Language Guidelines
English Language Guidelines
Used for: Code, documentation, and UI communication.
Best Practices
- Avoid socially charged terminology with problematic historical or exclusionary implications
- Avoid idioms and jargon that are not universally understood or culturally neutral
- Use inclusive examples with non-stereotypical names and diverse contexts
Common Replacements
| Avoid | Recommended Alternative |
|---|---|
| Master / Slave | Primary / Secondary, Main / Replica |
| Owner / Master (role) | Lead, Manager, Expert |
| Blacklist / Whitelist | Block list / Allow list |
| Native Feature | Built-in Feature, Core Feature |
| Culture Fit | Values Fit |
| Man Hours / Manpower | Work Hours, Workforce |
| Guys (for mixed group) | Folks, Team, People |
| Middleman | Mediator, Liaison |
| He/She | They, Them |
German Language Guidelines
Used for: User-facing content in the UI.
Best Practices (Beispiele in Deutsch)
| Regel | Beispiel |
|---|---|
| Nutze neutrale Formulierungen | „Bewertet von" statt „Prüfer/Prüferin" |
| Verwende die Anrede „du" | fördert eine persönliche und weniger formelle Atmosphäre |
| Beschreibe Handlungen aktiv oder passiv | „Automatisch generierte Ergebnisse werden erstellt" statt „Die Bewerber:innen erhalten…" |
| Sprich Personen direkt an | „Bitte melde dich…" statt „Jeder muss sich…" |
| Rücke die Organisation in den Vordergrund | „das Forschungsteam" statt „Forscher:innen" |
| Verwende neutrale Pluralformen | „die Lehrenden", „die Bewerbenden" |
| Verwende neutrale Pronomina | „niemand" statt „keiner", „alle die" statt „jeder" |
Replaced Terms in the UI
| Vorher | Jetzt |
|---|---|
| Bewerber / Bewerberin | Bewerbende / Bewerbende:r |
| Dozent / Professor | Professor:in |
| Benutzer | Konto / Benutzer:in |
| Benutzername | Login |
| Prüfer | Bewertet von |
Grammatical Person in Email Templates
Email templates under src/main/resources/templates/{de,en}/ always speak in the
first-person plural (wir / uns / unser in German, we / us / our in
English), regardless of who actually sends or signs the email. The voice is the
research group team for application/interview emails and the TUMApply system for
automated notifications.
Do not use first-person singular (ich / mich / mein, I / me / my) in the body,
even for templates that carry a personal sign-off such as APPLICATION_ACCEPTED.
The professor's name still appears in the signature; the body itself stays in
the plural register.