)ku: dE (fu:drE] , heutzutage , locker
, Liebe auf den ersten
Blick

30 SPOTLIGHT 2024 CHAPTERS AND VERSE

 Phil
Phil is married to Peggy.
Once a cabbie (Taxifahrer),
he now helps out at the pub.
Phil’s a good person, but
grumpy (mürrisch) and not
much of a businessman.
Peggy
Peggy is the owner of the
pub. Now in her 60s, she’s
kind and reliable, and loves
the British royal family.
Peggy is happy in her
second marriage, to Phil.

Sean Jane
Sean, from Ireland, is Jane, Peggy’s daughter, is
the chef (Küchenchef) at egocentric and lazy. She’s
Peggy’s Place. Sean is a single mother – she has

PUB GRUB unconventional but a genius

“I’ll have the scampi and chips”
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
Tartare sauce:
1 large egg yolk
½ tsp English mustard powder
1 lemon, salt and pepper
150 ml olive oil
1 tbsp each of capers, gherkins,
parsley leaves, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
in the kitchen. He’s also a bit
hot-headed.
Scampi:
20–25 prawns
30 g flour
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper George
1 large egg Scottish George has been
coming to Peggy’s Place for
75 g white breadcrumbs years. He has a business as
vegetable oil for frying an events manager. George
is married to Maggie and
has a grown-up son, Ian.
a daughter, Simone – but
isn’t good at taking on
responsibility.
Helen
Helen, a regular at the
pub, works as a nurse
and is currently single.
She’s organized, punctual,
sensible (vernünftig) – and
in love with Sean.

PREPARATION
For the tartare sauce, mix the egg yolk, mustard powder,
juice of half of the lemon, salt and pepper. Add the oil drop
by drop, to create thick mayonnaise. Add the rest of the
lemon juice, capers, gherkins, parsley and onion. Wash
and dry the prawns. Mix the flour, salt, black pepper and
cayenne pepper in a bowl. Crack the egg into a second
bowl and whisk. Put the breadcrumbs in a third bowl. Dust
the prawns in the flour, dip them in egg, roll them in bread-
crumbs and put them on a plate lined with baking paper.
Heat the oil in a high-sided pan until a scampi-size piece
of bread turns golden brown. Cook the prawns in three
portions, for two to three minutes each. Drain on kitchen
paper. Serve with tartare sauce, chips and slices of lemon.

egg yolk [jEUk] caper parsley prawn [prO:n] breadcrumbs drain sth.
, Eigelb , Kaper , Petersilie , Scampi, Garnele , Semmelbrösel , etw. abtropfen lassen

mustard powder gherkin [(g§:kIn] (UK) chopped flour [(flaUE] whisk [wIsk] slice
, Senfpulver , Essig-, Gewürzgurke , gehackt , Mehl , verquirlen , Scheibe, Schnitz

CHAPTERS AND VERSE SPOTLIGHT 2024 31

 SONGS AND SONNETS

Die großen Fragen des Lebens, gestellt

von einem Püppchen – und einer Singer-
Songwriterin, die wir auf den Seiten 22 bis 25
näher vorstellen. Von VANESSA CLARK
EASY US ÜBUNGSHEFT

What Was I Made For?

by Billie Eilish

I used to float, When did it end?

now I just fall down
I used to know
but I’m not sure now
What I was made for
What was I made for?
All the enjoyment
I’m sad again,
don’t tell my boyfriend
It’s not what he’s made for
What was I made for?

Takin’ a drive, I was an ideal ’Cause I, ’cause I

PHRASE TO GO
Looked so alive,
“I used to do it” turns out I’m not real
means “I always did Just something you paid for
it in the past, but I
don’t do it any more”. What was I made for?
’Cause I, I
I don’t know how to feel
But I wanna try
I don’t know how to feel
But someday, I might
Someday, I might
I don’t know how to feel
But I wanna try
I don’t know how to feel
But someday I might
Someday I might
Think I forgot how to be happy
Something I’m not,
but something I can be
Something I wait for
Something I’m made for
Something I’m made for

Dream team? Ken (Ryan Gosling)

and Barbie (Margot Robbie) leaving
Barbieland in search of adventure

wanna (ifml.)
, = want to

32 SPOTLIGHT 2024 CHAPTERS AND VERSE

 What’s it about?
The title of this song asks two questions at the same
time: “Why did you make me?” and “What am I for?”
There are other big questions you might not expect
from a movie about Barbie: Why am I here? What’s
my purpose in life? Where did it all go wrong? Why
does everything feel fake? Why do I feel so sad? Will
I ever find happiness again?
In the film, the song plays in a key scene, as Barbie
confronts the woman who originally designed and
made her, but its questions are universal for us real
humans as well as for fictional characters.
The lyrics start with Billie/Barbie noticing how life
isn’t as good as before. She used to be carefree and
confident, but now things have taken a turn for the
worse and she’s full of doubt. She even wonders if
she’s real. She doesn’t feel alive. Nothing is as fun
any more. All in all, it sounds as if she’s depressed.
The song has a more hopeful, optimistic note at
the end. She hopes that perhaps she’ll be able to feel
alive and happy again in the future and find a new
purpose in life – find what she’s made for and inspire
the people who know her.

Good to know
When Eilish wrote this song with her
brother and collaborator, Finneas, she says
she was only thinking about it as music
for the movie soundtrack. She had been in
a period of creative block, but this idea of
the doll questioning her existence seemed
to unlock something in the singer-
songwriter, and it took her just one night
to write the whole song. “The song wrote
itself,” she says. It was only several days
later that she realized, “Every single lyric
is exactly how I feel. It’s about my life.”

If you liked this song...

Fotos: BFA / Alamy Photo, Shutterstock (2)

...go to www.spotlight-online.de/poetry0324 to watch the sim-
ple, and very beautiful, music video for this song. Eilish is
dressed in a 1950s-style yellow dress with a high blonde
ponytail, like Barbie. She unpacks a little suitcase of doll-
size versions of outfits she herself has worn as a singer
and hangs them on a tiny clothes rail, until the wind and
rain force her to pack it all away again. Eilish explains her
idea behind the video: “The world is falling apart as I’m
trying to keep these old versions of myself safe.”

lyrics [(lIrIks] collaborator doll doll-size

, Songtext(e) , Mitarbeiter(in) , Puppe , Miniatur-

carefree block unlock sth. clothes rail [(klEUDz]

, sorglos, unbekümmert , hier: Blockade , hier: etw. auflösen , Kleiderstange

CHAPTERS AND VERSE SPOTLIGHT 2024 33

 SHORT STORY

The trophy hunter

Ein Löwe wird nur so zum Vergnügen abgeschossen, und
eine Kurznachricht auf Social Media deckt diesen Skandal auf.
Eigentlich ganz einfach. Aber was, wenn die Folgen des Posts
nicht abzusehen sind? Von JAMES SCHOFIELD
ADVANCED US AUDIO

S
lowly, I move the mouse to “post,” then politicians who cheated on their partners,
hover over the message I’m about revealing corporate hypocrisy on environ-
to put on the main social media plat- mental issues, and making fun of the liberal
forms. And hover and hover, my hand causes I believe in.
hover over sth. [(hVv&r]
shaking so much that the arrow is never ac- Michelle is hugely popular. If I brought
, über etw. schweben
tually on that little blue button. her down, it would cause immense damage
extinct: become ~
I move it away again. Let’s just read what to the channel. And to her. Once I post this , aussterben
I’ve written, one more time. Is the tone message, she’ll have protestors camped out-
camouflage clothes
right for Facebook? What about TikTok and side her mansion in Bel Air and death threats [(kÄmEflA:Z )kloUz]
Instagram? online. Advertisers will pressure the produc- , Tarnkleidung
tion company to drop her from the channel. rifle [(raIf&l]
This is Michelle Taylor, posing with a dead lion she She’ll become an international hate figure. , Gewehr
killed for fun in Zimbabwe. Lions are becoming ex- “Come on, she deserves it,” I say to my- boulder [(boUld&r]
tinct, and trophy hunting is one of the main causes of self. I sit up again, hand on mouse, hovering. , Felsblock
their decline. Trophy hunting is murder #SaveLions I think about how the local trackers she used close up
#StopTrophyHunting tricked that poor lion to leave the guarded , in Großaufnahme
nature reserve he lived in so she could blast mane
I check the photographs I’ve collected to him. They left a trail of antelope blood for the , Mähne
prove my story. There’s a wide-angle photo lion to follow out of the reserve into a nearby petite
of Michelle dressed in camouflage clothes, farming area. This is a punishment she really , zierlich
flat on the ground with her Winchester deserves. cheat on sb. (ifml.)
Magnum rifle resting on a boulder, aiming So, why am I hesitating? , jmdn. betrügen
at something in the distance. They say you should never meet your he- corporate hypocrisy
Here, she can be seen close up, sitting on roes because they’ll disappoint you. Well, [)kO:rpErEt hI(pA:krEsi]
, Heuchelei von
the back of a very dead lion, hands gripping maybe you shouldn’t meet your enemies
Unternehmen
the creature’s mane and grinning at the cam- either, because you’ll find out that they
bring sb. down
era. aren’t as evil as you thought, and that makes , jmdn. erledigen
Finally, a picture of the dead lion being everything more difficult. When you learn
mansion
loaded on to the back of a pick-up truck by about the person behind the image. When , Villa, Herrenhaus
four men, while Michelle directs them. The you trick someone to get the evidence you
tracker
beast is huge, especially compared to Mi- want for your story. Your kill.
Illustration: xzzayko/iStockphoto

, Fährtenleser(in)
chelle, who is petite and white, and looks You see, Michelle has a teenage son with
nature reserve
very privileged. Down’s syndrome. I found this out because , Naturschutzgebiet
This is the moment I’ve been waiting for, she’s the ambassador for a Down’s syndrome
blast sth./sb.
so what’s my problem? I’ve been hunting Mi- charity, here in California. When I heard this, , etw./jmdn. schießen,
chelle for six months now. She’s a presenter it seemed so unlikely, I had to investigate fur- umnieten
on a provocative infotainment stream- ther, and that’s how I learned about her son, trail
ing channel that specializes in exposing Peter. He’s a nice kid. I made friends with him , Spur

