Your diarist has (by British standards) excellent German. But it is hard to use it.

我们的记者(以英国人的标准)会说优秀的德语，但是用起来很困难。

youdao

The gap in living standards has shrunk: GDP per person in the east has risen from 40% of west German levels in 1991 to nearly 70% in 2008.

生活标准的差距缩小了，东德的人均GDP已经从1991年仅为西德的40%的水平提高到2008年的近70%。

youdao

But the company has widened its product range, buying Zimmermann, an East German producer, and now makes pianos to less demanding standards in the Czech Republic, Indonesia and China.

但是公司通过购买原东德制造商兹默曼(Zimmermann)拓宽了产品范围，现在捷克共和国、印度尼西亚和中国制造标准不那么苛刻的钢琴。

youdao

What may be startling by German standards is commonplace for big companies in smaller countries.

ECONOMIST: Deutschland über alles? | The

The plan is to raise margins to 4% by next year: good by German standards, but only half the European norm.

ECONOMIST: KarstadtQuelle

Four years ago it was below 70%, poor by German standards.

ECONOMIST: Germany