Unit 7 — Mediation as a Skill

Learning objectives Link to heading

• I can mediate a 350-word German feature into 12 English sentences for a named addressee.
• I can preserve register, hedge structure, and modal nuance simultaneously.
• I can use the full reporting-verb toolkit (12+ verbs) and explicit cultural notes where needed.

curriculum framework (“Bildungsplan”) alignment Link to heading

• 3.4.1 / 3.5.1 Soziokulturelles Orientierungswissen / Themen
• 3.4.3.5 / 3.5.3.5 Schreiben
• 3.4.3.6 / 3.5.3.6 Sprachmittlung
• 3.4.3.7 / 3.5.3.7 Verfügen über sprachliche Mittel – Wortschatz

(Sources: https://www.bildungsplaene-bw.de/,Lde/LS/BP2016BW/ALLG/GYM/E1/IK/11-12-LF / https://www.bildungsplaene-bw.de/,Lde/LS/BP2016BW/ALLG/GYM/E1/IK/11-12-BF)

Lead-in story Link to heading

The class has been working on mediation for years. In Klasse 11, mediation becomes a formal Abitur-task category. The shift is from useful explaining to useful explaining with audited register: who is reading, what register do they speak, what do I translate, what do I keep in German with a brief explanation, and what do I drop entirely?

1. Activate Link to heading

Audit scan. Slide shows a German source + a named addressee profile (a Canadian housing researcher). Mark each line: keep / explain in brackets / drop.

2. Input Link to heading

Source — German feature on Mietpreisbremse Link to heading

Die sogenannte Mietpreisbremse, die 2015 als Reaktion auf den Druck auf den Wohnungsmarkt eingeführt wurde, gilt heute als Beispiel für eine regulatorische Maßnahme, deren Wirkung umstritten ist. Befürworter führen an, dass die Mieten in Ballungsgebieten weniger schnell steigen als ohne die Regelung. Kritikerinnen entgegnen, dass die Bremse Investitionen in Neubau bremst und das Angebot dadurch langfristig verknappt. Die Bundesregierung hat im Mai 2027 die Verlängerung der Regelung um sechs Jahre beschlossen.

Cultural-note conventions Link to heading

When a German term has no clean English equivalent, use:

• the term + a 5-7 word explanation in brackets: Mietpreisbremse (a federal cap on rent increases in tight housing markets).
• the German label, italicised, on first mention only; English on subsequent mentions.
• brief contextual sentence after the term if a structural feature needs framing.

Reporting-verb toolkit (12+) Link to heading

to say, to explain, to claim, to argue, to assert, to maintain, to concede, to admit, to deny, to stress, to add, to point out, to note, to dismiss, to caution, to warn, to remark.

3. Practise Link to heading

Niveau E — controlled Link to heading

1. Match: behaupten → ?, einräumen → ?, betonen → ?, bestreiten → ?, anmerken → ?
2. Cultural-note: build a 5-7 word English bracketed explanation for Mietpreisbremse and for Bundesregierung.

Niveau E — productive Link to heading

3. Build 6 reporting-verb sentences for the source above using 6 different verbs.

4. Produce Link to heading

Full mediation, 12 sentences. Read the source above. Write 12 English sentences for a Canadian housing researcher. Preserve register + use 7 reporting verbs + 2 cultural-note brackets.

Sample Link to heading

The German federal Mietpreisbremse (a federal cap on rent increases in tight housing markets) was introduced in 2015 in response to pressure on the rental market. The article points out that the policy is now widely cited as a contested regulatory intervention. Supporters argue that rents in high-pressure metropolitan areas rise more slowly with the cap than they would without it. Critics counter that the cap dampens investment in new-build construction, which in their view tightens the long-term supply problem rather than easing it. The article notes the asymmetry: the rent-increase data is robust, while the new-build data is harder to isolate. The Bundesregierung (Germany’s federal government) decided in May 2027 to extend the cap for six further years. The piece does not claim that the extension settles the argument. It maintains, however, that the cap is now politically embedded — any future government would face significant domestic costs in repealing it. The author cautions that international comparisons (e.g. Vienna’s social-housing-heavy model) are not directly transferable. In short: a contested but durable policy, useful for comparative housing research without being a clean model.

5. Reflect Link to heading

• I can mediate a 350-word German feature into 12 English sentences.
• I can preserve register and modal nuance.
• I can use 7 reporting verbs and cultural-note brackets.

One thing in your notebook: Write one sentence using something you learned in this Unit.

Exam example Link to heading

Part A — Comprehension (~24 BE) Link to heading

Listen twice.

“Die Mietpreisbremse wurde 2015 eingeführt. Befürworter sagen, dass die Mieten weniger schnell steigen. Kritikerinnen entgegnen, dass die Bremse Investitionen bremst. Die Bundesregierung hat im Mai 2027 die Verlängerung um sechs Jahre beschlossen.”

1. Year introduced: ___ . 2. Supporters’ claim: ___ . 3. Critics’ counter: ___ . 4. May-2027 decision: ___ .

Part B — Analysis (~18 BE) Link to heading

Read the German source above.

1. Year introduced: ___ . 2. Supporters’ claim: ___ . 3. Critics’ counter: ___ . 4. Federal decision date and length: ___ .

Part C — Composition (~18 BE) Link to heading

Match German verb → English reporting verb.

1. behaupten → ___ ; 2. entgegnen → ___ ; 3. betonen → ___ ; 4. bestreiten → ___ .

Mediation (~30 BE) Link to heading

Mediate: 12 English sentences from the source for a Canadian housing researcher. Use 7 reporting verbs + 2 cultural-note brackets.

Downloads Link to heading

Common pitfalls Link to heading

• Don’t translate German policy-jargon literally — use an English-(German bracketed) form.
• Reporting-verb monotony (said only) flattens the source.
• Don’t both-side a 70/30 source as if it were 50/50.

Further reading / listening Link to heading

• Goethe-Institut — Sprachmittlungs-Beispielaufgaben Oberstufe.
• Cambridge — Translation and Mediation guidelines.

Downloads

Presentation

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Worksheet

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