folder / portfolio
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folder
A cover or folder, often made of cardboard, plastic, or leather, used for collecting, storing, and transporting loose sheets, documents, or drawings.
Bitte legen Sie alle wichtigen Unterlagen in die blaue Mappe auf dem Schreibtisch.
Please put all the important documents in the blue folder on the desk.
'Die Mappe' is a false friend. It does not mean 'map' (Landkarte), but rather 'folder' or 'portfolio'. The German word for 'map' is 'die Landkarte'.
Ich habe alle Dokumente für das Meeting in meiner Mappe.
I have all the documents for the meeting in my folder.
The context makes the difference: if people are talking about 'Unterlagen' (documents), 'Dokumenten' (documents), or 'Schule' (school), it usually means a simple folder. If it is about 'Bewerbung' (application), 'Kunst' (art), or 'Design' (design), it means a collection of works, that is, a portfolio.
Der Schüler hat seine Hausaufgaben in der Mappe vergessen.
The student forgot his homework in the folder.
When 'Mappe' means a folder for documents, it is often used with verbs such as 'etwas in eine Mappe legen' (to put something in a folder), 'eine Mappe anlegen' (to create a folder), or 'Unterlagen aus der Mappe nehmen' (to take documents out of the folder).
Für jeden neuen Kunden legen wir eine eigene Mappe an.
We create a separate folder for each new client.
As a portfolio, 'Mappe' is often combined with verbs such as 'eine Mappe zusammenstellen' (to put together a portfolio), 'eine Mappe erstellen' (to create a portfolio), or 'seine Mappe einreichen' (to submit one's portfolio).
Für die Bewerbung als Fotografin muss ich noch meine Mappe zusammenstellen.
For my application as a photographer, I still have to put together my portfolio.
file / act
'die Akte' and 'die Mappe' both have to do with documents. A 'Mappe' is more the object in which you collect or transport sheets of paper. An 'Akte' means an organized collection of documents relating to a case, a person, or a topic, for example at a public authority, in a company, or at the doctor's office. So you can keep an 'Akte' in a 'Mappe' or in a binder. The words can be confused because both can contain paper. As a practical rule: the 'Mappe' is usually the folder or cover; the 'Akte' is the content as a set of related records.
Für das Gespräch hat Paul alle Unterlagen in eine blaue Mappe gelegt.
For the meeting, Paul put all the documents in a blue folder.
Die Anwältin liest die Akte, bevor sie mit dem Kunden spricht.
The lawyer reads the file before speaking with the client.