business card
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business card
A small card made of cardstock that contains a person's name, profession, company, and contact details and is exchanged in a professional context.
Beim Meeting tauschten die Geschäftspartner ihre Visitenkarten aus.
At the meeting, the business partners exchanged their business cards.
The word is made up of 'Visite' (visit) and 'Karte' (card). Originally, it was a card that one left behind during a formal visit.
Früher war es üblich, bei einem Besuch seine Visitenkarte abzugeben.
In the past, it was common to leave one's calling card when visiting.
In a professional context, business cards are often 'ausgetauscht' (exchanged). When you give someone a card, you can use the verbs 'geben' (to give) or the more formal 'überreichen' (to hand over/present).
Auf der Konferenz habe ich viele Visitenkarten ausgetauscht.
At the conference, I exchanged many business cards.
You can recognize the figurative meaning by the fact that it is not about a physical object. The structure 'etwas ist die Visitenkarte von jemandem/etwas' (something is the calling card of someone/something) is often used to describe a representative first impression.
Ein sauberes Auto ist die Visitenkarte eines guten Fahrers.
A clean car is the calling card of a good driver.
trademark / signature feature
'Markenzeichen' and 'Visitenkarte' can both describe something by which a person, company, or product is recognized. 'Markenzeichen' means a typical feature, or also a legally protected sign such as a logo. 'Visitenkarte' is first of all a small card with contact details. In a figurative sense, it means something that makes a good first impression or shows a person to the outside world. The words are especially easy to confuse in their figurative meanings. A 'Markenzeichen' makes something recognizable; a 'Visitenkarte' shows how someone or something comes across to others.
Der saubere Empfangsbereich ist die Visitenkarte der Firma.
The clean reception area is the company's calling card.
Ihre roten Schuhe sind schon lange ihr Markenzeichen.
Her red shoes have long been her signature feature.