Denglisch detox: “home office” doesn’t mean what you think

“He is in the home office” reads as fine English. It just doesn’t mean what you think it means.

In German, “Home Office” describes the whole activity of sitting at your kitchen table in slippers with your laptop open.

In English, “home office” is a room. In Britain, it’s also a government department, the Innenministerium, responsible for visas and immigration. Tell a Brit your colleague is “in the home office,” and they’ll assume he’s been called in about his visa.

This one’s a false friend, a word that looks familiar and behaves completely differently once it crosses the Channel.

You don’t need to feel bad about this one. Almost every German speaker reaches for it at least once.

Quick win: Swap “he’s in the home office” for “he’s working from home.” Same meaning, no immigration paperwork required.