Arbeitszeugnis-Decoder

You received a German reference letter (Arbeitszeugnis, also called an employment or work certificate) and wonder what it says between the lines? The app reads it on your device and shows how its phrases are typically read. Your letter is not uploaded: no AI, no account, no upload.

YOUR LETTER STAYS ON YOUR DEVICE
• Text, PDF and photos are read and analyzed only on your device. None of it is sent to us or to anyone else.
• No AI: the analysis follows a checked catalog of phrases with fixed rules, not a language model.
• No account, no ads. You delete your history entry by entry or all at once.
• Only for the purchase of Pro and for app updates does the app use the network. Your letter is never part of it.

HOW IT WORKS
• Paste in your letter, open it as a PDF or take a photo. Text recognition for photos also runs on your device.
• Read the report: the grade band shows the big picture, the marks in the text show the details.
• Tap a mark: a card shows what is written there and how it is typically read.
• You can check an interim reference (Zwischenzeugnis) as well. The explanations are in English; your letter stays in German, as your employer in Germany wrote it.

WHAT THE REPORT SHOWS
• Grade band: where your letter stands on the usual satisfaction scale, as a range and not as a seemingly exact grade.
• Marked findings: every striking phrase is marked in the text, with its typical meaning and how certain that reading is.
• Secret codes and double meanings: possible hidden messages are named as a possible reading. Whether they apply depends on the context.
• Six areas: performance, conduct, closing formula, secret codes, structure and duties.
• Missing building blocks: details that are usual in a reference letter but are absent. This is a hint, not a verdict.
• Check a draft: if you write or proofread a reference letter yourself, you see what the text gives away. The app does not write letters and makes no wording suggestions.

LOOK UP AND COMPARE
• Phrase lexicon: search for a phrase such as “stets zu unserer vollen Zufriedenheit” and read what it means and how certain the reading is.
• History: your checks are stored on the device, depending on your system settings also in the system backup. You delete them one by one or all at once.
• Comparison: two letters side by side as grade bands.

FREE AND PRO
Free: grade band, number and categories of all findings, all marks in the text, three findings with full interpretation, number of missing building blocks and an excerpt of the lexicon.
Pro: interpretation and tendency of all further findings, the names of the missing building blocks, the report as PDF, the full lexicon, and history and comparison.

Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription: pay once, use it for as many letters as you like. The store shows the price before you buy. On a new device you bring Pro back with “Restore purchases”.

IMPORTANT
General information, not legal advice and no guarantee of a grade. The report shows how phrases are typically read and does not assess your letter legally in your individual case. If you are in a dispute about your letter, a specialist employment lawyer can help. The app is for German-language references under German law. Austria and Switzerland have different law, so the report does not always fit there.

Privacy: https://kobosil.me/datenschutz/#zeugnis-decoder
Legal notice: https://kobosil.me/impressum/

Recent changes:
Small text corrections under “Legal”: for purchases, the “Privacy” section now names only your device’s store. The notes on device backups under “Privacy” and “Delete data” and in the “History” tab are worded more generally. Nothing else changes: your letter stays on your device as before, no AI and no upload.