When to use upper case to describe people
Die Großschreibung im Englischen bereitet sogar MuttersprachlernKopfschmerzen. Doch sie ist besonders wichtig, wenn Sie über Titel schreiben. So machen Sie es richtig.
Even native speakers are often confused about when to use capital letters, particularly when they have to write people’s names or titles. Why is it sometims ‘queen’ or ‘president’ and at other times ‘Queen’ or ‘President’?
But there are rules. Follow them to make your English even more professional. We use upper case (also known as capital letters) for ranks and titles when they are written together with a name. When they are used on their own, we use lower case. So you would write
During the interview, President Bush / Queen Elisabeth / Pope Benedict / Chancellor Merkel expressed his / her hope for world peace.
But:
The president / queen / pope / chancellor went on to say all nations should work together.
Some titles serve as names so they have initial capitals: the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Emir of Kuwait. But if you want to describethe office rather than the individual, use lower case: The next archbishop of Canterbury could be a woman. There will soon be a new emir of Kuwait.
Finally, don’t be surprised if native speakers don't use these rules. Not everybody knows them. But make an effort to use them yourself. Your writing will look much more professional.