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matrys
Poe-hé
Jan 9, 2018 23:22
6 yrs ago
2 viewers *
Dutch term

veel succes

Dutch to English Other Business/Commerce (general) Business letter/instruction manual
It's a short (2 pages) business letter that doubles as a short instruction manual for a software product. At the end of the letter, right before the valediction, it says "Veel success!".

Now, I know that it works in Dutch, but in English, simply saying "Good luck!" or "Best of luck!" seems to carry an implication that the product might be a bit dodgy and, therefore, you need a bit of luck to use it successfully. How would you translate this?
Proposed translations (English)
4 +1 We hope this manual will... [see below]
4 Lots of luck!
3 Enjoy
Change log

Jan 9, 2018 23:22: Karen Zaragoza changed "Vetting" from "Needs Vetting" to "Vet OK"

Jan 9, 2018 23:22: Karen Zaragoza changed "Kudoz queue" from "In queue" to "Public"

Discussion

Michael Beijer Jan 19, 2018:
thanks Natasha, I put it up as an answer, just in case ;-)
Natasha Ziada (X) Jan 19, 2018:
@ Michael I like your last suggestions, tailored to the instruction aspect of the document.
Michael Beijer Jan 10, 2018:
wait a minute my last two posts focus on the product element, not on the fact that it's at the end of a short instruction manual. wasn't paying attention, as usual. in that case, something like the following would be better:

We hope this manual will provide you with all the information you need to quickly start using [product name].
We hope this manual will help you get to know [product name]…
We hope this manual will help you get started with [product name] quickly and easily!
We hope you find this manual / these instructions to be a valuable resource….

(also all standard stuff in softwareland)
Michael Beijer Jan 10, 2018:
a couple of software-related boilerplate endings.. "Reply from Adaware

Thank you for taking the time to install Ad-Aware by Lavasoft. We hope you enjoy using our product, don't forget to tell your friends!"

*****************************
"4. Lots more to come
We have a pipeline of announcements/features that did make it in time of this launch, expect a lot of exciting announcements in the coming months.

As always, we hope you enjoy using our product as much as we enjoyed making it,

The Scanii Team."

*****************************
"ScribeWare is a blend of Dylan’s desire to raise the bar in report writing combined with Steves’ desire to build intuitive and elegant software.

We hope you enjoy using our product as much as we have enjoyed building it."
*****************************
Michael Beijer Jan 10, 2018:
I'd have to have the whole text in front of me, but you could also just drop it altogether, if it would make no sense in English. "Veel success!" belongs at the beginning of a test or something, not in a software manual. Or maybe something like:

We hope you enjoy our product!
We hope you enjoy (using) [product name]"!
Anne Lee Jan 10, 2018:
Enjoy the program! I'm with Willemina, but I would use 'program', in case it is a promotional freebie rather than a purchase.
Tina Vonhof (X) Jan 10, 2018:
I do agree with Jerome but I'm with Textpertise on this. Use a translator's note or a comment in track changes and remind the client to check your note/comment. I would just leave it at 'Good luck' but not 'Lots of luck'.
Textpertise Jan 10, 2018:
Let's get your brief clear here You need to be clear in your own mind whether you are acting as a translator or as a copywriter. A translator's job is to produce a document in the target language which is as similar as possible to what has been written in the source language, bearing in mind the nuances of both languages. A copywriter's job is quite different. If you feel it necessary to completely rewrite the source, I would use a translator's note to suggest your revised copy, explaining why you feel that a (near) straight translation won't cut the mustard. Personally, in this case, I would stick as close to the original as possible.
Natasha Ziada (X) Jan 10, 2018:
I would let go of this typical Dutch expression entirely and go for something along the lines of: 'We hope you enjoy using our .... and thanks again for your trust in us/your purchase/etc.' (You can never thank customers enough in English :))
Willemina Hagenauw Jan 10, 2018:
Maybe... something like "Enjoy your purchase!" That is nice and vague and still positive from the seller's point of view.
philgoddard Jan 10, 2018:
So does this go out to people who have bought the software? And what does the software do?
Depending on the purpose of the letter, you could say something like "We wish you every success with [product name]".
Textpertise Jan 10, 2018:
Not a straight translation but... How about "Here's to your success!"

Proposed translations

3 days 22 hrs

Lots of luck!

I would just use a simple expression. Nothing super formal and ending the text on a light note.
Lots of luck translating!! ;)
Something went wrong...
5 days

Enjoy

... is what I would use

I expect there are many alternatives
Something went wrong...
+1
9 days
Dutch term (edited): Veel succes!

We hope this manual will... [see below]

Focusing on the fact that it comes at the end of a short instruction manual, I think something like the following would work nicely:

We hope this manual will provide you with all the information you need to quickly start using [product name].
We hope this manual will help you get to know [product name]…
We hope this manual will help you get started with [product name] quickly and easily!
We hope you find this manual / these instructions to be a valuable resource….

(these are all standard phrases in softwareland)

~

Focusing more on the product aspect (and more general), you could also use something like:

We hope you enjoy our product!
We hope you enjoy (using) [product name]!
Peer comment(s):
agree Natasha Ziada (X) : There you go ;)
4 hrs
Thank you kindly!
Something went wrong...
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