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When a client gave us content from their German website, they seemed to use the word "Empfehlungen" as the label on a tab for the page that features testimonials. Is that correct? I ask because when I brought this up to one friend from Germany, he gave me this link to Wikipedia which shows that the word "testimonial" is actually used and understood in Germany.
What would be a comparison between the two words and when to use either one?
The English term "testimonial" seems to have been adapted by advertising agencies who are known to use English technical terms whenever possible.
This is not the case for average non-advertising people who likely never heard about a "testimonial" before.
So despite having a German Wikipedia page it is not a common or known term outside the advertising industry.
Possible translations for "testimonial" depend on context and include:
Zeugnis, Empfehlungsschreiben, Attest, Referenz, Erfahrungsbericht
On a webpage - depending on branch - we use
Referenzen, Referenzprojekte, Referenzobjekte, Kundenmeinung
Die wörtliche Übersetzung für "Empfehlungen" in Englisch lautet "recommendations".
Als "testimonial" kann man zum Beispiel eine prominente Persönlichkeit ansehen, die irgendein Produkt in einem Werbespot empfiehlt:
Als Testimonial steht das Top-Model im Mittelpunkt der Medienkampagne.