34 SPOTLIGHT 2024 CHAPTERS AND VERSE

in an online chat group made up of other kids
with disabilities. I pretended to be an autistic
16-year-old girl so I could join.
Does that sound creepy to you? Like I’m
some kind of sick groomer? Listen, I needed
evidence of the lions Michelle was murder-
ing. She isn’t stupid like some trophy hunt-
ers are, with their pictures on Facebook. I had
to find a way to get into her private sphere,
and Peter was my key. I was sure she’d have
photographs he could get for me.
It took a while. Michelle is a good mother;
she kept an eye on what Peter was up to on-
line. But she has a busy schedule, so I timed
it so that I dropped into the chat group when support Peter, he’s taken away disability trigger: pull the ~
she was working. Little by little, I won Peter’s from her and put in some horri- , Einschränkung, , abdrücken
Behinderung
confidence, and soon, we were besties, chat- ble mental institution, where he mental
ting one-on-one. He may even have been ends up chained to a bed, stink- creepy (ifml.) institution
, unheimlich , psychiatrische
a bit in love with me. I’m afraid I was quite ing of urine, his hair filthy and
Klinik
flirty. matted. groomer
, Cybergroomer, filthy
After that, it wasn’t difficult. I did that clas- This is ridiculous, I say to Person, die zum , schmutzig
sic groomer trick, you know the one? You myself. Come on, #SaveLions! I Zweck sexuell
matted [(mÄtEd]
chat every day for a while and then you sud- click on “post” and my message motivierter Über-
, verfilzt
denly disappear. The person you’re grooming skips across the internet, leaving griffe gezielt
Kontakte zu ripples: leave ~
is desperate for your attention, so when you ripples everywhere it bounces. I Minderjährigen im [(rIp&lz]
come back, they work really hard to please watch as the likes and outraged Internet herstellt , Wellen
you. I maneuvered the conversation around comments rise and rise and rise. schlagen, Auf-
bestie (ifml.)
sehen erregen
to his mother and her interests, and when People are saying horrible things. , bester Freund,
he told me she’d shot a lion, I said I wouldn’t I start feeling sick. beste Freundin bounce [baUns]
, aufprallen
believe him unless he showed me a picture. None of those things I im- sights: in one’s ~
Bingo! In our next conversation, he shared agined will happen. [saIts] outraged
, im Visier , empört
at least a dozen. Will they?
So, here I am, with Michelle in my sights,
hand on mouse, ready to pull the trigger and
… wait! NOW, TRY THIS! M
What if one of these online haters I’m
about to create goes too far? Breaks into her How carefully have you read this short story?
house and sets it on fire? It could happen. Decide whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F).
People are pretty weird these days. I imagine ____________________________________________
the flames spreading through the house, T F
Peter trapped upstairs in his bedroom,
screaming in fear, maybe sending me a last A. The protagonist is unsure about the post. ☐ ☐
desperate message as the smoke creeps un-
D. true
about her son.) B. Michelle killed a lion. ☐ ☐
der the door. C. false (She cares
C. Michelle doesn’t care about anyone. ☐ ☐
B. true
Or what if she’s fired and can never work
☐ ☐
A. true
again because I’ve destroyed her? She can’t Answers D. The protagonist manipulated Peter.

CHAPTERS AND VERSE SPOTLIGHT 2024 35

 THE LIGHTER SIDE
EASY

The Argyle Sweater

INFO TO GO
To “do one’s
business” is a way of

a l l the saying to “defecate”,

I ’ v e got ll ever while the phrase

“think outside the
“
o n ey I’ die by box” means to
m , if I .”
“think creatively”.

need r o’clock–1998),
fou ngman (19e0d6ian
ou n co
m
ny Y
Hen America

defecate
, seine Notdurft verrichten

by Scott Hilburn

Charity in class
A teacher is talking to a class of young
children about charity. She tells them
about some charities that help poor
people. “Would you give one million
pounds to help them?” asks the teach-
er. “Yes!” shout all the children. “OK,”
continues the teacher. “Would you
Cartoons: © 2024 PEANUTS Worldwide LLC, Dist. by Andrews McMeel Syndication/Bulls Press; © 2024 Scott Hilburn/Distributed by Universal Uclick/Bulls Press
give 1,000 pounds?” “Yes!” shout the
children again. “OK. What about ten
pounds?” The children all shout “Yes!”
again, apart from one little boy. “Why
didn’t you say ‘yes’ this time?” asks the
teacher. “Because,” answers the little
boy, “I actually have ten pounds.”

INFO TO GO
Juggling languages The positive answers in
English, French, Spanish
An Englishman, a Frenchman, a Spaniard and a German are and German (“Yes”, “Oui”,
“Sí”, “Ja”) sound like an
out walking around town when they stop to watch a street
informal “Yes, we see ya!”
performer who is excellent at juggling. The juggler notices
that the four men have a bad view from where they are
standing in the crowd, so he climbs up on a large wooden street performer
, Straßenkünstler(in)
box and shouts, “Can you all see me now?” And the men
reply: “Yes.” “Oui.” “Sí.” “Ja.” juggle [(dZVg&l]
, jonglieren

Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz

hold onto sth.

, etw. festhalten

36 SPOTLIGHT 2024 THE LIGHTER SIDE

 AMERICAN LIFE

Presidential pardons
Der amerikanische Präsident darf laut Verfassung
Begnadigungen aussprechen. Aber kann man sich
darauf verlassen, dass er dieses Recht nicht missbraucht?
Unsere Kolumnistin hat da so ihre Bedenken.
ADVANCED US

T
he authority of the U.S. president to grant GINGER KUENZEL is a
pardons is rooted in our Constitution. freelance writer who lived
Donald Trump used this power to par- in Munich for 20 years. She
now lives in a small town on
don political friends when his term in a lake in upstate New York.
office was ending. If he’s reelected, he’s promised
to use it again to pardon the people who took part
in the armed attack, known as the insurrection, at
the Capitol on January 6, 2021. presidential pardon
, Begnadigung durch den
Why did the Founding Fathers grant the pres-
US-Präsidenten
ident this authority, and how has it been used in
term
the past? The men who wrote the Constitution
, hier: Amtszeit
wanted to make it possible for the three branches
insurrection
of government that they were creating to check up
, Aufstand; hier:
on each other: that is, the executive ,the legislative, bewaffneter Angriff
and the judiciary. Giving the president the power But there have also been highly publicized,
judiciary [dZu(dISieri]
to overturn a court’s decision creates an executive , Judikative controversial pardons. Perhaps the most
branch check on the judicial branch. convict sb. [kEn(vIkt]
famous was in 1974, when President Ford
Never has a president pardoned so many people , jmdn. verurteilen pardoned Richard Nixon for his involve-
convicted of crimes related to his own presidential Supreme Court ment in breaking into the Democratic
campaign as Donald Trump. The former president , Oberster Gerichtshof National Committee headquarters at the
has even said that he would pardon himself if he Civil War [)sIv&l (wO:r] Watergate building, and the cover-up that
were reelected. (Opinions differ as to whether , Amerikanischer followed. In 1977, President Carter uncon-
self-pardons are constitutional.) Our Supreme Bürgerkrieg (1861–1865) ditionally pardoned all who had dodged
Court would make the final decision on this issue, Confederate (US) the draft during the Vietnam War era.
Fotos: Erkan Atay, graphixmania/Shutterstock.com; privat

but the court’s current conservative majority , Konföderierte;
hier: Südstaatler
could well rule in Trump’s favor.
Trump’s campaign promise to pardon insurrec- cover-up
, Vertuschung
tionists is also disturbing. Would it make people
more willing to engage in political violence, know- unconditional
, uneingeschränkt
ing they could be granted a presidential pardon?
Historically, presidents have used their pardon- draft: dodge the ~
[drÄft] (US ifml.)
ing power mainly for little-known individuals , sich dem Wehrdienst
who have accepted responsibility for their crime entziehen
and behaved well while they were in jail. After the abuse [E(bju:s]
Civil War, for example, President Andrew John- , Missbrauch
son offered to pardon Confederate soldiers if they approval rating
promised loyalty to the U.S. government. , Beliebtheitsgrad
The use or abuse of pardons in the com-
ing years remains to be seen. If Trump is
convicted and then pardoned – by himself
or any other president – will that heal or
further divide our nation? Ford’s approval
rating dropped 20 points after he par-
doned Nixon.
How would Americans react to a par-
don for Donald Trump, a man who seems
to consider himself above the law, who has
willfully divided the country and created
chaos, and who has put the very existence
of our democracy at risk?

AMERICAN LIFE SPOTLIGHT 2024 37

Foto: vichie81/Shutterstock.com

CHICAGO
TRAVEL

Chicago:
insider tips
Zu den gängigen Bildern der Windy City gehören Al Capone
und Michael Jordan ebenso wie Schneestürme und Pizza mit
extradickem Boden. EVAN THOREAU HEIGERT nimmt Sie mit
auf Entdeckungseise durch ein Chicago jenseits aller Klischees
– und liefert Geheimtipps für echte Entdecker.

ADVANCED US AUDIO ÜBUNGSHEFT

A shamrock-green river
flowing through the city –
where else but Chicago?
 sk someone what they know

A about Chicago and you’ll

generally get one of a few
answers: Michael Jordan and
the 1990s Chicago Bulls; Al Capone;
deep-dish pizza. Or perhaps Chicago’s
unique St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
The origin of St. Patty’s Day in Amer-
ica’s “Second City” goes back nearly
200 years, when a flood of immigrants
arrived to find work in Chicago’s stock-
yards. It took another century before
the event became an official holiday.
But the most important addition came
in 1962, when a local plumbers’ union
had the bright idea of dyeing the Chica-
go River green in honor of the Emerald
Isle and its patron saint. The idea was Chicago’s is the largest St. Patrick’s Day
a hit and has been repeated every year celebration outside Ireland
since.
Today, the tradition has grown into
a full-blown party hosted on a Satur- and snow. The good news: Whether
day in mid-March. It’s the largest St. the skies are fair or foul, the tempera-
stockyard foul [faUl]
Patrick’s Day celebration outside Ire- ture nice or nasty, Chicago has much to , Viehhof , schlecht, scheußlich
land, and up to 75,000 people go to the offer in terms of food, nature, art, and
plumber [(plVm&r] nasty
bridges and skyscrapers that line the music. No matter when you visit the , Installateur(in) , scheußlich,
river to watch it turn shamrock green Windy City, take it from this Chicago unangenehm
union [(ju:njEn]
– followed by a few pints of Guinness local: You’ll need a good-weather and , Gewerkschaft terms: in ~ of...
(or a local brew called Old Style) in the foul-weather option for everything. , was ... betrifft
dye sth. [daI]
area’s many Irish pubs. Here are tips for both. , etw. (ein)färben Windy City
The location is a great starting point , einer der Spitznamen

