hold queue / holding pattern
Loading your saved state.
hold queue
The state of having to wait during a phone call until an employee is available. Music or an automated message is often played during this time.
Ich hing über 15 Minuten in der Warteschleife der Service-Hotline, bevor ich aufgeben habe.
I was stuck in the service hotline’s hold queue for over 15 minutes before I gave up.
The word is made up of 'warten' (to wait) and 'Schleife' (a round, closed shape or loop). So it literally describes a 'Warteschleife' (waiting loop) or a 'Wartekreis' (waiting circle).
Ich hasse es, wenn ich am Telefon in einer Warteschleife lande.
I hate it when I end up in a hold queue on the phone.
In connection with phone calls, the verb 'hängen' (to hang / to be stuck) is used very often: 'in der Warteschleife hängen' (to be stuck in the hold queue). This expresses the passive and often frustrating experience of waiting.
Ich habe zwanzig Minuten in der Warteschleife gehangen, bis jemand den Anruf entgegennahm.
I was stuck in the hold queue for twenty minutes before someone answered the call.
In aviation, the typical verbs are 'eine Warteschleife fliegen' (to fly a holding pattern) or 'eine Warteschleife drehen' (to circle in a holding pattern). This describes the pilot’s active action.
Das Flugzeug musste wegen Nebels eine Warteschleife über der Stadt fliegen.
Because of fog, the plane had to fly a holding pattern over the city.
The context makes the meaning clear. Words like 'Anruf' (call), 'Hotline' (hotline), or 'Telefon' (telephone) point to the phone-related meaning, while 'Flugzeug' (airplane), 'Flughafen' (airport), or 'landen' (to land) refer to aviation.
Die Hotline war überlastet, also hörte ich nur die Musik der Warteschleife.
The hotline was overloaded, so all I heard was the hold music.
waiting time / waiting period
'die Wartezeit' and 'die Warteschleife' both have to do with waiting. 'Wartezeit' is the general amount of time you have to wait, for example at the doctor's, at the train station, or at a government office. 'Warteschleife' is more specific: it usually means waiting on the phone while music or a message is playing. In aviation, it can also be the holding pattern before landing. The words can be confused because in both cases you are waiting. If you only mean the duration, 'Wartezeit' fits. If you are waiting on the phone line, 'Warteschleife' is more natural.
Ich hing zehn Minuten in der Warteschleife, bevor ein Mitarbeiter ans Telefon ging.
I was on hold for ten minutes before an employee answered the phone.
Wegen des großen Andrangs ist die Wartezeit am Schalter heute länger als sonst.
Because of the large number of people, the waiting time at the counter is longer than usual today.