Björn Vrooman Nov 16, 2015:

Agree with Phil Incidentally, since when does a German sentence start with "concentrate"?

There are three things to note here:

1) I suspect Brigitte and I were thinking along the same lines when first reading the question. Because of the definite article, the German makes it sound as if all three items were in one sachet.

But a Sachet in German looks like this: http://www.brandpackaging.de/produkte/sachets-siegelrandbeut...

So no, you can't stuff it like that. This means that in the German sentences, "sachet" should have either been modified by "erste/zweite/dritte" or omitted.

2) Personally, I think CL5 is a bit high regarding the sometimes special writing style of instructions. I would have favored "Remove XXX from sachet," without a definite article.

3) There are other words which can be used in place of "remove" - at least the second could be replaced quite easily (other issues, see first item).

One example:
1) Remove concentrate from sachet and...
2) Pull out mask and...
3) Smooth lotion over ... [don't argue about this one, I invite suggestions; the German sounds odd]

What do you think, Phil?

philgoddard Nov 15, 2015:

Also It would sound odd to say "remove X from the sachet" three times.

Mariana Rohlig Sa (asker) Nov 15, 2015:

@ Julia The mask is a sheet.

And the text has been written by German cosmetics company. “Sachet“ is quite common in that context in German.

Julia Burgess Nov 15, 2015:

Phil & Ramey I see what you're both saying here - it is odd to give the instruction to first empty out the packet before applying its contents to your skin... but if that's what Mariana has to work with... Perhaps a compromise could be "empty the xxx sachet and massage into the skin/etc."? It is of course possible that the mask element is a sheet, rather than a clay (e.g. http://www.beautyfacemasks.co.uk/how-to-use/#.VkjjWfnhDIU).

philgoddard Nov 15, 2015:

Ramey Thanks, but that's not the point I was making. In English (and probably German too), we wouldn't say "remove the concentrate from the sachet". We'd say something like "spread the sachet of concentrate on your face", or even "spread the concentrate on your face".

And I don't agree that a sachet is a perfumed sack. Its more common meaning is a small sealed packet, for example containing sugar or shampoo. Whether it's the right word in German or not, I'm sure it's the correct choice in English.

BrigitteHilgner Nov 15, 2015:

Sachet (fr) = Beutel? Mich stört das Wort "Sachet" schon im Deutschen, ich denke, es wird hier falsch verwendet.
Siehe:
http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Sachet
Könnte es sein, dass der Text aus dem Französischen übersetzt wurde und das dt Wort "Beutel" gemeint ist?

Ramey Rieger (X) Nov 15, 2015:

Agree with Phil in US English, a sachet is a perfumed sack for scenting clothes in the closet or drawers. Simply 'Remove the concentrate and spread evenly over your face.'

philgoddard Nov 15, 2015:

Isn't it a bit odd to say remove it from the sachet? Doesn't that go without saying?

franglish Nov 15, 2015:

sachet is fine, or alternatively packet

Sanni Kruger (X) Nov 15, 2015:

Sounds ok to me.