Fotos: Yaacov Dagan / Alamy Stock Photo, Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock.com, Robert Haidinger/laif
Emerald Isle [(aI&l]
from which to explore the city’s 77 A modern foodie’s paradise von Chicago
, die Grüne Insel (Irland)
unique neighborhoods. Built on a grid, From the breadbasket of the nation breadbasket
patron saint
Chicago streets run south, north, and to the home of gut-busting foods (in- , hier: Kornkammer
, Schutzpatron(in)
west from the downtown center (to the cluding deep-dish pizza, Chicago-style shamrock green
gut-busting (ifml.)
east lies Lake Michigan). This makes it hot dogs, and Italian beef sandwiches), , extrem lecker und
, kleeblattgrün
reichhaltig
easy to navigate, using the directions Chicago has long been associated with brew
and distances given below. food. In recent years, the city has be- gourmand [(gUrmA:nd]
, hier: Biersorte
, Gourmet
come one of the premier destinations neighborhood
INSIDER TIP: On St. Patrick’s Day for celebrity chefs and gourmands. mingle [(mINg&l]
[(neIb&rhUd]
, sich mischen
proper (March 17), the party shifts to the On a fine day, go to the eclectic West , hier: Gegend, (Stadt)
Viertel wholesale grocer
South Side neighborhood of Bridgeport, Loop neighborhood, about a mile west
, Lebensmittelgroß-
the traditional heart of the city’s Irish of downtown. Michelin-starred restau- grid
händler(in)
, Raster
population. Expect dancing, a parade rants mingle with wholesale grocers
meatpacking district
organized by local clubs, lots of political in this “former meatpacking district proper
, Schlachthofviertel
, genau, an sich
handshaking, and gallons of green beer. turned Disneyland” for foodies. Speak-
foodie (ifml.)
easies, world-famous steakhouses, and green beer
, Feinschmecker(in)
, grün eingefärbtes Bier
A tale of two cities gourmet shops line about ten blocks of speakeasy (US ifml.)
St. Patrick’s Day is also a good rep- Randolph Street, Fulton Market, and infamously [(InfEmEsli]
, hier: Kneipe
, berühmt-berüchtigt
resentation of the city’s infamously un- Lake Street. take
predictable weather. It’s the unofficial The hard part is choosing what to unpredictable
, hier: Version,
, unvorhersehbar
turning point from winter to spring, so eat. Sample local beers and sausage at Interpretation
you’re just as likely to get sun and warm the Publican. Taste a new take on Can- fair
snag sth. (N. Am. ifml.)
, schön, heiter
temperatures as you are bitter wind tonese at Duck Duck Goat. Or snag , sich etw. schnappen

40 SPOTLIGHT 2024 TRAVEL

 Shedd Aquarium: the largest
in the western hemisphere,
with 32,000 animals
A former warehouse, Fulton Market is now
full of hip bars, cafes, and restaurants
TRAVEL
a much-desired ticket to Next, Grant INSIDER TIP: If you want something to
Achatz’s avant-garde restaurant. On the wash it all down, the West Loop area of
finest summer days, the party pours out this district also has some of the city’s
onto the pedestrian-friendly streets, best breweries, such as the Goose
with al fresco dining, food trucks, and Island Taproom and Great Central Brew-
street festivals. ing Company. Take a hike to the District
If the wind is howling louder than Brew Yards to sample five up-and-com-
your belly, it’s time to take things inside. ing brewers in one shared taproom.
Luckily, you don’t have to go far. The re-
cent culinary boom has led to a number
of indoor “food halls,” which offer a se- Green oases in the concrete
lection of the city’s best grub in a single, jungle
convenient location. Ready to walk off those calories? Chi-
Time Out Market (916 W. Fulton cago is consistently rated one of the
Market) is a food-and-drink emporium greenest cities in the world – a reflec-
founded by the city events guide of the tion of sustainable building practices,
same name. Time Out calls it “the best but also of our love of outdoor spaces.
of the city under one roof.” And what When the sun’s shining, rent a Divvy
a roof it is! The building was converted bike (divvybikes.com) and pedal along the
from an old factory with a glass atrium city’s scenic, 18-mile Lakefront Trail,
that lets in the sunshine even on Chica-
go’s wintriest days. al fresco taproom
Here at Time Out Market, you’ll find , im Freien , Schankstube
a dozen pop-up versions of the city’s belly (ifml.) up-and-coming
best restaurants, such as Urbanbelly , Bauch , aufstrebend
(Asian “comfort food”), Avli (modern grub (ifml.) concrete [kA:n(kri:t]
Greek), Big Kids (burgers and sand- , Essen , Beton
wiches), Firecakes (donuts), and Ara- comfort food sustainable
mi (sushi). The second floor features , Wohlfühlessen , nachhaltig
a teaching kitchen and a bar that over- brewery [(bru:Eri]
looks the action. , Brauerei
SPOTLIGHT 2024 41
 INSIDER TIP: Many summer nights
feature a rock concert at the Huntington
Bank Pavilion, on the north side of the
island. Bring a bottle of wine and blan-
ket to the 12th Street Beach to listen to
free music outside the venue.
If the city is blanketed in six inches of
snow, take the CTA Green Line west to
the Garfield Park neighborhood. CTA
stands for Chicago Transit Authori-
ty. Hop off when you see the glowing
industrial-era jewel box that is Garfield
Park Conservatory.
This is one of the nation’s largest and
most beautiful botanical collections,
consisting of two acres of indoor gar-
dens representing different biomes,
from desert to tropical rainforest. Built
in 1906, the stunning glass domes were
designed by famed landscape architect
Jens Jensen, in an effort to bring fresh
air and greenery into a rapidly growing
city.

Pedal along the shoreline of Lake Michigan

for great views of downtown Chicago

which traces the Lake Michigan shore-

line from the Edgewater neighborhood
in the north to South Shore.
For a taste of nature in the city, ride
east past the Museum Campus and
Shedd Aquarium to Northerly Island.
This quiet, wild, grass-filled area was
once America’s only downtown com-
mercial airport. A former mayor ripped
up the runways in the middle of the
night to make way for a park. Today, the
transformation is complete and the
public space is home to native plants
and wildlife.
shoreline biome [(baIoUm]
, Ufer , Biom, regionales Öko-
system mit spezifischer
rip sth. up
Fauna und Flora
, etw. aufreißen
stunning
runway
, umwerfend, großartig
, Start- und Landebahn
dome
venue [(venju:]
, Kuppel
, Veranstaltungsort,
(Musik)Bühne greenery
, Begrünung, Vegetation
hop off (ifml.)
, aussteigen

42 SPOTLIGHT 2024 TRAVEL

An expression of authenticity
The Chicago art scene reflects our city’s
working-class roots. The past few dec-
ades have seen collections pop up in
more informal, provocative, and acces-
sible locations.
When it’s warm enough for an ad-
venture, head southwest to the Pilsen
neighborhood. Originally an enclave of
Czech immigrants (hence the name),
the area is now home to Chicago’s
Mexican community. And while Latin
Waiting in line to see Billie Eilish at the Lollapalooza music festival in Grant Park

influences permeate the food and mu-

sic, it’s the hundreds of street-art instal-
lations that showcase the neighbor-
hood’s true character.

Fotos: David Vilaplana / Alamy Stock Photos, picture alliance / Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Tribune Content Agency LLC / Alamy Stock Photo
What began as an unorganized way
to add beauty to decaying buildings and
dark alleyways has since turned into a
formal art movement. The 16th Street
Murals (922 W. 16th Street) surround
a two-mile stretch of elevated railroad
track covered with works by the world’s
most celebrated graffiti artists. See de-
signs by local artists like Hebru Brant-
ley and JC Rivera next to creations by
world-renowned street artists such as
Belgium’s Roa and Singapore’s Sheryo.

INSIDER TIP: Drink an horchata (a

Mexican drink made from rice, milk, and
cinnamon) as you explore the shops
and galleries along 18th Avenue. Or get
a taste of the neighborhood’s Czech
heritage at Thalia Hall (1807 S. Allport
St.) – a restaurant and bars, and an
awe-inspiring music hall that was origi-
nally a Bohemian cultural center.

hence cinnamon
, daher , Zimt

permeate sth. heritage [(herEtIdZ]

, etw. durchdringen , Kultur

decay awe-inspiring [O:]

A mural by Pablo , verfallen , beeindruckend
Serrano celebrates
local residents and alleyway Bohemian
workers in Chicago’s , Gasse [boU(hi:miEn]
Pilsen neighborhood , böhmisch
elevated railroad track
(N. Am.)
, Hochbahnstrecke

TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT 2024 43

 When the skies above the city grow
dark, Chicagoans explore their culture
indoors – from the Art Institute of
Chicago and the Museum of Contem-
porary Art to hundreds of world-class
galleries.
For something architecturally ex-
ceptional, take a quick bus or train ride
(or go by bike) north to the Lincoln
Park neighborhood and visit Wright-
wood 659 (659 W. Wrightwood Ave.).
In Chicago, architecture and art often
go hand in hand. That’s certainly true
in this 1920s-era building, which was
transformed into an exhibition space
by famed architect Tadao Ando. The
collection in this cathedral of concrete
and light highlights socially engaged
exhibits that encourage discussion and
contemplation.
The formats are varied and recent ex-
hibits have included everything from
the absurdist paintings of Japanese art-
ist Tetsuya Ishida and photography by
low-income students, to an exploration
of wood framing in American home
construction.
44 SPOTLIGHT 2024
Home of the blues
Music is everywhere in Chicago, from
huge productions, such as the four-day
Lollapalooza festival to be held in Grant
Park in August 2024, to tiny venues for
hip-hop, house music, and more. And
while Mississippi and Memphis make
claims to its birth, Chicago is where
that most American of art forms – the
blues – found its home.
In warmer months, the city offers
a wealth of outdoor music festivals,
many of them free. The stage is set un-
der the huge steel arches of architect
Frank Gehry’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
The venue in Millennium Park features
Fotos: Robert Haidinger/laif, IMAGO/Avalon.red
a backdrop of the city skyline, which
glows at sunset.
Visit the Gospel Fest in June; the Jazz
Fest at the end of August and beginning
of September; and the World Music
contemplation steel arch
Festival at the end of September. But , Reflexion, Einkehr , Stahlbogen
most popular of all is the Blues Festival
wood framing backdrop
in June, the world’s largest free blues , Fachwerk , Kulisse
festival. Past performers have included
claims: make ~ to sth.
B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, and , Anspruch auf etw.
Gary Clark Jr. erheben
TRAVEL
Nellie “Tiger” Travis and band,
performing at the Kingston Mines
blues nightclub in Lincoln Park

