this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2025
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Do as most non-DACH countries do: Just use the regular letter instead of the Umlaut.
Example:
Über-Mensch -> Uber-Mensch
But that's just wrong.
ühas a different meaning and pronunciation thanu.If umlauts aren't available, the correct way to write umlauts is with an additional
e:zurueck.Please be aware that this term can be problematic, since it can be seen as a foundation for fascist ideas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Cbermensch#Use_by_the_Nazis
This makes it horrible to read. An example that comes to mind is a Finnish athlete with the last name Määttä. If it was Maatta, it would be pronounced differently but still understandable if you knew the person. But it was translated into Maeaettae which is just horrible
Finnish doesn't have umlauts. Characters ä and ö are entirely different and separate from a and o so it doesn't make sense to add the letter e signifying a-umlaut or o-umlaut when writing in Finnish. German has umlauts so it makes sense to write either ä or ae when writing in German.
I agree it's best to write Maatta if letter ä is not available. I suppose the vocal harmony makes it easy to distinguish whether a is supposed to be a or ä and if o is supposed to be o or ö.