Dutch business sectors and their language — the Netherlands is a major international trading and logistics hub. Key Dutch business sectors: logistiek (logistics — Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port), landbouw en agrifood (agriculture and food — the Netherlands is the world’s second-largest agricultural exporter after the USA), financiële dienstverlening (financial services — Amsterdam is a major European financial center), technologie en IT (technology — major Dutch tech companies include ASML, Philips, NXP), energie (energy — including major renewable energy sector).
Rotterdam port vocabulary: de haven (port/harbor), de container (container), het vrachtschip (cargo ship), de lading (cargo/freight), douane (customs), expediteur (freight forwarder), douane-inklaring (customs clearance). Agriculture vocabulary: de kassenteelt (greenhouse cultivation — the Netherlands has the world’s most advanced greenhouse agriculture), de veeteelt (livestock farming), de zuivelproducten (dairy products), de bloemenveiling (flower auction — FloraHolland in Aalsmeer is the world’s largest).
Tech and startup vocabulary (heavily English-influenced in Dutch practice): de startup, de scale-up, het ecosysteem (ecosystem), disruptief (disruptive), agile werken (agile working), de sprint (sprint), de backlog, scrummen (to do scrum — verb formed from English noun), de pitch (startup pitch), de funding (funding), de exit (exit). Dutch tech environments are often English-speaking, but understanding the Dutch business context around them is valuable.