der Prozess
trial
A court proceeding in which a person's guilt or innocence, or a legal dispute, is decided.
EXAMPLE
Der Prozess gegen den Angeklagten beginnt nächste Woche.
The trial against the defendant begins next week.
der Prozess
process / trial
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Meanings
der Prozess
process
A sequence of actions, events, or changes of state that lead to a specific result; a development.
EXAMPLE
Das Lernen einer neuen Sprache ist ein langer Prozess.
Learning a new language is a long process.
der Prozess
process
In computer science, a program or part of a program that is currently being executed by the computer.
EXAMPLE
Dieser Prozess verbraucht sehr viel Arbeitsspeicher.
This process uses a lot of memory.
Usage tips
Context clues
The context makes it clear which meaning is intended. Words like 'Gericht' (court), 'Anwalt' (lawyer), or 'Angeklagter' (defendant) point to a court proceeding. General terms like 'Entwicklung' (development) or 'Lernen' (learning) signal a sequence. IT terms like 'CPU' or 'Programm' (program) point to the computer-related meaning.
EXAMPLE
Der Prozess gegen das Unternehmen dauerte mehrere Monate.
The trial against the company lasted several months.
Typical collocations (law)
In legal contexts, there are fixed expressions. You will often hear 'jemandem den Prozess machen' (to put someone on trial / to prosecute someone), 'einen Prozess führen' (to conduct a trial / to litigate), or 'einen Prozess gewinnen/verlieren' (to win/lose a trial).
EXAMPLE
Er hat den Prozess in erster Instanz verloren.
He lost the trial in the first instance.
Typical collocations (development)
When 'Prozess' (process) describes a development, it is often combined with adjectives such as 'lang' (long), 'schwierig' (difficult), 'kreativ' (creative), or 'chemisch' (chemical).
EXAMPLE
Das Verfassen seiner Doktorarbeit war ein langwieriger Prozess.
Writing his doctoral thesis was a lengthy process.
Compare with
Prozess vs Entwicklung
development
Entwicklung emphasizes the direction and the newly emerging state in a gradual change. Prozess focuses more strongly on the chronological sequence of events or steps that lead to a result. When the focus is on becoming different, Entwicklung is the better choice; when the process and individual events are central, Prozess is more appropriate.
Prozess
Der Prozess, durch den das Team selbstständiger wird, umfasst mehrere gemeinsame Übungen.
The process through which the team becomes more independent includes several group exercises.
Entwicklung
Die Entwicklung des Teams zeigt, dass seine Mitglieder immer selbstständiger arbeiten.
The team’s development shows that its members are working more and more independently.
In real life
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