administrative office / secretariat
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administrative office
The department or office in a company, school, or public authority that is responsible for administrative and organizational tasks.
Bitte geben Sie die Unterlagen im Sekretariat ab.
Please hand in the documents at the administrative office.
office staff
All the people who work in a secretariat or administrative office.
Das Sekretariat ist heute nur bis 12 Uhr besetzt.
The office staff is only available until 12 o'clock today.
The word 'Sekretariat' (administrative office/secretariat) belongs to the word family of 'Sekretär' (male secretary) and 'Sekretärin' (female secretary). The ending '-at' here, similar to 'Konsulat' (consulate), refers to the place or institution connected with the activity.
Die zuständige Sekretärin arbeitet im Sekretariat im zweiten Stock.
The secretary in charge works in the administrative office on the second floor.
Pay attention to the preposition 'in' and the corresponding case. When you describe movement to that place, use the accusative ('ins Sekretariat gehen' — to go to the administrative office). When you describe the place where someone or something is located, use the dative ('im Sekretariat sein' — to be in the administrative office).
Ich muss kurz ins Sekretariat, um meine Krankmeldung abzugeben.
I need to go to the administrative office briefly to hand in my sick note.
You can tell from the verb whether the office (place) or the employees (people) are meant. Verbs that describe a human action ('macht Pause' — is taking a break, 'ist krank' — is sick) refer to the people. Verbs that describe a place ('befindet sich' — is located, 'ist geschlossen' — is closed) refer to the office.
Das Sekretariat macht von 12:30 bis 13:30 Uhr Mittagspause.
The administrative office takes a lunch break from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
In connection with the office as a place, verbs such as 'im Sekretariat anrufen' (to call the administrative office), 'sich im Sekretariat melden' (to report to the administrative office), or 'etwas im Sekretariat nachfragen' (to ask about something at the administrative office) are often used.
Wenn du Fragen zum Stundenplan hast, kannst du im Sekretariat nachfragen.
If you have questions about the timetable, you can ask at the administrative office.
administration / management
Verwaltung can refer to the broader administrative organization or the responsible staff of an institution. Sekretariat is more likely to mean the specific department or support office that handles organizational tasks. If you mean the entire administrative area, Verwaltung is appropriate; if you mean this particular office, Sekretariat is appropriate.
Das Sekretariat der Schule nimmt die Anmeldungen entgegen und ordnet die Unterlagen.
The school office accepts the registrations and organizes the documents.
Die Verwaltung der Schule organisiert die Anmeldungen, Stundenpläne und Unterlagen.
The school administration organizes registrations, timetables, and documents.