When the weather plays the blues, Chi-

cago is the one place where the music
gets hotter as the temperature dips.
Head back to the Lincoln Park neigh-
borhood, where the Kingston Mines
nightclub (2548 N. Halsted Street) has
been pumping out some of the best live
acts since 1968. From 9 p.m. until the
early hours, blues lovers shuffle back
and forth between the venue’s two
stages. No need to check the listings –
every night features local favorites or
world-class touring acts, giving you a
taste of how different the genre can
sound. The hard part is knowing when
“just one more set” is one too many.
INSIDER TIP: Watch the clock! About
five minutes before the hour, you’ll
notice the regulars pick up their drinks
and make their way to the other stage.
Follow along to get the best seats and
chat with the musicians as they tune
their instruments.
Basketball star Michael Jordan won six NBA
championships with the Chicago Bulls
On a recent Thursday night, this author
dropped by to make sure the guitar
licks were as sizzling as ever. After a
couple of sets of Delta blues, the band
fired up a classic from local boy Eddy
“The Chief” Clearwater:
“She’s my Chicago weather woman
And I love her, oh yes I do
But that woman is so
dip drop by (ifml.)
unpredictable sometimes , abfallen, sinken , vorbeischauen
You never know what she’s gonna do.”
pump sth. out (ifml.) sizzling [(sIz&lIN] (ifml.)
, etw. hervorbringen , hier: bissig, knackig,
We appreciate the truth in Chicago, schrill
shuffle
especially when it’s backed by a 12-bar , schlurfen; appreciate sth.
blues progression. And it doesn’t get hier: wechseln , etw. schätzen, mögen
much more honest than that. Just like regular defy sth. [di(faI]
the weather, Chicago’s arts, culture, and , Stammgast , sich einer Sache
flavors defy expectations. Sweet home widersetzen
tune sth. [tu:n]
Chicago, indeed. , etw. stimmen

TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT 2024 45

 AROUND OZ

Faster, higher, stronger

Im Februar feiert Superman Geburtstag, im Sommer
finden die Olympischen Spiele statt – und unser
Kolumnist freut sich auf ein Jahr der Superlative.

MEDIUM AUDIO ÜBUNGSHEFT

A
ction-hero and crime-fighter Superman PETER FLYNN is a
celebrates his 86th birthday on 29 Febru- writer based in Perth,
ary 2024. He became a comic-book char- Western Australia.

acter in 1938. For his 50th, in 1988, Time

magazine put his image on its front cover. He’s
leap year
looked more or less the same in films, TV series , Schaltjahr
and video games since he was first created.
BC (before Christ)
More important for me, though, is that 2024 is , v. Chr.
a leap year – which is when the Summer Olympic
respectively
Games are always held. So, beginning in late July, , beziehungsweise
we’ll be able to watch the world’s super-sportsmen
freestyle
and women compete for Olympic medals – this , Freistilschwimmen
time, in Paris.
strychnine [ˈstrɪkniːn]
The first written records of the ancient Olym- , (wg. Aussprache)
pic Games date back to the eighth century BC, but
interfere with sth.
the modern Games weren’t held in Athens until [IntE(fIE] In 1980, the US and 65 other countries
1896. There, an Australian called Edwin Flack won , etw. behindern, boycotted the Moscow Olympics to pro-
both the 800- and 1,500-metre running races. Our sich störend auf etw. test against the Soviet invasion of Afghan-
auswirken
first female Olympians, Fanny Durack and Mina istan. Doping was so widespread at those
Wylie, came first and second, respectively, in the unsurprisingly Games that an Australian study called
[)VnsE(praIzINli]
women’s 100-metre freestyle event in Stockholm , erwartungsgemäß them the “Chemists’ Games”. Unsurpris-
in 1912. In those days, men were discouraged from ingly, the Soviet Union’s response was to
host city
watching women compete. , Austragungsort boycott the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.
Scandalous behaviour is never far from the The Olympics usually cost the host city
billion
Olympics. At the 1904 Games in St Louis, Mis- , Milliarde(n) billions of dollars and can offer only a few
souri, the supposed winner of the men’s mara- high-risk future benefits as compensation.
compensation
thon, Fred Lorz, had actually travelled in a car for , Ausgleich, Critics say today’s Games are no different
Fotos: Georg Lechner mit Leonardo KI; privat

much of the distance. The real winner, Thomas
Hicks, was half-crazy when he arrived at the fin-
ish line, from the mixture of strychnine and alco-
hol his assistants had given him. Despite the 32-
degree heat, there was no water for runners along
the route. More than half couldn’t finish the race.
Global conflicts and politics, and the use of ille-
gal drugs, also regularly interfere with the Olym-
pics. Because of the two great world wars, the
Games in 1916, 1940 and 1944 were cancelled.
Entschädigung from other commercial sporting events
in that they need powerful sponsors and
huge TV audiences just to survive.
Yes, I will watch a lot of the action in
Paris, especially the swimming, where
Australia is usually most successful. And
I’ll remember the original Olympic mot-
to of Citius, altius, fortius – Latin for “Faster,
higher, stronger” – which is also a very
good description of Superman.

46 SPOTLIGHT 2024 AROUND OZ

 MARKTPLATZ – MARKETPLACE

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Italienisch lernen MENSCHEN
Sprachferien in Olbia INS GESPRÄCH
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Sizilien – Sprache und Kultur leben!
Italienisch Intensivkurs und Kochkurs in familiärer Atmosphäre
mit erfahrener Lehrerin. Unterkunft und Verpflegung
in kleinem Ort an der Küste in der Nähe von Palermo.

Tel: 0039-32 76 99 52 24 e-mail: rb.sicilia@hotmail.com

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 AUSZEIT TIME OUT

Welche Themen aus der englischsprachigen Welt

bewegen die Kollegen bei unserer „großen Schwester“,
der ZEIT? URS WILLMANN, Redakteur im Ressort
Wissen, erklärt, warum die Craftbier-Bewegung seine
Liebe zum britischen Bier nur bestätigt hat.

Britisches Bier: großartig! Great British beer!

U F
nter meinen pilstrinkenden Freunden war ich
lange sehr einsam. Keiner teilte meine Liebe
zu britischem Bier. Es sei lauwarm, hätte keine
Kohlensäure, keinen Schaum, schnödeten sie.
Doch nach der Jahrtausendwende bestätigte ein Trend, dass
ich mit meiner Wertschätzung fürs Ale immer richtig gele-
gen hatte: Aus Amerika schwappte die Craftbier-Welle auf
den alten Kontinent.
Nun brauten kreative Braumeister auch in Deutschland
und dem Rest der Welt gegen die Massenkultur an. Sie
sorgten für Biervielfalt jenseits der omnipräsenten Pils-
biere. Im Zentrum dieses Trends stehen bis heute Brauer,
die Neues schaffen, indem sie zurückblicken. Sie suchen
nach alten, vergessenen Sorten und hauchen ihnen neues
Leben ein. Und ein Großteil der wiederentdeckten Sorten
sind klassische britische Bierstile – etwa Ale, Pale Ale oder
India Pale Ale.
Letzteres, das IPA, ist so zum Flaggschiff der Craftbier-
Bewegung geworden. Die Sorte stammt aus der Zeit des
Kolonialismus. In der zweiten Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts
mussten sich die britischen Brauer der Frage widmen, wie
sie ihr Ale wohlbehütet zu ihren Landsleuten auf der ander-
en Seite der Welt verfrachten könnten. Es gab noch keinen
Suezkanal – Indien war eine sehr weite Schiffspassage ent-
fernt. Wie ließ sich der Durst der dort beschäftigten Briten
stillen? Mit einem Bier, das vollgepumpt war mit den altbe-
währten „Konservierungsmitteln“ Alkohol und Hopfen und
daher den Weg nach Indien frisch überstand.
Danach ging das bittere IPA vergessen; es entsprach im 20.
Jahrhundert immer weniger dem Massengeschmack. Erst
die Craftbier-Pioniere holten es aus der Versenkung – und
erneuerten es mit frischen Hopfenaromen. Und wenn heute
meine alten Freunde ein Ale oder einen Barley Wine oder
or a long time, I was very lonely among my pils-drink-
ing friends. No one shared my love of British beer.
They complained that it was lukewarm, wasn’t car-
bonated and had no head. But after the turn of the
millennium, a trend confirmed that I had always been right
in my appreciation of ale – from America, the craft-beer wave
swept over the old continent.
Now, creative brewmasters in Germany and the rest of the
world got busy brewing in a way that was at odds with mass
culture. They created beer diversity beyond the omnipresent
pilsner beers. Brewers who create something new by looking
back are still at the heart of this trend today. They search for
old, forgotten varieties and breathe new life into them. And
many of the rediscovered varieties are classic British beers –
such as ale, pale ale or India pale ale.
The latter, IPA, has become the flagship of the craft-beer
movement. The variety dates back to the era of colonialism.
In the second half of the 18th century, British brewers had to
address the question of how they could ship their ale safely
to their fellow countrymen on the other side of the world.
There was no Suez Canal yet – India was a very long sea voy-
age away. How could the thirst of the British employed there
be quenched? With a beer that was pumped full of the tried-
and-tested “preservatives” alcohol and hops, and therefore
survived the journey to India fresh.
After that, the bitter IPA was largely forgotten; in the 20th
century, it was less and less in line with mass taste. Only the
craft-beer pioneers brought it out of obscurity – and revi-
talized it with fresh hop flavours. And today, when my old
friends drink an ale or a barley wine or a porter and enthuse
about modern craft beer (without realizing that they are ac-
tually enjoying British cultural heritage steeped in history),
I simply reach for my glass – and maintain a delectable
Foto: Jutta Schein

ein Porter trinken und von modernem Craftbier fabulieren silence.

(ohne Ahnung, dass sie im Kern geschichtsträchtiges eng-
lisches Kulturgut genießen), dann greife ich bloß zu meinem
Glas – und schweige genüsslich.

