calling
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calling
A term borrowed from English for a personal vocation or true purpose in life. It describes an activity that someone feels is their destiny.
Nach langer Suche hat sie in der Arbeit mit Tieren ihr wahres Calling gefunden.
After a long search, she found her true calling in working with animals.
"Calling" (calling) is a modern loanword from English. It is used mainly in the areas of coaching, career planning, and personal development, and it sounds trendier than the German word "Berufung" (vocation).
Viele junge Menschen sind auf der Suche nach ihrem persönlichen Calling.
Many young people are searching for their personal calling.
The word is almost always used in fixed phrases. The most common are "sein Calling finden" (to find one's calling), "seinem Calling folgen" (to follow one's calling), and "sein wahres Calling entdecken" (to discover one's true calling).
Er hat gekündigt, um endlich seinem Calling zu folgen und Künstler zu werden.
He quit his job to finally follow his calling and become an artist.
English verbs ending in "-ing" that are used as nouns in German usually take the neuter article "das." This pattern also applies to "das Calling" (the calling), as well as to "das Timing" (the timing) or "das Meeting" (the meeting).
Das richtige Timing ist bei diesem Projekt entscheidend.
The right timing is crucial for this project.
provision / purpose
Both Bestimmung and Calling can refer to a personally felt purpose in life. Bestimmung sounds more like a destined fate or role, while Calling refers to a specific activity that someone feels is meaningful and suits them. Bestimmung fits the feeling of having a predetermined task, while Calling is more appropriate for the activity itself.
Nach vielen Jahren im Büro fand er im Unterrichten endlich sein Calling.
After many years in an office, he finally found his calling in teaching.
Sie hatte immer das Gefühl, dass ihre Bestimmung darin liegt, anderen Menschen zu helfen.
She had always felt that her purpose was to help other people.
