My First Time Arguing About Faulty Software in Germany – TELC B1.2 Writing Practice

Okay, so this is… weird to write about, but it’s actually something that happened to me last month and it’s directly related to my TELC German course. I’m still relatively new here in Berlin – moved over six months ago for a job as a junior marketing assistant at a small tech company, ‘Innovate Solutions’. It’s great, the people are friendly, but sometimes… well, let’s just say the communication can be tricky, especially when technical things come up. My writing skills were definitely lacking before this, so needing to discuss something like this for my TELC exam felt pretty important.

The Problem with ‘Smart’ Postering Software

Innovate Solutions was launching a new campaign, and our team needed to create visually stunning posters quickly. They invested in this fancy software – called “PosterGenius” – supposedly designed to automate the entire process, suggest layouts, everything. Everyone was so excited about it! My boss, Herr Schmidt, kept saying, “Das ist die Zukunft!” (That’s the future!).

But, as you might guess, PosterGenius wasn’t exactly future-proof. It started producing these… bizarre posters with overlapping images and ridiculously bright colours. It completely messed up one of our key messages about sustainable energy – a real problem! I was tasked with drafting an email to the software supplier, ‘DigitalCraft,’ explaining the issues. That’s where my TELC B1.2 Writing test came into play.

My First Attempt (And It Wasn’t Great)

I started writing, trying to be polite and professional, like I’d seen Herr Schmidt do. I said something like: “Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, wir haben Probleme mit Ihrer Software…” (Dear Sir/Madam, we have problems with your software…) But it felt… stiff. And the German wasn’t exactly flowing naturally.

I was so worried about using the ‘richtige’ words – the right words – that I ended up over-complicating everything. I used phrases like “Wir möchten Sie höflich darauf aufmerksam machen, dass…” (We would like to politely draw your attention to…) – honestly, it just sounded overly formal and a bit aggressive, even though that wasn’t my intention.

A colleague, Lena, who’s fluent in German, saw me struggling and said, “Moment mal! Das klingt nach einer Beschwerde, nicht nach einer Anfrage!” (Wait a minute! That sounds like a complaint, not a request!). She was right, of course. It needed to be calmer, more focused on finding a solution.

A More Natural Conversation & Useful Phrases

Lena helped me rephrase it completely. We ended up with something much better: “Hallo DigitalCraft, wir haben festgestellt, dass PosterGenius in unserem Projekt einige Schwierigkeiten verursacht hat. Die Ergebnisse waren nicht den Vorstellungen entsprach. Könnten Sie bitte überprüfen, ob es ein Update gibt oder eine Möglichkeit besteht, die Einstellungen anzupassen?” (Hello DigitalCraft, we have noted that PosterGenius has caused some difficulties in our project. The results did not match our expectations. Could you please check if there is an update or a way to adjust the settings?).

I learned so much from that conversation. Here are some key phrases I picked up:

• “Die Ergebnisse entsprachen nicht unseren Erwartungen.” (The results didn’t meet our expectations.) – Super useful for describing problems!
• “Könnten Sie bitte überprüfen…?” (Could you please check…? ) – A polite way to request action.
• “Es besteht ein Update?” (Is there an update?) – Essential for tech problems.
• “Die Einstellungen anzupassen” (to adjust the settings) – Always useful when talking about software.

Who’s Responsible? – The Tricky Part

The bigger issue, and what my TELC assignment was focusing on, wasn’t just the technical problem itself, but who was responsible for it. Herr Schmidt kept insisting that because we used their software, DigitalCraft had to fix it! I felt a bit awkward arguing, but I also thought it was important to stand up for our company.

I responded with something like, “Aber Herr Schmidt, die Software hat Fehler! Das ist ja nicht unsere Schuld!” (But Mr. Schmidt, the software has errors! It’s not our fault!). And then, trying to be diplomatic, “Vielleicht sollten wir auch prüfen, ob unsere eigene Vorgehensweise korrekt war?” (Maybe we should also check if our own approach was correct?) – this was Lena’s brilliant suggestion!

It highlighted a really important point: Even with the best technology, there’s always an element of human error. It wasn’t just DigitalCraft’s fault; it involved us understanding how to use the software properly and potentially identifying flaws in our own workflow. This is what my TELC prompt was all about – discussing responsibility!

Looking Ahead for My B1.2 Writing

This experience, and working on this TELC assignment, has been really valuable. I realised that clear, concise communication, even when dealing with a complicated technical issue, is key. And learning to express opinions politely, like Lena showed me, is absolutely vital in Germany! I’m already planning my next email – hopefully without any bizarre bright colours. Ich glaube ich werde es schaffen! (I believe I will manage!)