...to appoint what is known as a special representative...

"sogenannt" and "so-called" are indeed false friends and by no means each other's translation. Very difficult to get around when interpreting simultaneously, though.

Vielen Dank! In Leo steht indes nur "so-called" als Übersetzung, der Eintrag sollte ggf. ergänzt werden.

Der Kontext bestimmt die Bedeutung von "so-called". Meistens ist es abwertend gemeint, aber nicht immer, und im obigen Fall wäre klar, dass man damit etwas einen Namen gibt und "so-called" wäre völlig in Ordnung.

wie immer die Problem ist das man kann nicht 1-zu-1 übersetzen. als englisch muttersprecher, würde ich vorschlagen ``this/that is what is refered to as``, this/is what we refer to as`` oder einfach ``this/that is called``. `so called` when used in english implies sarcasm or doubt.

wie immer die Problem ist das man kann nicht 1-zu-1 übersetzen. ich würde vorschlagen ``this/that is what is refered to as``, this/is what we refer to as`` oder einfach ``this/that is called``. `so called` when used in english implies sarcasm or doubt.

I agree with Ciara. So-called is perfectly usable in this context without sounding sarcastic. At least in AE.

Nur weil es viele Leute fälschlicher Weise benutzen, wird es nicht richtiger! Ich weiß, dass man so-called mittlerweile auch schon in englischsprachigen Büchern finden kann. Es ist trotzdem immernoch falsch.

Im Oxford Thesaurus steht: so-called -> INAPPROPRIATELY NAMED, supposed, alleged, presumed, ostensible, reputed, nominal, titular, self-styled, professed, would-be, self-appointed, soi-disant;

So-called is quite wrong here, due to its euphemistic connotations. It's a classic false friend.

Known as ... referred to as ... and suchlike are the correct translations.

Just checked with a Chicago born-and-bred relative: so-called is as disparaging in AE as it is in BE.

Even most of you may be right most of the times this term 'so genannt'/'sogenannt' is used in a negative sense, I would like to support dude in as far that it doesn't need to be . . .

Take the other term: 'angeblich' and ask anybody about it's connotation . . .

Most Germans will answer: Negative! . . .

However, it is initially and at court [law], a very matter-of-fact expression: 'wie angegeben' . . .

Dictionary: angeblich . . .

sometimes things like this are just put in quotations to make it clear that this is special terminology.

"so-called" may not always be negative, but it always implies that the name is inappropriate. It means: it's called so, but it isn't. (Otherwise it would be entirely otiose, but then "sogenannt" in German can almost always be left out with no loss of meaning whatever, a bit like "entsprechend".)

Daddy, what is important is not how it was used originally but what the current usage is. So-called is always negative in normal English (normal in the technical sense), even though lawyers may still use it otherwise (which personally I doubt).

Aus dem Englischunterricht:-)

Merriam-Webster definiton:
so-called
 
Main Entry: so–called
Pronunciation: \ˈsō-ˈkȯld\
Function: adjective
Date: 15th century

1 : commonly named : popularly so termed
2 : falsely or improperly so named

commonly named - that does not imply negative connotation, does it?
Maybe, language just changes and the use of so-called has shifted to a more general usage.
Anyway, I don't agree with some of the strong opinions about right and wrong that have been unttered here...
I think , it is highly dependent on context: a so-called expert has a sarcastic ring to me. But if is say in German "der sogenannte Experte," there is also a negative connotation - at least to me. In my example, so-called is used in the first Merriam-Webster meaning. The so-called Pennsylvania approach - that does sound ok to me...
However, I would appreciate more input on this... I will try a little survey among native speakers

zoe

The problem is that "sogenannt" in German is used in ways that differ from "so-called" in English. In German it comes up a lot in popular science films and articles, especially when the word in question is foreign or unfamiliar. Thus in a film I once had about airline safety, there was the sentence: "Besonderes Augenmerk liegt in Hamburg auf den sogenannten C-Checks."

I think it would be wrong in English to translate this as "so-called".
From a translation angle, this is the sort of context in which you're most likely to see it. Remember on this forum we're dealing either with translation issues, or with problems encountered by German speakers in English (or English speakers in German).

I agree with escoville in #12 and almost always leave it out without any loss of meaning in the English text.

The text I was refering to was a text by a German student written in Enlgish and I was not quite sure if using so-called was ok as the student used it quite a lot - this is how I discovered the thread and looked it up in the dictionary. So, I think I am in line with the forum's goals.
I only wanted to point out that the Meriam-Webster suggests that there is a neutral use of so-called. I agree with your points about the instances that sogenannt would often be found in, but concerning your example about airport safety: Going with the first definition in Webster would mean that it would be ok (and not negative) to say the so-called c-checks.
So, I am wondering where the line is, how we can use so-called, and if it all depends on the tone of the context or wether that dictionary reference is maybe misleading...
I thought that is legitimate under the scope of this forum....

I'd say that there are times when "so-called" definitely doesn't need to be negative. However (this also applies to German), I often find myself wondering why something is "so-called" and not just what it is. In this case, I'd probably wonder why the representative is a "so-called" representative, rather than an "actual" representative.

In the German, I assume that "besonderer Vertreter" is an actual legal term used in German law. There may or may not be an equivalent English term applicable to German law (I'm no legal expert).

I think that if you resort to a descriptive text (i.e. there is no appropriate english term), you should drop the "sogenannt" and say that a "special representative" (or whatever the translation is) may be appointed; if there is a suitable legal term in English, you can probably leave in the "so-called" (because that is indeed what it is called in German law).

Another option is to leave the German (a so-called "besonderer Vertreter"), with the explanation then following as to what this actually is (someone who is eligible to represent the verein).

---
When I come across "sogenannt" I often just drop it, especially if it's just empty waffle in German to start with (like I continuously receive from my colleagues). They'll talk about things like "die sogenannte startseite", which is nothing other than a "startseite". In this case "sogenannt" really just causes confusion - what's a "so-called start page"? It sounds like it's not actually a start page, just a name given to something else.