Interpretationshilfe

Interpretationshilfe is a German term that designates aids or resources intended to support the interpretation of a text, a work of art, or a broader phenomenon. The term is used across education, literature, law, and the humanities to refer to materials that help readers understand, analyse, and contextualise content. Typical forms include annotated editions, glossaries, commentaries, study guides, and methodological frameworks. They may provide explanations of obscure terms, summarize arguments, point out rhetorical devices, and pose guiding questions to stimulate closer reading or critical discussion. Interpretationshilfen can be supplied by publishers as part of schoolbooks, by teachers as classroom materials, or by scholars as supplementary content in articles and monographs.

In literature education, such aids support close reading and interpretation by suggesting analytical angles—e.g., characterisation, themes, narrative technique—and by situating the work in its historical or cultural context. In law or jurisprudence, analogous tools clarify procedural rules, statutory language, or interpretative approaches used to resolve ambiguities.

The term emphasises pedagogical function: to democratise access to interpretation, especially for learners or readers encountering complex materials. While sometimes created as preparatory or introductory content, good Interpretationshilfen also encourage critical engagement by exposing assumptions and presenting multiple possible readings.