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  3. Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

gallisches Dorf in der extremen Konzentration auf einige wenige Firmen

English translation: small player in a market dominated by a few large companies

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:gallisches Dorf in der extremen Konzentration auf einige wenige Firmen
English translation:small player in a market dominated by a few large companies
Entered by: Michele Fauble

09:09 Dec 9, 2020
German to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
German term or phrase: gallisches Dorf in der extremen Konzentration auf einige wenige Firmen
Wir sind ein gallisches Dorf in der extremen Konzentration auf einige wenige Firmen im globalen Saatgutmarkt. 70 – 80 Prozent des Gemüsesaatgutmarktes werden von fünf multinationalen Firmen kontrolliert.

vielen Dank!
martina1974
Austria
Local time: 11:43
small players in a market dominated by a few large companies
Explanation:
An option

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Note added at 2 days 11 hrs (2020-12-11 20:10:24 GMT)
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a small player ...
Selected response from:

Michele Fauble
United States
Local time: 02:43
Grading comment
vielen Dank!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1David in the midst of the Goliaths of the highly concentrated industry
Cillie Swart
4 +1We are like Asterix going up against the Roman empire...
Lancashireman
4 +1small players in a market dominated by a few large companies
Michele Fauble
3 +1dwarfs compared to the select few giants
Wendy Streitparth
4We are small, but powerful because ...
Karin Redclift
4last holdout in a (highly concentrated) industry dominated by a few large players
Michael Martin, MA
3 +1small business in a highly concentrated market / family business
Thomas Pfann


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
dwarfs compared to the select few giants


Explanation:
We are but dwarfs (or dwarves if you prefer) compared to the select few giants in the global seed industry.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2020-12-09 12:25:51 GMT)
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Or: to the concentration of a select few giants.....

Wendy Streitparth
Germany
Local time: 11:43
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 11

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  AllegroTrans
42 mins
  -> Many thanks, Allegro Trans
neutral  philgoddard: "Dwarf" is quite rightly not very PC any more.
1 hr
  -> And giants? / Then 'insignificant': we are quite insignificant. / So can't one say dwarf bean any more? That's ridiculous. For example, there are almost 600 pages on Wikipedia with articles related to various "dwarfs"!
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43 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
David in the midst of the Goliaths of the highly concentrated industry


Explanation:
seems to refer to a kind of unbendingly constant peaceful haven or peculiarity, in this context it is a business, perhaps a niche business, smaller in size, in an industry that is dominated by a few mammoth competitors.

But they just go on doing what they are doing, in their own way, oblivious in some ways to the encroaching hostile competition who will swallow them up the first chance they get, but for some reason they can't. Very much like the story of Asterix and Obelix and their village in the midst of the large Roman cultural and military machine.



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Note added at 4 hrs (2020-12-09 13:30:16 GMT)
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David among the Goliaths in a highly concentrated industry



    Reference: http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1931169,00....
Cillie Swart
South Africa
Local time: 11:43
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  AllegroTrans: Right idea but I think this is too wordy; the double "of" makes the sentence unwieldy
3 hrs
  -> Thank you!
agree  philgoddard: I agree with Allegro, but your second attempt is better.
3 hrs
  -> Thank you!
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
We are small, but powerful because ...


Explanation:
Small, but powerful and they pack a punch in this highly concentrated industry.

Karin Redclift
United States
Local time: 02:43
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
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10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
last holdout in a (highly concentrated) industry dominated by a few large players


Explanation:
Also:

"We are a holdout in a highly concentrated market dominated by large companies

Or simply:
"We're a small fish (business) swimming/staying afloat in a pond of big fish"

Or simpler still:

"We're small fish in a large pond."

Michael Martin, MA
United States
Local time: 05:43
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 63
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16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
We are like Asterix going up against the Roman empire...


Explanation:
The author should have followed the metaphor through. The reference to a 'Gaulish village' is otherwise too obscure.
David and Goliath is OK, but it's the wrong book.

Lancashireman
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:43
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 160

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard: Good idea. I hadn't thought of this obvious solution.
13 hrs
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1 day 1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
small business in a highly concentrated market / family business


Explanation:
Im deutschsprachigen Raum weiß jeder gleich, was mit dem gallischen Dorf gemeint ist, und denkt sofort an die unbeugsamen Gallier, die nicht aufhöhren, dem Eindringling Widerstand zu leisten. Im Englischen ist das zwar auch bekannt, aber bei Weitem nicht so sehr wie im Deutschen. Daher greift ja auch keiner der bisherigen Vorschläge das gallische Dorf auf.

Ist das Unternehmen familiengeführt? Dann würde ich das betonen. Das ist positiv und weckt Vertrauen. Die meisten Menschen unterstützen lieber einen Familienbetrieb als einen Großkonzern.

We are one of the last few family-run businesses in a market dominated by five large multinationals

We are a small family business in a highly concentrated market...

We are one of the last few small businesses in...

Thomas Pfann
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:43
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Wendy Streitparth
3 days 4 hrs
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2 days 10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
small players in a market dominated by a few large companies


Explanation:
An option

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Note added at 2 days 11 hrs (2020-12-11 20:10:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

a small player ...

Michele Fauble
United States
Local time: 02:43
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
vielen Dank!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  seehand
19 hrs
  -> thanks
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