Business German: “Branche” (f.) – This German word refers to an industrial sector, industry, area/field/line of business or trade. It is a false friend (a word that sounds like an English word with a different meaning) that Germans learning English often stumble over: “I am in the IT branch.” would be a common mistake, but that’s how Germans would say it:

– “Ich arbeite in der Tourismusbranche.” – “I work in the tourism industry.”
– “Sie war in der Automobilbranche tätig.” – “She worked in the automotive sector.”
– “In welcher Branche sind Sie?” – “What line are you in?”

The word is pronounced in a pseudo-French manner: “brawngsheh”.

Note: The German word for “branch” (as in, the offshoot that protrudes from a tree’s stem) is “Ast” (m.) or “Zweig” (m.) for “twig”. The word for “branch” (as in, a business operating in another location) is “Niederlassung” (f.) or “Filiale” (f.) from the Latin word for “male descendant”.