48 SPOTLIGHT 2024 TIME OUT


Welcome
to the
language
pages
Over the next 18 pages, we
give you the opportunity to
learn about grammar and
expand your vocabulary in an
up-to-date context. We start
off by digging out beautiful
fossils – archaic words that
have long been extinct in
modern English but that are
perfectly preserved in certain
set phrases and expressions.
18 Sprachseiten
50 FOSSIL WORDS M
We look at beautifully archaic
words that have been preserved
in idioms and set phrases
54 ENGLISH AT WORK M
Working with interpreters:
Ken Taylor looks at the skills
and language needed in the
modern workplace
55 THE BASICS E
A conversation in easy English –
this time, with Barry Marsden,
a bus driver
56 VOCABULARY M
On board a flight: learn all the
words and phrases you’ll need
when getting on to a plane
58 THE GRAMMAR PAGES M
Verbs of perception: master this
key point of English grammar
with the help of a short dialogue
LANGUAGE SECTION
60 EVERYDAY ENGLISH M
Brush up on your conversational
English. Our topic this time:
making a medical appointment
62 SPOKEN ENGLISH M
Colourful idioms and useful
expressions with the words
“earth” and “world”
65 THE PUZZLE PAGE A
Do our crossword and win a prize
66 LOST IN TRANSLATION A
What does “tantamount to” mean
and where does the phrase come
from?
67 LANGUAGE CARDS
Pull out and practise some of
the finer points of the English
language

LANGUAGE SPOTLIGHT 2024 49

 LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE SECTION

Fossil words
VANESSA CLARK gräbt ein wenig in der Sprachgeschichte und hebt die
reinsten Wortschätze: Begriffe, die eigentlich schon lange ausgestorben,
aber in einzelnen Wendungen in aller Schönheit erhalten geblieben sind.

MEDIUM

Illustrationen: Georg Lechner

50 SPOTLIGHT 2024 LANGUAGE

 LANGUAGE SECTION
ossils – beautiful creatures, as old as time,

F perfectly preserved in stone. The English

language, too, has its fossils – wonderfully
archaic words from earlier centuries, per-
fectly preserved in idioms and set phrases, or in
legal or religious language. We often use them
without even noticing – but here, we bring them
to the surface and polish them for you to admire.
For each fossil word, we give you a modern Eng-
Left in the lurch
lish synonym or equivalent (in bold), an example
preserve sth.
sentence and a short explanation. Enjoy our dig! , etw. erhalten
archaic [A:(keIIk]
BELOVED BETWIXT , veraltet
dearly loved between
beloved [bi(lVvId]
“With thanks to my beloved wife” “Her spirit hovered betwixt this world and the , geliebt
The meaning of this word is clear, but its form is next.”
address sb.
very old. The lovely, old-fashioned term has a time- “Betwixt” – or just “‘twixt” – is an old alternative to , jmdn. ansprechen, das
less quality that lends itself to the more serious “between”. It has largely died out, but you might Wort an jmdn. richten
moments in life, particularly in times of loss. Tra- hear it in a spooky ghost story, where things hap- congregation
ditionally, a priest will address the congregation as pen in the twilight zone – “betwixt day and night” , Gemeinde;
“Dearly beloved”. or “‘twixt life and death”. It’s still also used in hier: Trauergesellschaft
the combination “betwixt and between”, which lest
, damit nicht
LEST means “neither one thing nor the other”, such
for fear that, in order to avoid as: “I’m not sure if this TV programme is a reality war memorial
, Kriegerdenkmal
“Lest we forget” show or a drama. It’s a bit betwixt and between.”
This phrase is often used on war memorials or in remembrance
, Gedenken
church services of remembrance for fallen soldiers LEFT IN THE LURCH
and other victims of war. “Lest we forget” means put in a difficult situation, abandoned forthwith
, unverzüglich, sogleich
“Let us ensure that we don’t forget”. This Old “They pulled out of the deal at the last minute,
English word has a serious, old-fashioned, biblical leaving us in the lurch.” bow
, sich verneigen
sound to it. “Lurch” (or “Lourche”) was a French board game
popular in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the betwixt (arch.)
, dazwischen
FORTHWITH game, which was a little like backgammon, a
immediately, without delay “lurch” was a hopeless position where a player spooky (ifml.)
, gespenstisch,
“We require that payment be made forthwith.” had no chance of winning, leaving them “in the unheimlich
A lawyer might still use “forthwith” to push for lurch”. We can no longer play the game because
twilight zone [(twaIlaIt]
a quick response. It’s not used in everyday con- its exact rules have been lost, but the expression , Grauzone
versation – unless you want to sound amusingly lives on.
abandon
old-fashioned. If your partner asks you to bring , verlassen
them a cup of coffee, you could, for example, bow
lurch: leave sb. in the ~
deeply and say: “I shall do it forthwith, sir or mad- , jmdn. im Regen stehen
am. Your wish is my command!” lassen

LANGUAGE SPOTLIGHT 2024 51

LANGUAGE SECTION

henceforth HENCEFORTH SLEIGHT OF HAND

, fortan from now on, from today deception (especially through manual dexterity)
request for absence “Henceforth, all requests for absence must be “He stole my credit card by sleight of hand.”
, Abwesenheitsantrag made in writing.” The noun “sleight” is related to the adjective “sly”
forfend sth. (arch.) “Hence” means “from this place” or “from this and has a sense of clever trickery. The word has
, etw. verhüten time”, and “forth” means “fowards”. Together, died out except in the phrase “sleight of hand” –
fossilize “henceforth” means “from this point on” or “in the skill magicians use for card tricks or to pull a
, zum Fossil werden
future”. It sounds very formal and can be useful coin out of your ear. The phrase is also used met-
upset sb. in announcements about upcoming changes to aphorically – politicians can use “sleight of hand”
, jmdn. verärgern
rules and regulations. with facts or statistics to make things seem better
wend: ~ one’s way than they are.
, sich begeben
FORFEND
stroll to prevent, to forbid BETROTHED
, schlendern
“Heaven forfend!” fiancé, fiancée
deception Originally, “forfend” simply meant “to forbid”. “When are we going to meet your betrothed?”
, Betrug, Trickserei
While its use has died out, it remains fossilized in Your “betrothed” is the person you’re engaged to
manual dexterity the phrase “Heaven forfend!” meaning “May God marry. The “-troth” part means “truth” or “loyalty”
, Fingerfertigkeit
prevent this!” It’s said as a kind of prayer to protect and “be-” is similar to the German prefix. In mod-
sleight: ~ of hand [slaIt] against bad things in the future: “I don’t want to ern English, we use the French words fiancé and
, Taschenspielertrick
upset anyone. Heaven forfend!” Nowadays, you’re fiancée, but why not add a touch of old-fashioned
sly more likely to hear people say “Heaven forbid!” elegance and say “betrothed” instead?
, schlau, listig

fiancé [fi(QnseI] WEND YOUR WAY TO AND FRO

, Verlobter
to go slowly or by an indirect route forwards and backwards
fiancée [fi(QnseI] “They wended their way through the park.” “I drove to and fro between my house and the of-
, Verlobte
These days, we don’t usually “wend” anywhere, fice all day long.”
betrothed [bi(trEUDd] but the old phrase “to wend one’s way” has a lovely This nice-sounding phrase originated in the 1820s,
, Verlobter, Verlobte
feeling of strolling, of taking the slow route. Tour- but the “fro” (“from”) is much older and is used
to and fro
ist guides invite you to “wend your way through only in this expression. It means “moving first in
, hin und her
the streets of the old town”. Streets, rivers and one direction and then the other, many times”. It
albeit [O:l(bi:It]
streams can also “wend their way” – they’re not in can also describe the many discussions or argu-
, obgleich, obschon
a rush to get anywhere. The word is related to the ments between two sides that cannot agree. As
persistent
, beständig
German wenden. with the German hin und her, “to and fro” – or even
“to-ing and fro-ing” – can suggest a frustrating or
unnecessary level of stress in repeatedly going
Heaven forfend! between two places or options: “There was a huge
amount of to and fro before they finally reached
a decision.” A similar old expression is “back and
forth”.

ALBEIT
although it is, even if only
“He has a speaking role in the film, albeit a small
one.”
You won’t be surprised to hear that “albeit” is a
shortening of a longer phrase: “all though it be”.
The word has a good history, appearing in both
Chaucer and Shakespeare, and has seen a rise in
usage in the past 30 years or so. The reference book
Illustrationen: Georg Lechner

Fowler’s Modern English Usage once described “albe-

it” as “one of the most persistent archaic-sounding
words in the language”.

52 SPOTLIGHT 2024 LANGUAGE

 LANGUAGE SECTION
Do not forsake me,
oh my darling!

KITH AND KIN TAKEN ABACK kith and kin [kIT]

friends and relations surprised, shocked, confused , Kind und Kegel
“They’ve invited their whole kith and kin to the “I was rather taken aback by his negative reaction.” offence: take ~
, sich angegriffen fühlen
wedding.” While we still use the old prepositions and ad-
Both of these words come from Old English. verbs “around”, “about”, “along” and “away” to de- offended: be ~
, beleidigt sein
“Kith” originally meant “the people from your scribe movement in various directions, another
homeland” or “countryfolk” – essentially, “your such word, “aback”, has fallen out of use, except in umbrage: take ~ (at)
[(VmbrIdZ]
neighbours” and, in more modern terms, “your this phrase. As you can guess, it means “towards , Anstoß an etw.
friends”. “Kin” are “family”, whether by birth or the back” or “backwards”. When something nehmen
by marriage. “Kith” is never used outside of this shocks you, you’re “taken aback” because it feels nasty
old phrase, whereas “kin” is still used in formal as if you’ve been knocked backwards. , gemein
contexts, such as studying “kinship groups” in forsake
sociology. The title of the Australian comedy TV TRUSTY , entsagen
series Kath and Kim is probably a playful reference reliable, faithful, long-serving thou [DaU] (arch.)
to this phrase. “I love my trusty old VW Golf.” , du
A “trusty car” is obviously one you can trust. It’s wedding vow
TAKE UMBRAGE served you well for many years and has never let , Ehegelübde, Jawort
to take offence, to be offended you down. The usual adjective for something you aback: be taken ~
“He took umbrage at my comments and ended the can trust is “trustworthy”, so why say “trusty”? , bestürzt sein
conversation.” The word dates back to medieval stories in which trusty
Like “umbrella”, “umbrage” comes from the Latin kings had “trusty servants” and knights rode , getreu
umbra, meaning “shade”, “shadow” or “darkness”. “trusty steeds”. Today, you might say that you have down: let sb. ~
This dark, shady word from the early 15th centu- a “trusty kitchen knife” (one that always cuts well) , jmdn. enttäuschen

ry gave J. K. Rowling the name for the nasty Hog- or “trusty walking boots” (which have taken you medieval [)medi(i:v&l]
warts teacher Dolores Umbridge. up many mountains). It sounds strange to have a , mittelalterlich
“trusty iPhone” – but why not? knight [naIt]
FORSAKE , Ritter
to leave, to give up, to abandon BY DINT OF steed
“Do not forsake me.” because of, as a result of, thanks to , Ross, Pferd

As the song in the 1952 classic western High Noon “She got her promotion by dint of hard work, not dint: by ~ of
says: “Do not forsake me, oh my darling” – don’t through her connections.” , kraft, vermöge

leave me. “Forsake” has biblical origins. On the Today, the archaic word “dint” survives only in the
cross, Jesus cries out: “Father, why hast Thou expression “by dint of”, which is used to describe
forsaken me?” – Why have you abandoned me? how something was achieved. The Old English
In their wedding vows, couples promise to stay “dynt” originally meant a “strike” or a “blow”. By INFO TO GO
together, “forsaking all others” – giving up the op- the end of the 16th century, it meant “the power or Old verb forms that end
tion of having other partners. force behind a blow”, from which we get the sense in “-th” in the third-
person singular have an
of making something happen. “-s” in modern English:
“The Lord giveth [gives]
Turn to Lost in Translation (page 66) to find another lovely and the Lord taketh
example of an old expression that’s still in use today – [takes] away.”
“tantamount to”.

