German word of the day: Die Übergangsjacke

January 18, 2019

Die Übergangsjacke translates literally to “transition jacket.” If you want to make sense of that though, it’s easier to have a look at another translation: In-between-seasons jacket.

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Yes, you read right. The German language has a one-word translation for that monster.

The concept of the Übergangsjacke is very efficient, so let’s explain it with an example: The seasons are about to change from, let’s say, winter to spring. Now that means it’s still cold outside, but not freezing.

The sun could come out, but there might also be some rain or even snow. That could mean that a big winter coat is too warm, a jean jacket is not watertight enough, and a raincoat too sweaty.

So what you would need would be a jacket that is watertight as well as breathable, that can keep you warm but doesn’t make you sweat. And this miracle jacket is the Übergangsjacke.

There are other forms of Übergangsjacken as well, for example for the transition from autumn to winter and even from spring to summer (although that Übergangsjacke might just be a jean jacket – depends on where you live.)

But if the seasons don’t live up to their full potential and the winter feels more like spring, your Übergangsjacke can become a regular winter coat quite quickly. As you can see, it’s a flexible concept with loads of uses.

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