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Re:Anthropic acquires Stainless by aleph_minus_one on Monday May 18, 2026 @08:12PM (#48187650)
> I did use the word "software engineer" there

The reason why I avoided this term is that in Germany, there exists a quite strict of whatx an engineer (Ingenieur) is, which is defined in the laws of many federal states (Ingenieurgesetz [engineering law]). "Ingenieur" (engineer) is a protected professional title:

> https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ingenieur&oldid=2... (*)

Falsely claiming that you are an Ingenieur when you aren't (by the definition in the Ingenieurgesetz) is a punishable crime in Germany:

> https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Missbrauch_von_Ti...

There exist some boundary cases under which as a software developer you can call yourself an "Ingenieur", but you have to be insanely careful about whether you actually satisfy the legal criteria (see (*)) - in most cases you don't and you are thus a criminal if you do.

Re:Anthropic acquires Stainless by torben-friis on Monday May 18, 2026 @08:32PM (#48187803)
Wait, does that mean that if I self describe as a software engineer on LinkedIn and get an offer by Germans id be breaking the law by accepting?

If so, is this ever enforced?

Re:Anthropic acquires Stainless by aleph_minus_one on Monday May 18, 2026 @08:42PM (#48187861)
> Wait, does that mean that if I self describe as a software engineer on LinkedIn and get an offer by Germans id be breaking the law by accepting?

Using the German translation "Softwareingenieur" of "software engineer" on your LinkedIn page might easily get you into trouble.

Typically, as far as I know, law enforcement agencies only get active in the punishable act "Missbrauch von Titeln, Berufsbezeichnungen und Abzeichen" [abuse of titles, occupational titles and emblems] if the culprit gets denounced by someone or if there is a public interest, but everybody knows how easy it is to make enemies in your job or on the internet.

Re:Anthropic acquires Stainless by wsng on Tuesday May 19, 2026 @07:21AM (#48191879)
The regulation is enforced if someone uses it as title, e.g “Diplom-Ingenieur Max Mustermann”. I am not aware of a court ruling for any other kind of use.

That being said, in Germany there is no official degree named Diplom-Ingenieur Softwareentwicklung, it is always Diplom-Informatiker. Also, the Expression “Softwareingenieur” is not used, the straightforward translation of software engineer would be either Informatiker (emphasizing the degree) or Softwareentwickler (emphasizing the skill).

This is no legal advice: As far as I know, the regulation is strictly about German titles, so putting “software engineer” in your LinkedIn CV is out of scope of this law.

Re:Anthropic acquires Stainless by thebytefairy on Tuesday May 19, 2026 @12:20AM (#48189130)
'Engineer' is also a legally protected title in Canada, so 'developer' is the common term.