chairperson
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chairperson / chair
A person who leads and represents an organization, association, party, or meeting.
Der Vorsitzende des Sportvereins begrüßte alle Mitglieder zur Jahresversammlung.
The chairperson of the sports club welcomed all members to the annual meeting.
The word is derived from the verb 'vorsitzen' (to chair), which literally means 'to sit at the front.' The chairperson is therefore the person who sits at the front during a meeting and leads it.
Wer sitzt heute der Konferenz vor?
Who is chairing the conference today?
'Vorsitzender' (chairperson) is a nominalized adjective and is declined as such. After a definite article (der, die, das), it always ends in '-en' in the genitive, dative, and accusative.
Wir danken dem Vorsitzenden für seine Rede.
We thank the chairperson for his speech.
Most often, the organization being led is attached with the genitive. Typical formulations are 'der Vorsitzende des Vereins' (the chairperson of the association) or 'die Vorsitzende der Partei' (the chairwoman/chairperson of the party).
Der Vorsitzende des Betriebsrats hat das Wort ergriffen.
The chairperson of the works council took the floor.
president
'der Präsident' and 'der Vorsitzende' can both mean a person who leads and represents an organization, club, or meeting. That is why they can easily be confused. 'der Vorsitzende' fits especially well when someone chairs a club, a party, a committee, or a meeting. 'der Präsident' often sounds more official or higher-ranking and is a fixed title in some institutions. So the important point is: the exact title depends on the organization. You should not automatically call every 'Vorsitzende' a 'Präsident'.
Am Montag hat der Vorsitzende des Vereins die neue Satzung erklärt.
On Monday, the chairperson of the club explained the new bylaws.
Der Präsident der Universität hält eine Rede zur Eröffnung des Semesters.
The president of the university gives a speech to open the semester.