Word of the week: Vorführeffekt
Updated: Mar 29, 2020
By Katarina Ristic
(der) Vorführeffekt noun: (literally) the demonstration effect
The Vorführeffekt occurs when something stops working, only for it to start working again when you ask someone for help with it.
For instance: your computer stops working; you ask someone to fix it; it miraculously starts working the moment another person comes into play.Das ist halt der Vorführeffekt. = It never works when someone’s watching. Sobald ich um Hilfe bat, trat den Vorführeffekt ein. = Just when I asked for help, the demonstration effect set in.