federal central office
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federal central office
The main administration or headquarters of an organization that operates at the national level (federal level) in Germany. It usually refers to a specific authority or institution.
Die Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung gibt zahlreiche Publikationen zu aktuellen Themen heraus.
The Federal Agency for Civic Education publishes numerous publications on current topics.
The word is composed of 'Bundes-' and 'Zentrale'. 'Bundes-' refers to Germany's national level (the federation), and 'Zentrale' means headquarters. So it is literally the headquarters of an organization at the federal level.
Die Bundeszentrale hat ihren Sitz in Bonn.
The federal central office is based in Bonn.
Very often, the preposition 'für' (for) is used to indicate what the central office is responsible for. This structure is typical for the names of such institutions.
Die Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung warnt vor den Risiken des Rauchens.
The Federal Centre for Health Education warns about the risks of smoking.
This word belongs to formal administrative and official language. It is used when talking about state institutions at the national level.
Ein Antrag muss bei der zuständigen Bundeszentrale eingereicht werden.
An application must be submitted to the responsible federal central office.
office
'die Geschäftsstelle' and 'die Bundeszentrale' can both be an administrative office of an organization. The most important difference is size and level. A 'Geschäftsstelle' can be a normal local or regional point of contact, for example for an association or a company. A 'Bundeszentrale', on the other hand, is the central office at the federal level, meaning for all of Germany or for a national organization. Learners may confuse the words because both sound official and have to do with administration. If it is simply an office for members or customers, 'Geschäftsstelle' is more natural. If it is the main office at the national level, 'Bundeszentrale' fits.
Die Bundeszentrale schickt neue Informationen an alle regionalen Büros.
The federal central office sends new information to all regional offices.
Ihr könnt die Unterlagen morgen in der Geschäftsstelle abgeben.
You can hand in the documents at the office tomorrow.