One of my pet peeves is what they call Denglisch or Germish - i.e. when English words, idioms or grammar structures are directly transfered to German. For instance, I absolutely hate it when they say "in 2008". That's not German. You just say "2008" or "im Jahr 2008". "in 2008" makes you sound like you have an insufficient grasp of the language. The same goes for the direct translation of "to make sense" to "Sinn machen" - again, that is not German but English. The German equivalent is "Sinn haben" or "Sinn ergeben". Sadly, this is one of the most common errors, and even I have caught myself saying it now and then.
I've gotten used to ads reading "Hol dir dein Game!", and the entire advertisement industry effectively raping this language. But what I have absolutely no tolerance and no understanding for is when people like journalists do such a thing. The other day, I read a newspaper article in which a political party was described as a "lose Kanone", which is a direct translation of English "loose cannon", an idiom which does not exist, has many good alternatives, and worst of all, sounds absolutely stupid in German. To think that author gets paid for this sort of thing is a kick in the nuts.
I've gotten used to ads reading "Hol dir dein Game!", and the entire advertisement industry effectively raping this language. But what I have absolutely no tolerance and no understanding for is when people like journalists do such a thing. The other day, I read a newspaper article in which a political party was described as a "lose Kanone", which is a direct translation of English "loose cannon", an idiom which does not exist, has many good alternatives, and worst of all, sounds absolutely stupid in German. To think that author gets paid for this sort of thing is a kick in the nuts.
My wife is expecting our second child! (Marta is pregnant, a little under 12 weeks) 
