Recently, a client sent me a brief for copywriting, in which the word ‘wertschätzend’ was used. As this word is one that comes up often in corporate communication, leadership strategy, and HR communication – and is quite difficult to convey accurately in English – I thought I’d write a quick explanation of this word and its meaning.
However, writing this blog post led me to reflect on the role of ‘Wertschätzung’ in communication more broadly. And what it really means for companies to connect authentically with their employees and customers.
But let’s start at the beginning with the definition of wertschätzend and how it is used in German.
What does wertschätzend mean in German
Wertschätzend is a compound adjective – with a related noun die Wertschätzung. When you split these compound words into their two parts, you begin to understand what is meant in German:
Wert (noun) – value or worth
Schätzen (verb) – to appreciate, to esteem
The noun Wertschätzung is something that you have, show, or experience.
The more commonly used adjective or adverb wertschätzend is used to describe an attitude or way of dealing with people, for example, how the company speaks, leads, or works with people:
eine wertschätzende Unternehmenskultur
wertschätzende Kommunikation auf Augenhöhe
eine offene und wertschätzende Arbeitsatmosphäre
wir sprechen offen und wertschätzend miteinander
It is almost a buzzword for modern, people-centred work environments. And it’s a word that is difficult for English speakers to understand completely, because it combines a couple of different concepts:
respektvoll – having basic respect, politeness, boundaries
freundlich – being friendly, nice
anerkennend – acknowledging a person and their actions, giving recognition
Wertschätzend combines elements of all three of these words. It signals recognition of someone’s value as a person (not just their performance), expressed in a respectful and constructive way.
For the English copy, I’m not looking for a simple synonym, but a way to make this abstract concept come to life.
What is wertschätzend in English?
As with many German compound words, there isn’t a neat one-word English equivalent. Sadly, when my clients ask, ‘What’s wertschätzend in English’, I have to disappoint them. When I read wertschätzend in a client brief, I first have to consider who is the ‘recipient’ of this attitude – is it employees, applicants, customers, managers? And where is this attitude being expressed – on the company careers website, in internal e-mails, or in HR communication?
Are we talking about providing respectful feedback, the supportive company environment, or inclusive leadership that makes people feel valued?
We can’t just swap a word here and hope that it means the same. It’s about the intention of the statement, not just the words.
Example – Wertschätzende Unternehmenskultur in English
A respectful company culture A culture of appreciation in our company A respectful, appreciative company culture
None of these sounds natural to a native speaker, and they don’t fully capture the emotion of the German text. They leave me thinking, ‘appreciative of what?’
In German, we could use wertschätzende Unternehmenskultur as a short bullet point in a slide deck or on a values page. In English, that just doesn’t work. For instance, when we are talking about ‘eine wertschätzende Unternehmenskultur’, it depends how and where we are using it.
Here are some examples of more natural English language for the above phrase:
On the careers page:
We foster a company culture where everyone feels valued. We promote a people-centered company culture that values every contribution.
In a document laying out the leadership culture and philosophy:
We lead with respect and appreciation for every team member’.
Example – wertschätzende Kommunikation auf Augenhöhe
In der Zusammenarbeit mit unseren Partnern legen wir großen Wert auf wertschätzende Kommunikation auf Augenhöhe.
If you use AI to translate this sentence, it will come up with something along the lines of:
In working with our partners, we place great importance on open, respectful communication as equals. In our collaboration with our partners, we place great importance on respectful communication on an equal footing.
These translations aren’t incorrect, but they don’t really express what we mean to say, and sound a bit stilted and old-fashioned – particularly ‘we place great importance’. It would be fine for the website of a stuffy legal firm, but quite odd when used by an IT startup or premium fashion brand.
Rather than sticking to the original structure of the sentence, I would include the other elements of ‘wertschätzung’ that often get lost in English:
We see our partners as equals, and prioritise open and respectful communication that makes them feel valued.
How translating wertschätzend led to a unexpected realisation
I started this blog post to answer the question ‘what’s wertschätzend in English?’, but I hope you can see that the answer isn’t hiding in a dictionary.
In a client brief, the word wertschätzend is input, not output. In English we usually need more words and more nuance to get it right. Good copy doesn’t start with the question ‘What is that word in English’, but with ‘What emotion do I want the reader to feel?’
My task as a copywriter isn’t to use your exact words and phrasing, but to capture the essence of your message and put it in a way that sounds natural to an English speaker, and makes them feel heard and valued.
It was at this point in the blog writing process, that something important occurred to me. Go back and reread the sentence I just wrote.
My aim as a copywriter is to make your target audience feel heard and valued. That’s Wertschätzung.
When you take Wertschätzung seriously, you have to go beyond the wording. It has to be clear in how you actually communicate with people. And increasingly, that raises an uncomfortable question about the use of AI in communication.
Beyond language – on Wertschätzung and corporate communication
One of the topics raised was the use of AI. A friend noted that her employer was ‘encouraging’ staff to use AI, but for some colleagues, this felt more like pressure than encouragement. And for some of them, it felt like their individual, human contribution was being devalued.
How do you feel when your employer assumes a bot can do your job just as well? How do you feel when you are informed about major changes to your workplace, and it’s clear that the email was written by AI?
Does it feel like Wertschätzung is just a buzzword on the company values page?
Over the past decades, many organisations have spent time and resources on building effective HR and corporate communication teams. In working with such teams, I know how much work and care goes into crafting messages that genuinely meets the needs and concerns of their employees. This includes targeted communication for different employee groups, localisation for international sites, change communication that addresses concerns sensitively, and leadership messages that sound like they come from a human being.
When this work is outsourced to AI – as many marketing and communications teams are being told by management to do – it’s no surprise that the result feels generic and bland. With language that could be copy-and-pasted onto almost any other company website.
Wertschätzung can’t be automated. It is the result of careful consideration of the message you wish to send, the people receiving it, what these people need, and how they are likely to feel about it. This is what separates generic content from professional and effective communication. In any language.
Professional English content as the ultimate Wertschätzung
If you’d like to work with someone who takes both the words and the people behind them seriously, I’d love to hear from you.
