cooperation
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cooperation
The voluntary collaboration of people, groups, or institutions in order to achieve a common goal.
Die Kooperation zwischen den Abteilungen hat zu einem sehr guten Ergebnis geführt.
The cooperation between the departments led to a very good result.
The word is easy to understand if you break it down: the prefix 'Ko-' means 'together' or 'co-'. The root 'Operation' comes from 'operieren' (to operate, to work). So 'Kooperation' (cooperation) is literally 'working together'.
Die internationale Kooperation ist für den Klimaschutz entscheidend.
International cooperation is crucial for climate protection.
The corresponding verb for 'die Kooperation' (cooperation) is 'kooperieren' (to cooperate). It is almost always used with the preposition 'mit' (+ dative) to name the partner in the collaboration.
Unsere Firma kooperiert mit mehreren Forschungsinstituten.
Our company cooperates with several research institutes.
The phrase 'in Kooperation mit' (+ dative) (in cooperation with) is a very common and somewhat formal way to express that something is done together with a partner.
Die Ausstellung entstand in Kooperation mit dem städtischen Museum.
The exhibition was created in cooperation with the municipal museum.
In a business or political context, 'Kooperation' (cooperation/partnership) is often combined with verbs such as 'eine Kooperation eingehen' (to enter into a cooperation/partnership), 'vereinbaren' (to agree on), or 'beginnen' (to begin).
Die beiden Unternehmen haben eine langfristige Kooperation vereinbart.
The two companies agreed on a long-term partnership.
collaboration
'die Zusammenarbeit' and 'die Kooperation' often mean almost the same thing: several people, groups, or organizations do something together in order to achieve a goal. 'Zusammenarbeit' is very general and sounds natural in everyday language, for example in a team or on a project. 'Kooperation' sounds somewhat more formal and is often used for companies, authorities, organizations, or official partnerships. Learners can easily confuse the words because both fit in many situations. When it is simply about working together, 'Zusammenarbeit' is often more natural. When it sounds more official or planned, 'Kooperation' fits well.
Die Stadt plant eine Kooperation mit mehreren Vereinen.
The city is planning a cooperation with several clubs.
Die Zusammenarbeit mit dem neuen Kollegen läuft seit Anfang der Woche sehr gut.
The collaboration with the new colleague has been going very well since the beginning of the week.