LANGUAGE SPOTLIGHT 2024 53

 ENGLISH AT WORK
LANGUAGE SECTION

Working with interpreters

Kommunikations-Experte KEN TAYLOR wirft einen Blick auf die Fähigkeiten
und Sprachkenntnisse, die in der modernen Arbeitswelt unabdingbar sind.

MEDIUM AUDIO ÜBUNGSHEFT

Interpreters make it easier for people from different linguistic back- REMEMBER!
grounds to understand each other. However, when working with inter- Follow these rules when
preters, you have to follow certain rules if you want the interaction to working with interpreters.
be successful. Have a look at the conversation below and highlight the KEN TAYLOR
Prepare your interpreters. is a communication
words and phrases you might find useful when discussing this topic. Make sure they’re familiar consultant. If you have
with the topic(s) of discus- any suggestions for topics,
sion. Give them back- you can write to him at
ktaylor868@aol.com
ground material before the
meeting and discuss con-
Jenny is preparing for a meeting with clients from Spain. Peter is cepts with which they may
her interpreter. not be familiar. Go through ge
langua
the agenda and procedure For theed to work ,
of the meeting. you ne lly in English
sfu ht!
Jenny: Have you had the chance to go through the background succes siness Spotlig
Speak clearly and keep try Bu he re:
papers I sent you? t more
Find ouw.business-
Peter: Yes, I have. There are just one or two concepts I’m not sentences short. Stop ww light.de
after a few sentences so spot
familiar with.
the interpreter can speak.
Jenny: Which ones? I’ll try to explain them to you.
They may find it harder
Peter: A “multichannel training programme”. What is that exactly?
to translate if they have
Jenny: It means both in-person training and virtual learning. more than two or three interpreter
Peter: Right, I get it. And an “employee value proposition” – , Dolmetscher(in)
sentences to interpret at
what’s that? a time. employee value
Jenny: It’s the set of benefits you offer employees in return for proposition (EVP)
Give interpreters time.
, Werteversprechen
their skills and experience – in other words, what’s in it for Allow them to discuss von Unternehmen an die
them. nuances of meaning and Mitarbeitenden
Peter: OK, I understand. explanations of profes-
Fire away! (ifml.)
Jenny: Do you have any other concerns about the meeting? sional concepts with the , Schieß los!
Peter: I think I’m all set regarding the meeting content. But I do participants. Then, ask
your interpreter for a brief participant
have a couple of things I’d like to bring up. , Teilnehmer(in)
summary of what was said.
Jenny: Sure. Fire away! brief
Peter: In the last meeting, it was sometimes hard to translate Take a break. If a meeting
, kurz
everything correctly. Some of the discussions were very lasts more than two hours,
the interpreter may need
lively, and you spoke very quickly, five or six sentences at a
a long break. Alternatively,
time. use more than one inter-
Jenny: Ah, yes, I remember. I’ll slow down this time, I promise. preter.
Peter: And it would be helpful if you took regular breaks – to allow Plan for longer meetings.
me to clear my head. Meetings with interpreters
Jenny: And for me to clear mine! will take at least twice as
long as meetings without.
Foto: Gert Krautbauer

54 SPOTLIGHT 2024 ENGLISH AT WORK

 THE BASICS

LANGUAGE SECTION
Easy English
VANESSA CLARK führt ein Gespräch mit einem Busfahrer und präsentiert
passendes Hintergrundwissen auf Sprachniveau A2.

EASY ÜBUNGSHEFT

FASCINATING FACTS
...about buses:

⋅ The first bus service in the world started

in Paris in 1662. It was pulled by horses
and could carry eight passengers.
⋅ The fastest bus in the world travelled
at 590 kilometres per hour. A team of
driver
rsden, bus mechanics modified a typical yellow US
Barry Ma
school bus and gave it a jet engine from a
plane. No schoolchildren were on board!

A CONVERSATION WITH BARRY MARSDEN ⋅ London has thousands of red double-

decker buses, but there’s only one
Here, we present interesting lives from around the English-
working triple-decker bus in the world:
speaking world. This time, we talk to Barry Marsden, who
Harry Potter’s purple Knight Bus. The
drives a bus.
filmmakers combined two real buses to
Where do you work? make this magical triple-decker.
I work on “the airline” service between Oxford and Heath-
row Airport.
⋅ “Bus” is a global word. Most languages
use a version of the words “bus” or
Is it a good service? “autobus”. “Bus” comes from the Latin
Yes, I think so. There’s a departure every 20 minutes during “omnibus”, which means “for all”. The
the day and every half-hour at night. The journey takes about first bus with an engine was given the
90 minutes, depending on the traffic. It’s a lot cheaper than name “autobus” – a bus that goes by itself.
the train. And we stop at the Park and Ride outside Oxford,
where you can leave your car.
⋅ The British term “coach” refers to a kind
of bus designed for long journeys.
What facilities are there on board?
It’s a coach, so it’s quite comfortable. There’s a toilet, and
there’s free Wi-Fi and charging points. INFO TO GO
“Knight Bus” is
What else do you have to do apart from drive the coach? a play on words: facilities [fE(sIlEtiz] modify sth.
I load and unload the luggage. I sell tickets and check them a combination , Ausstattung; , etw. umbauen
of “night bus” hier: Service
when people get on. We have a recorded message, but I jet engine [dZet]
and “knight”.
sometimes do the announcement about seat belts and emer- coach (UK) , Düsentriebwerk
, Reisebus
gency exits, and say, “Please use headphones and keep mobile triple-decker
phone conversations to a minimum”. charging point [)trIp&l (dekE]
Illustration: Martin Haake

, Lademöglichkeit , dreistöckig
You must have a lot of tourists as passengers.
headphones purple
Yes, loads of tourists and international students. I try to be , Kopfhörer , lilafarben
patient when they don’t speak much English. Sometimes,
date: out of ~ knight [naIt]
I think I should learn some phrases in other languages, like, , nicht mehr gültig, , Ritter; hier auch:
“Sorry, the bus is full” or “Your ticket is out of date”. abgelaufen Springer

THE BASICS SPOTLIGHT 2024 55

 VOCABULARY
LANGUAGE SECTION

X
x

at

al
U

W v

u
ak

w am

an

V
Illustrationen: Martin Haake

56 SPOTLIGHT 2024 VOCABULARY

 LANGUAGE SECTION
On board a flight
Über den Wolken: VANESSA CLARK liefert
nützliche Worte und Wendungen für Fluggäste.

MEDIUM ÜBUNGSHEFT

u aisle [aI&l] WELCOME ON BOARD!

, Gang
First, find your row and your seat – window, middle or aisle. Stow
v aisle seat [(aI&l si:t] your cabin bag in the overhead locker, ensuring that it won’t fall
, Gangplatz out and injure anyone. If you’re in economy class (N. Am.: coach),
w armrest you won’t have much legroom, unless you’re in a row with an
, Armlehne emergency exit. Soon, you’ll hear the announcement that it’s time
x cabin bag (UK) for the cabin crew to go through the safety briefing. Do you pay
carry-on (N. Am.) attention to this? Or are you a frequent flyer who puts their brain,
, Handgepäck as well as their phone, straight in “flight mode”?
There’s something almost comical as the crew point to the near-
y emergency exit
est exits and demonstrate the oxygen mask and the ugly yellow
, Notausgang
life jacket. And who doesn’t already know how to fasten a seat
U flight attendant belt? But it’s all done for our safety, so the least we can do is pay
member of the cabin crew attention. Then, everyone should ensure their armrests are down,
, Flugbegleiter(in) their tray table is folded away and their seat back is in the upright
V legroom position, ready for take-off.
, Beinfreiheit The crew are busy during the whole flight, serving in-flight food
W life jacket (UK) and drinks, reassuring nervous flyers, keeping an eye on unaccom-
life vest (N. Am.) panied children, dealing with requests for coffee refills and gener-
, Rettungsweste ally being attentive to passengers’ needs. The story goes that some
flight attendants like to take revenge on difficult passengers – as
X overhead locker (UK)
they collect the rubbish, they’ll ask, “Your trash, sir?” (while they’re
overhead compartment (N. Am.)
thinking,“You’re trash, sir!”).
, Gepäckfach über den Sitzen
at oxygen mask
, Sauerstoffmaske
ak passenger
, Fluggast
al row of seats
, Sitzreihe
am seat belt stow [stəʊ] attentive
, Sicherheitsgurt , verstauen , aufmerksam

an tray table safety briefing revenge: take ~ on sb.

, Sicherheitseinweisung , sich an jmdm. rächen
, Klapptisch
take-off rubbish (UK)
, Start , Müll
reassure sb. [)ri:E(SO:] trash (N. Am.)
, jmdn. beruhigen , Müll; auch: Prolet, Proll
refill [(ri:fIl]
, Nachschenken

VOCABULARY SPOTLIGHT 2024 57

 THE GRAMMAR PAGES
LANGUAGE SECTION

Verbs of perception
ADRIAN DOFF erklärt grundlegende Grammatikpunkte anhand eines kurzen Dialogs.

MEDIUM ÜBUNGSHEFT

Julia and Mick are camping in a forest, and they wake up

in the middle of the night.

What’s that noise? I

can hear someone
walking around u. I can’t hear v
anything.

Over there. I’m sure I heard

a stick break w just then.
There’s someone there.
It’s probably just the wind.

And what’s that smell?

I can definitely smell I can’t smell anything. But I’ll
something burning x. go and have a look if you like.
(He goes out with a torch and
returns after a few minutes.)

