The term “anti-discrimination officer” is too complicated

The phrase "anti-discrimination officer" is the "Word Monster of the Year." A jury of adults with low literacy skills selected the expression on the occasion of World Literacy Day on Monday. The title "Word Monster" is being awarded for the first time to promote understandable and readable language.

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"With its 31 letters, eleven syllables, and numerous (foreign) word components, the word is very complex and therefore both difficult to read and understand," the initiators explained. They argued that the term represents an additional and discriminatory barrier, especially for those who should receive support from the anti-discrimination commissioner.

According to the initiators, the term "anti-discrimination officer" is a relatively new term: the first, very sporadic, references to it date back to the 1990s. The term has experienced a significant resurgence since 2022, when Ferda Ataman became Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination. Anti-discrimination officers exist in Germany at the federal and state levels, and sometimes also in companies.

In Germany, there are several initiatives to raise awareness of language. Annually, the "Word" and "Unwort" (unword), as well as the "Jugendwort" (young word) and the "Sprachpanscher" (language tamper) of the year are selected. The "Wortgetüm des Jahres" (word of the year) was created by the "Digital Dictionary of the German Language" at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Berlin Alpha Alliances, and the Berlin Foundation for Basic Education. The "Digital Dictionary" pre-selected difficult terms that would be frequently used between 2021 and 2025. A jury of eight people then made the decision.

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The initiators of the campaign point out that around 6.2 million adults in Germany have difficulty reading and writing. Official letters, forms, and technical terms are daily stumbling blocks for them. Long and complicated words block these people from access to life that is open to others. "With the Word Monster of the Year, we want to highlight how language creates barriers—and at the same time set a precedent for participation and self-determination." The jury itself deliberately uses the neologism "Wortgetüm," even though the term does not appear in the Duden dictionary. There, only the "Wortungetüm" exists.