This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
Geschäftsführer eines Expertenarbeitskreises
Handlungsführungen
Jan 24, 2009 17:38
15 yrs ago
6 viewers *
German term

Herr Diplom-Betriebswirt, MBA

German to English Bus/Financial Human Resources Reference
I'm translating a reference (Zeugnis) for someone in a managerial position. It begins with the line:

"Herr Diplom-Betriebswirt X, MBA, geboren am Y in Z..."

I decided that Diplom-Betriebswirt was best translated as "with MA equivalent in Business Administration". The trouble is that the MBA then sounds like a repetition: effectively "with an equivalent to an MBA and an MBA".

Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I just translate it as "Business Administration" and not worry about the repetition, or is there an acceptable equivalent to "Business Admin.". eg. "Business Studies"?

Thank you. Your help is much appreciated!
Proposed translations (English)
3 +5 holder of a university diploma in business administration
4 +1 Mr. XXXX, M.Sc. (Business Management), M.B.A., born in Z on Y....
5 Master of Business Administration (MBA)
3 Master of Business Administration (MBA)
4 -1 Mr. X, MBA... or Mr. X (MBA, University of Y)
Change log

Jan 27, 2009 08:29: Steffen Walter changed "Field (specific)" from "Business/Commerce (general)" to "Human Resources"

Discussion

Catherine Winzer (asker) Jan 26, 2009:
two separate degrees Thanks, Darin, for your question. I hadn't considered the possibility of it being one and the same qualification, but after some research I am almost certain that it refers to two separate degrees.
Darin Fitzpatrick Jan 25, 2009:
Equivalencies and conversions At the risk of being redundant, I would like to emphasize again the scope of practice of a professional translator. In my view, we convert one language to another, and apply expertise in equivalent idioms, grammatical structures, and other linguistic matters.
We are generally not qualified, and almost certainly not paid, to evaluate one type of degree against another, any more than we should convert grades of steel, government bodies, or legal regulations. Thus I suggest leaving the original designation, and adding an explanation in English. It is then up to the reader to establish whether one degree is actually equivalent to another.

Proposed translations

+5
5 hrs
Selected

holder of a university diploma in business administration

I have no idea if this is "standard," but I hesitate to list a degree (such as M.Sc.) that the person does not actually hold, even if it is "equivalent." Instead I suggest a descriptive phrase, or even the original German degree name, with the description in parentheses.

For readability, you might even break it into a separate sentence:

Mr. X, born on Y in Z, has worked as .... He holds a university diploma in business administration and an MBA.

Are you sure that the MBA is a separate degree, and not just a description of the Diplom?
Peer comment(s):
agree Anita Cassidy (X) : yes, degree titles should NOT be translated
10 hrs
agree sylvie malich (X) : I stress what you and Anita express. The systems cannot be compared, it cannot be translated. And it does look like Mr. X attempted his own translation equating his BWL into an MBA all by himself. tsk.
13 hrs
agree Rebecca Garber : I like the suggestion of breaking up the sentences, which conveys the information while retaining readability.
20 hrs
agree Sabine Lenz : breaking it into a seperate sentence, seems to be the best solution. I would also reassure with the applicant whether the MBS part is just a repetition...
1 day 12 hrs
agree Paul Skidmore : I like the general approach. I might write "holds a university degree in business (Diplom-Betriebswirt) and an MBA ... assuming that these really are two separate qualifications
1 day 13 hrs
Something went wrong...
3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks to everyone for your help. I'm selecting this answer as the most helpful as I particularly liked the suggestion with the separate sentence, though I'm going for "degree" rather than "diploma". Thank you!"
4 mins

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Master of Business Administration (MBA) ... Completion of a Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Business Administration. Completion of a Bachelor's degree or ...
www.masterstudies.com/Business/MBA/MBA/Schiller_Internation...

(MBA) Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration (MBA). This 36-credit MBA program requires ... Completion of a Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Business Administration. ...
www.schiller.edu/MBAMstrBusAdmin.cfm

MBA Swinburne University of Technology - MBA Studium in Australien
Master of Business Administration (MBA) Studium an der Swinburne University ... as Stage 1 of an Enterprise project (equivalent to one unit of study) plus, ...
www.ranke-heinemann.de/australien/81_mba_studium_swinburne_...
Note from asker:
Thanks for your answer, Cristina. The problem is that this person has a "Diplom" in "Betriebswirtschaft" AND an MBA.
Something went wrong...
+1
15 mins

Mr. XXXX, M.Sc. (Business Management), M.B.A., born in Z on Y....

'M.Sc.' would indicate a postgraduate qualification from a particular institution. 'M.B.A.' has become seen as an 'internationally' recognised qualifcation.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 mins (2009-01-24 18:00:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

A comparable example?

http://www.msm.nl/1/1/uk/research/msm_sustainable_developmen...
Reference:

http://www.qmul.ac.uk/courses/courses.php?dept_id=3&pgcourses=2&course_id=235&course_level=1&article_id=199

Peer comment(s):
agree Alfredo Vargas
1 hr
neutral Anita Cassidy (X) : don't think it's ok to just translate the Dipl-Betriebswirt as M.Sc.
16 hrs
neutral Lancashireman : Does anyone write MBA with three full stops anymore? Indeed, was it ever written thus? Likewise 'Mr'. So intrusive as the eye moves along the line. www.banthedot.com
1 day 6 mins
Something went wrong...
-1
26 mins

Mr. X, MBA... or Mr. X (MBA, University of Y)

Please note that in English translations, usually only the highest obtained degree is mentioned, in this case MBA. It is a standard form to write the name and possibly MBA after a comma; however, note that the English-speaking world ( esp, US) is not as "big" on titles as the German-speaking world. Thus, it sounds extremely funny to translate it literally. Definitely do not worry about translating both titles.

You may either write it as: Mr. X (MBA, University of [ ]), born on...
or
Mr. X, MBA, born on ....

At least in the US, it is usual to mention the educational institution along with the title.

Hope it helps :)
Peer comment(s):
disagree Charles Rothwell (X) : I agree that only the highest degree is usually cited IF all the degrees are from within one education system BUT it is quite common to cite a number of qualifications as well: [email protected]" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.busman.qmul.ac.uk/staff/staff.php?santonu.basu@qm...
3 hrs
thanks for your comment, but i do not think that they should all be listed within the sentence
Something went wrong...
19 hrs

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

The word "Diplom-Betriebswirt" is just a full form used for MBA. So in this case to avoid repetition we can put MBA in bracket and the full form before the bracket.
Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search