Well?
You were right. I saw something
standing y behind a tree.
Then, I saw it run away y.

It? Wasn’t it a
person?
No, it was an animal. It
looked like U a deer.

What about the

smoke? It smelt like
U wood smoke. I couldn’t smell anything. Don’t
worry – let’s go back to sleep.

58 SPOTLIGHT 2024 THE GRAMMAR PAGES

 LANGUAGE SECTION
GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT

u After see or hear, we can use object

+ verb + -ing if the action is contin-
uing (we see or hear someone in
the process of doing something).

v With see and hear, we often use BEYOND THE

can or can’t. So, Mick says, “I can’t BASICS
hear anything” (not: “I don’t hear We can use
anything”). verb + -ing or
infinitive after
other verbs
w To talk about a single completed of perception,
action, we use see/hear + object + including watch,
look at, listen to
infinitive (without to). and notice:
• Look at me
x We can use the same structures af- swimming!
ter smell (as well as the verbs feel • We watched THE RULES
them play
and taste). football (= the
whole game), After verbs of perception (see, hear, feel, smell,
y These are similar to points 1 and 3 then we went taste), we use:
home.
above – this time, after the verb see. object + verb + -ing to talk about an incomplete
• Just then,
(I saw something standing; I saw it I noticed action (an action or event that is in progress):
run away.) someone
standing outside ⋅⋅ I saw them playing football in the garden.
I could hear the birds singing.
⋅
the house.
U We can also talk about things that I could feel something crawling slowly up
we see, hear, smell, etc., using look my back.
like, sound like and smell like.
object + infinitive (without to) to talk about a
(= I think I saw a deer; I think I
completed action (the whole action or event):
smelt wood smoke.)
⋅⋅I heard someone shout, “Stop!”
I saw him get in his car and drive off.
⋅I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.

NOW, TRY THIS! M

Choose the most likely form of the verbs in bold.

____________________________________________
A. When I woke up, I heard people talk / talking in the
next room.
B. I saw him run / running across the road and jump /
jumping on a bus.
Illustration: Martin Haake

perception [pE(sepS&n]
, Wahrnehmung C. I often see her sit / sitting by the window when I walk
torch (UK) D. ring past her house.
C. sitting
, Taschenlampe B. run; jump D. I was in the garden, so I didn’t hear the doorbell ring /
deer A. talking
ringing.
, Hirsch, Reh
Answers

THE GRAMMAR PAGES SPOTLIGHT 2024 59

 EVERYDAY ENGLISH
LANGUAGE SECTION
Making an appointment
DAGMAR TAYLOR präsentiert Dialoge und Sprachtipps,
mit denen Sie spielend Ihr Alltagsenglisch auffrischen.
1. WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
Helen has called the medical centre to make an appointment.
____________________________________________________________
Recorded message:
Hello and welcome to Oakfield Med-
ical Centre. If you’re calling about a
life-threatening emergency, please
hang up and call 999. Your call may
be recorded for training and mon-
itoring purposes. You will soon be
transferred to one of our administra-
tive team, who will ask you for some
information about your issue, so they
can direct you to the most appro-
priate person here in the centre.
2. THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU
Helen is talking on the phone with Alex, the receptionist.
____________________________________________________________
Alex: What’s your name, please?
Helen: Helen Frederickson.
Alex: And your date of birth, Helen?
Helen: It’s twelve, ten, nineteen
seventy-four.
Alex: And the first line of your ad-
dress?
Helen: 22 Newhaven Drive.
Alex: That’s great. I’m afraid the
earliest Dr Richards can see
you is on the 13th of March, at
transfer sb. confidential
, jmdn. weiterleiten , vertraulich
appropriate sore
[E(prEUpriEt] , entzündet
, zuständig, geeignet
60 SPOTLIGHT 2024
MEDIUM AUDIO ÜBUNGSHEFT
This information is treated entirely
confidentially. Thank you.
Receptionist:
Oakfield Medical Centre. My name is
Alex. How can I help?
Helen: Yes, hello. I was wondering if
I could make an appointment to see
a doctor about my shoulder. It’s been
stiff and sore for quite a while now
and it doesn’t seem to be getting any
better.
10.45 a.m. Does that work for
you?
Helen: Oh, I’m afraid not. I have a
meeting I can’t get out of.
The earliest I could be at the
surgery is 12.30.
Alex: OK, not a problem. How about
1.30 p.m.?
Helen: Yes, that’s better. And that
was the 13th, wasn’t it?
Alex: Yes, that’s right.
surgery [(s§:dZEri] (UK) postpone sth.
, (Arzt)Praxis , etw. verschieben
receiver [ri(si:vE] barely [(beEli]
, Telefonhörer , kaum
TIPS
⋅ If you hang up, you end a phone
call by putting down the receiver or
pressing the “end call” button.
⋅ An issue is a problem or worry that
somebody has about something –
for example with their health.
⋅ I was wondering if/whether... is
used at the beginning of a question
or request to make it more polite.
⋅ When you make an appointment
to visit a doctor, it’s common to say
that you are going to see a doctor.
⋅ Twelve, ten, nineteen seventy-
four is a shorter way of saying “the
12th of October 1974”. It’s also
how your date of birth might be
written or entered into a computer
(12.10.1974).
⋅ When making sure that a date or
time is suitable for someone, you
can ask, Does that work for you?
⋅ I’m afraid not is a polite way of
saying “no”, especially when you are
disappointed or sorry about it.
⋅ If you can’t get out of something,
you are not able to change,
postpone or miss an event that has
been previously arranged.
Fotos: Alamy Stock Vector
anti-inflammatory
, Entzündungshemmer Dialog(e) von diesen
physiotherapist Seiten hier kostenlos
anhören!
[)fIziEU(TerEpIst]
www.spotlight-online.de/
, Physiotherapeut(in)
audio-gratis/03
EVERYDAY ENGLISH

3. HOW’S YOUR SHOULDER?
Helen has met up with her friend Susan for a walk.
____________________________________________________________
Susan: How’s your shoulder, Helen?
Is it any better?
Helen: No, not really. I can barely
get my coat on. I’m getting
a bit fed up, to be honest.
I’ve been to see the doctor
and he prescribed some
anti-inflammatories. They
didn’t help my shoulder, but
my knees feel much better
now!
Susan: (laughs) Oh, well, that’s some-
thing, I suppose.
LANGUAGE SECTION
TIPS
⋅ If someone says they are fed up,
it means they are unhappy about
a situation – especially if it has
continued for too long.
physiotherapist – she gave
me exercises to do at home.
⋅ When prescribing a certain
medicine, a doctor gives a patient a
Susan: Didn’t they help? prescription for the medicine and
Helen: No. (laughs) I have to admit I tells them to take it.
Susan:
didn’t do them.
Hmm, maybe it’s frozen
⋅ Exercises are a set of movements
that people do to make or keep
shoulder. My colleague their body strong and healthy.
had that. She went to see a
specialist at the hospital. He
⋅ In this context, a specialist is a
doctor who has special training in
gave her a steroid injection and knowledge of a particular area
and she’s fine now. I can get of medicine.
his contact details for you if
you like.
⋅ Here, fine means “in good health”.

Helen: I’ve also been to see a Helen: Oh, yes, please.

NOW, TRY THIS! M

INFO TO GO Can you label these six things that you might see at a doctor’s surgery?
“999” [ˌnaɪn naɪn Write the words on the lines provided.
ˈnaɪn] is the phone
number used in the
UK to call the emer-
consulting room | patient | reception desk | receptionist | stethoscope | waiting area
gency services.

E
F
C D

A
B

F. stethoscope
E. consulting room
D. patient
C. receptionist A. B. C.
B. reception desk
A. waiting area D. E. F.
Answers

EVERYDAY ENGLISH SPOTLIGHT 2024 61

 SPOKEN ENGLISH
LANGUAGE SECTION

Down to earth
In der letzten Ausgabe von Spotlight ging es um luftige Höhen.
Dieses Mal begibt sich ADRIAN DOFF auf den Boden der Tatsachen.

MEDIUM ÜBUNGSHEFT

We use the words earth and world to talk about

our planet. But both words are also used in phrases
and idiomatic expressions. If someone is down-to-earth, they
are practical and realistic:

⋅
Earth
The name of our planet is Earth (often written I’m sure she’ll give you good
with a capital letter). You can say the Earth (like advice. She’s very down-to-
“the Sun” and “the Moon”) or just Earth (like earth.
Mars and Jupiter):
⋅ Sputnik 1 was the first satellite to orbit the
Earth.
If something brings you down to
earth (with a bang), it means you

⋅ Have aliens ever landed on Earth?

You write earth with a small letter...
have to start facing reality:

⋅ Returning to work after my

...in idiomatic expressions: holiday brought me down to

⋅ Elon Musk is one of the richest people on

earth. (= in the (whole) world)
earth with a bang.

...if you mean the material in the ground:

⋅ Most of the fields here are just bare earth.
What on earth…?
You can add on earth after question words to give
If something costs the earth or
emphasis or to show you can’t believe something:
⋅ What on earth are you doing? (more polite
you pay the earth for something,
it’s very expensive:

⋅
than “What the hell...?” or “What the...?”)
⋅ How on earth did he manage to get promoted? Living in London doesn’t have
to cost the earth.
The world
The world refers to our planet and its people: ⋅ I paid the earth for this watch
and it’s already broken!
⋅ The population of the world is over eight
billion. If you move heaven and earth to
You can use world with another noun: do something, you try every way
⋅ a world champion (= the best in the world in a possible to succeed:

⋅⋅
sport or activity)
a world power (= a powerful country) ⋅ I moved heaven and earth to
get an invitation to the gala.
a world-class player (= one of the world’s best)
…or with an adjective:
⋅world-shattering news (= it shocked the
whole world)
⋅a world-beating idea (= better than all others)
Common expressions with the world:
Illustration: Martin Haake

in the (whole) world: orbit

⋅ This is the largest tree in the whole world.

all over the world:
, umkreisen

bare

⋅ She works for the UN, so she travels all over

the world. (= to many countries)
, bloß, brachliegend

billion
, Milliarde(n)

62 SPOTLIGHT 2024 SPOKEN ENGLISH

 LANGUAGE SECTION
If you go up (or down) in the world, If you are (or you live) in a world of
your social position gets better (or your own, you don’t take much notice
worse): of the things and people around you:

⋅ Maria drives a Porsche these

days. She’s really gone up in the
⋅ Tom isn’t interested in making
friends – he lives in a world of his
world. own most of the time.

