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Einhängestoß

Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

bemurmeln

English translation:

discuss / talk over

Added to glossary by uli1
May 16, 2008 03:27
16 yrs ago
German term

bemurmeln

German to English Bus/Financial Idioms / Maxims / Sayings Management training seminar
PPT presentation for manager training seminar. Title "Bilder von Organisationen".
Bitte "bemurmeln" Sie in Ihrer Gruppe.

And what they have to "bemurmeln" = Bilder von Organisationen, wenn Sie über Unternehmungssteuerung nachdenken.

Is this anything other than discussing quietly? I associate murmuring with indistinct speech.
Proposed translations (English)
4 discuss / talk over
3 +3 chew over
4 think about - throw some balls around
3 +1 to mumble over
3 +1 consider/deliberate/reflect/ruminate
Change log

May 16, 2008 03:35: Alison Schwitzgebel changed "Field (specific)" from "Management" to "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings"

May 21, 2008 16:12: uli1 Created KOG entry

Discussion

Johanna Timm, PhD May 16, 2008:
etymologisch verwandt mit mhd "murren", s. z.B.:
be-murmeln swv. über etw. murren. daჳ bemurmelt Judas FDGR. 1. 165,13.
http://germazope.uni-trier.de/Projects/WBB/woerterbuecher/na...
hazmatgerman (X) May 16, 2008:
Hört sich auch an, als wolle der Referent eine "familiäre" Stimmung in der Gruppe vorgeben, also nicht nur die Lautstärke niedrig halten.
Jim Tucker (X) May 16, 2008:
Likely a humorous variant of "besprechen."
BrigitteHilgner May 16, 2008:
I understand this as you do - to speak about it in a low voice (in order not to disturb the other groups). I don't think it has anything to do with marbles (Murmeln).

Proposed translations

4 hrs
Selected

discuss / talk over

"bemurmeln" simply sounds strange in German!
Peer comment(s):
neutral hazmatgerman (X) : Stimme der Einschätzung zu; halte aber Ihren Ü-Vorschlag für noch nicht optimal da nicht die von mir gemutmaßte Intention des Referenten treffend. Weiß aber auch nicht besseres.
14 mins
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "According to client, just "discuss quietly among yourselves"."
6 mins

think about - throw some balls around

They mean think about and discuss this in your group. I might use "throw some balls around" or even "toss some balls around" to keep the German idiom.

HTH

Alison

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2008-05-16 03:35:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Murmel = marble
Note from asker:
Thanks Alison, I was completely on the wrong track! Tossing ideas around makes much more sense.
Peer comment(s):
disagree Craig Meulen : Can you provide some examples? A nice idea, but I don't think it really works, grammatically speaking. It's simply a creative parallel: "sprechen -> besprechen" - talk about ; "murmeln -> bemurmeln" - murmur about ;-)
2 hrs
agree LP Schumacher : with "tossing around ideas" -- like a marble toss. Murmuring or mumbling don't seem as appropriate here, since both words are associated with indistinct sounds -- hardly conducive to exchanging ideas in a manager training setting.
4 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
23 mins

to mumble over

Please mumble over these within your group.

Quite verbal translation. Not sure if you'd say it like that in English?

Anyway, this is from "murmeln" - "to mumble" (not from "die Murmel" = "the marble")
Peer comment(s):
agree Craig Meulen : Simply a creative parallel: "sprechen -> besprechen" - talk about ; "murmeln -> bemurmeln" - murmur about ;-) - talk quietly
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
+3
4 hrs

chew over

Might possibly hit the right colloquial tone. "Mumble over" is unsatisfactory to my ears, because the prinicipal connotation of "mumble" is do with being indistinct, not speaking clearly enough to be heard ("Don't mumble!" is a common injunction.)
Peer comment(s):
agree Sandra SAYN (X)
37 mins
agree Ingeborg Gowans (X) : that hits the tone I think
3 hrs
agree Rebecca Garber : fits the colloquial register. I like 'ruminate', but it's the wrong register.
6 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
5 hrs

consider/deliberate/reflect/ruminate

consider/deliberate/reflect/ruminate

any of these may fit, in my opinion.
Peer comment(s):
agree hazmatgerman (X) : Ruminate sounds appropriate, giving the low-level pondering impression that may well be intended here.
4 hrs
Something went wrong...
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