die  Auslagerung

C1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈaʊsˌlaːɡəʁʊŋ/

What does die Auslagerung mean? 📦

Die Auslagerung (feminine noun) mainly refers to two concepts:

1. Economically (Outsourcing/Offshoring): The transfer of company functions, tasks, or processes to external service providers or to locations abroad. The goal is often cost savings, increased efficiency, or focusing on core competencies. Example: Die Auslagerung der Buchhaltung an eine spezialisierte Firma (The outsourcing of accounting to a specialized firm).
2. Physically (Removal from Storage): The act of taking items out of a warehouse or storage location. Example: Die Auslagerung alter Akten ins Archiv (Moving old files out to the archive).

It's a common term in business and logistics. ⚠️ Pay attention to the context to understand the correct meaning.

Article rules for der, die, and das

Grammar Check: Die Auslagerung in Detail 🧐

The word "Auslagerung" is a feminine noun. Therefore, the article is always die.

Singular Declension

Plural Declension

Example Sentences 📝

• Die Auslagerung von Arbeitsplätzen ist ein kontroverses Thema. (The outsourcing of jobs is a controversial topic.)
• Wegen der Auslagerung müssen wir die IT-Abteilung kontaktieren. (Because of the outsourcing, we need to contact the IT department.)
• Der Betriebsrat stimmte der Auslagerung nicht zu. (The works council did not agree to the outsourcing.)
• Die physische Auslagerung der Waren dauerte länger als geplant. (The physical removal of the goods from storage took longer than planned.)

Context & Co: When to use Auslagerung? 🏢

The term die Auslagerung is primarily used in the following contexts:

• Business and Management: When discussing outsourcing, offshoring, or the relocation of business processes. (Example: Die Auslagerung der Produktion nach Asien - The offshoring of production to Asia.)
• Logistics and Warehousing: When referring to the physical removal of goods from storage. (Example: Die Auslagerung der Sommerkleidung aus dem Keller - Taking the summer clothes out of storage in the basement.)
• IT and Technology: Often in connection with outsourcing servers, data, or IT services. (Example: Die Auslagerung der Daten in die Cloud - Moving the data to the cloud.)

It's a rather formal term, frequently encountered in business or technical discussions. In everyday life, for physical removal, one might say "ausräumen" (to clear out) or "wegbringen" (to take away), but in the specific context of warehousing, "Auslagerung" is correct.

There is little risk of confusion, as the meaning is usually clear from the context.

Memory Aids for Auslagerung 🧠

For the article: Nouns ending in "-ung" in German are almost always feminine. Remember: die Rechnung (the bill), die Lösung (the solution), die Wohnung (the apartment)... and therefore also die Auslagerung. The suffix -ung is a strong indicator for die!

For the meaning: Think of "aus dem Lager" (out of the storage/warehouse). Something is taken or moved out of a place (the warehouse, the company, the country). That's the core idea of Auslagerung.

Similar and Opposite Terms ↔️

Similar words: "Lagerung" (storage itself), "Auflagerung" (geology: superposition - layer lying on top of another - don't confuse!).

A Little Joke 😄

Chef fragt Mitarbeiter: "Warum dauert die Auslagerung der alten Computer so lange?"
Mitarbeiter antwortet: "Ich versuche gerade, die ganzen alten Daten per Drag & Drop in den LKW zu ziehen!"

Translation:
Boss asks employee: "Why is the removal (Auslagerung) of the old computers taking so long?"
Employee replies: "I'm currently trying to drag and drop all the old data into the truck!"

Poem about Auslagerung 📜

Die Firma sagt, es muss geschehen,
Aufgaben sollen woanders hingehen.
Die Auslagerung, ein großes Wort,
Bringt Arbeit an 'nen fernen Ort.
Ob Kosten sparen, Kräfte bündeln,
Man hofft, die Vorteile mögen zündeln.
Doch manchmal denkt man auch zurück,
War's wirklich das erhoffte Glück?

Translation:
The company says it must be done,
Tasks should go elsewhere.
The outsourcing (Auslagerung), a big word,
Brings work to a distant place.
Whether saving costs, pooling resources,
One hopes the advantages will ignite.
But sometimes one also thinks back,
Was it really the hoped-for luck?

Riddle Time ❓

Ich schicke Arbeit über's Meer,
Mach Firmen schlanker, bitte sehr.
Ich räume Kisten aus dem Raum,
Erfülle manchen Sparplan-Traum.

Mal bin ich physisch, mal abstrakt,
Ein gut geplanter, ernster Akt.
Im Business oft ein großes Ding,
Wie heiß ich wohl, das Zauberding?

Translation:
I send work across the sea,
Make companies leaner, if you please.
I clear boxes from the room,
Fulfill many a savings plan dream.

Sometimes I'm physical, sometimes abstract,
A well-planned, serious act.
Often a big deal in business,
What might I be called, this magic thing?

Solution: die Auslagerung

Other Information 🤓

Word Composition:

The word "Auslagerung" is composed of:

• aus-: Prefix indicating movement from inside to outside or removal.
• Lager: Noun meaning storage place, warehouse.
• -ung: Suffix forming the noun, denoting an action or process.

So, literally: The process of 'taking out of storage'.

Trivia: The term became particularly popular with globalization and the search for cost advantages in recent decades.