EARTH AND
THE WORLD

out of this world = extremely If you think the world of some- It’s not the end of the world. = It’s
good one, you admire or love them a lot: not as important as you might think.

⋅ Your cakes are simply

out of this world.
⋅ Vicky thinks the world of
her father.
⋅ If we don’t go on holiday, it’s
not the end of the world. There’s
always next year!
(not) for the world = definitely
not, whatever happens

⋅ I wouldn’t miss the

Film Festival for the world.

NOW, TRY THIS! M

Fill the gaps with the words from the list.

____________________________________________
INFO TO GO
The abbreviation earth | world | world-beating | worldwide
“www” stands for ____________________________________________
“World Wide Web”.
However, “worldwide”
A. Our neighbourhood has gone up in the _________.
is usually written as B. She must have paid the _________ for that coat!
one word.
D. world-beating C. They started as a local company, but now they sell
C. worldwide products _________.
B. earth
A. world D. It’s a(n) _________ idea that could save many lives.
Answers

SPOKEN ENGLISH SPOTLIGHT 2024 63

 LANGUAGE PUZZLE FEEDBACK

Liebes Spotlight-Team,
ich möchte Ihnen für die wunder-
bare Arbeit danken, die Sie in jede
Ausgabe von Spotlight stecken. Als
langjährige Leserin kann ich sagen,
dass das Magazin immer besser
wird: die ausgezeichnete Themen-
vielfalt, das ästhetische Layout und
die fabelhaften Bilder begeistern
mich stets aufs Neue. Ganz be-
sonders interessant finde ich Ihre
Tipps fürs Lesen, Sehen und Hören.
Ich finde es großartig, wenn eine
Redaktion eine Auswahl für mich
trifft. Die Sprachseiten sind ohne
Frage ausgezeichnet.
Herzlichen Dank und freundliche
Grüße
Anja Kick, via email

Dear Ms Kick

Which word is Thank you so much for your lovely

email. We spend a lot of time think-
Illustration: iStockphoto.com; Text: Vanessa Clark

ing about the content of the mag-

always spelled azine, so we’re pleased to hear that

you like the variety in Spotlight. We
are especially interested in your

incorrectly? feedback on the Arts pages, as we are

considering ways to include more
book and film tips.
Keep an eye open for changes on
those pages in the next few issues.
Incorrectly Thank you again and kind regards
Inez Sharp, editor-in-chief
ANSWER

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64 SPOTLIGHT 2024 PUZZLE – FEEDBACK

 THE PUZZLE PAGE

LANGUAGE SECTION
Crossword
Die Begriffe in diesem Kreuzworträtsel stammen aus „Ready for it all“.
Sie finden alle verwendeten Wörter auf den Seiten 22–25.
Von OWEN CONNORS
ADVANCED

ACROSS
1. 2. 3. 1. Attention-seeking, showy
5. Termination of a pregnancy
1. 4.
7. One of a kind, without equal
9. Force, powerful effect
12. Drinking aid
5. 13. Stacked bed
14. Slowly appear
6. 7. 8.
15. Personal problem
7.
DOWN
1. With angry intensity
9. 2. Centre of activity
3. A recurring theme or idea
10. 11. 4. Damaging, hurtful
6. Something that is closely related to a
person
12. 7. Legally not old enough
8. Bold in speech
13. 10. Very soft mud, thickly flowing liquid
11. Disrespectful, cruel treatment
14.

15.

Competition

Your chance to win! Solution to crossword 2/24:

demolition
Form a single word from the letters in the orange squares.
Send it on a postcard to: G A P S B T
L H A R
Redaktion Spotlight A T R A I L S U
“Issue 3/24 Prize Puzzle” C A V E R I N
Kistlerhofstraße 172 I N D S N A K E
81379 München
E A L

Or take part by visiting www.spotlight-online.de/crossword, where R I N C L I N E

you can also find the list of winners of our crossword competition S T O N A V A L
in issue 1/24. P F D I Y
L I M E S T O N E O R
Ten winners will be chosen from the entries we receive by
R A R L I
7 March 2024. Each winner will be sent a copy of Three Tales of
E B R A K E E C
the Unexpected by courtesy of Reclam.
T S

THE PUZZLE PAGE SPOTLIGHT 2024 65

 LOST IN TRANSLATION
LANGUAGE SECTION

VANESSA CLARK betrachtet Worte und Wendungen,

deren Übersetzung nicht immer ganz einfach ist.

ADVANCED

“Health minister’s actions

‘tantamount to bullying’”
BBC News, 24 May 2023
Report about problems facing
the health service in Wales

USAGE
The expression tantamount to [(tÄntEmaUnt] means “equiv- BACKGROUND
alent to” or “almost the same as”. Behaviour that is “tanta- “Tantamount” comes from the old
mount to bullying” isn’t exactly bullying, but it has the same Anglo-French phrase tant amunter,
effect and is equally serious. In fact, it’s so much like bullying meaning “to amount to as much”.
that you might as well call it that. It’s practically or effectively In early 17th-century English,
bullying – the end result is the same. “tantamount” was also used as a
“Tantamount to” is usually followed by the name of a noun and a verb. Today, those forms
crime or a similarly serious act. In the news, we see accu- have died out, but “tantamount to”
sations of actions that are “tantamount to a declaration of lives on as an adjective.
war”, “tantamount to torture”, “tantamount to segregation”,
“tantamount to voter suppression”, “tantamount to theft”
and “tantamount to victim blaming”. One could argue that
sending flirty texts is “tantamount to cheating”.
“Tantamount to” is a useful expression if you want to high-
Illustration: Christine Kohler, Hein Nouwens/iStockphoto

light the seriousness of someone’s behaviour or actions with-

out directly accusing them of anything.
In German, instead of an adjective such as gleichbedeutend
NOW, TRY THIS! A
or gleichwertig, you could use verbs such as etwas gleichkommen,
auf etwas hinauslaufen or etwas entsprechen.
In which of the following sentences would
“tantamount to” make sense?
bullying [(bUliIN] theft
Schikane, Mobbing , Diebstahl
,
☐ A. He stole a car, which was tantamount to
torture victim blaming theft.
, Folter , Opferbeschuldigung,

voter suppression
Täter-Opfer-Umkehr ☐ B. He registered his girlfriend’s new car in his
own name, which was tantamount to theft.
, Wählerentmutigung,
B
-abschreckung
Answer

66 SPOTLIGHT 2024 LOST IN TRANSLATION

 LANGUAGE CARDS

Words in context Global English

You read the following on an Australian website:

greenwashing
The company was accused of greenwashing when it
was discovered that its new paper straws (Trinkhalme)
weren’t actually recyclable.
Book our outback adventure tour for a true-blue
Australian experience.
What might a British website say?

(In)Formal English Translation

Translate the following sentences:

What does the informal expression in bold mean?
1. The dancers wore very colourful costumes.
You’re looking a bit green. Would you like to get some 2. I’ve ordered a multicoloured rug for the living
fresh air? room.

Pronunciation A perfect match

Complete this idiomatic phrase:

Read this sentence out loud, paying particular atten-
tion to the pronunciation of the words in bold: She passed her driving test with ________________.

Sow the seeds (die Samen aussäen) now and you’ll have 1. flying colours
multiple mauve (malvenfarbig), magenta and violet 2. colourful joy
flowers from July to September. 3. a red flag

Easily confused Grammar

happy, to be lucky / glücklich, Glück haben

→ Austrennung an der Perforierung

Complete these sentences with remind or remember.

Translate the following sentences: 1. I don’t ______________ whether it was black or grey.
1. Wearing yellow always makes me feel happy. 2. Doesn’t that colour ____________ you of the curtains
2. Ich hatte Glück, dass ich genau die richtige Farbkombination in the bedroom?
gefunden habe. 3. Can you _____________ what colour we chose?

SPOTLIGHT 2024
LANGUAGE CARDS

Global English Words in context

A British website might say: “Book our outback adven-

ture tour for an authentic Australian experience.”
In Australian English, true-blue can describe some-
thing (or someone) that is quintessentially (durch und
durch, typisch) Australian.
In British English, someone who is “true-blue” has
right-wing ideas or opinions.
Greenwashing is when a business tries to make itself
look more environmentally friendly than it really is.
Examples of “greenwashing” include making irrelevant
or exaggerated (übertrieben) claims about a product’s
sustainability (Nachhaltigkeit), or using colours and im-
ages on packaging to suggest that a product is greener
than it actually is.

Translation (In)Formal English

1. Die Tänzerinnen und Tänzer trugen farbenfrohe Kostüme.

2. Ich habe einen bunten Teppich für das Wohnzimmer bestellt. If someone looks green, they have a pale (blass) and ill
appearance – as if they might be sick (sich übergeben) at
Colourful and multicoloured can both be translated any moment.
as (kunter)bunt, mehrfarbig or farbenfroh.

A perfect match Pronunciation

The correct answer is flying colours. sow the seeds [)sEU DE (si:dz]

to pass with flying colours mauve [mEUv]

(mit Bravour bestehen)
magenta [mE(dZentE]
If you do something with flying colours, you do it ex-
tremely well and are very successful. violet [(vaIElEt]

Grammar Easily confused

1. remember
2. remind
1. Wenn ich Gelb trage, fühle ich mich immer glücklich.
3. remember
2. I was lucky to find just the right colour combina-
tion.
remember sth. = sich an etw. erinnern
remind sb. of sth. = jmdn. an etw. erinnern

SPOTLIGHT 2024
 NEXT ISSUE

Tremendous tours Die n

äc
Ausga hste
be vo
Spotl n
around Britain ersch
08.03
ight
eint a
m
.2024

In the next issue of Spotlight –

our spring special – we invite
you to join us as we discover
the United Kingdom on foot
and by bicycle.
Hike the countryside
around Barcaldine Castle on
Scotland’s west coast, cycle
through the Welsh national
park of Bannau Brycheiniog
or pack a rucksack and take
a two-day trek along the
Mountains of Mourne in
Northern Ireland (pictured
left). If you prefer cityscapes,
we present fun tours in Lon-
don, Glasgow, Oxford and
Manchester. There is some-
thing here for everyone.
Of course, we have lots of
fun language tips all around
walking and cycling, as well
as suggestions on what to
read and watch to get you in
the mood.

Foto: Adam Burton/robertharding/laif, Alamy Stock Photo

Iconic maps
Find out about Britain’s
Ordnance Survey maps
– and the awe-inspiring
detail in which they
once showed every hill,
river and village in the
British Isles.
UPGRADE YOUR ENGLISH!
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