ist geboten 07:21 Jul 25, 2010
does not mean "it is mandatory". It means "strongly advised/recommended/is advisable" and yes, of course people will usually do what is strongly advised: but we need to be clear, linguistically. Maybe some people translate it as "required" although strictly speaking, that is also wrong i.t.s. of "is legally required". Your choice is most likely correct here in the sense that somebody tried to "imply", in your specific context, that it means "mandatory/required" but it cannot be simply so deduced from your entry. Other correct translations of the phrase are: need to do something = meaning in order to achieve success; it is the order of the day; something is called for; something is essential.
If you enter the phrase "ist geboten" in linguee.de, you will mainly see translations in that sense. Note that there is another meaning of this phrase (with 'wird'): etwas wird geboten = something is being offered.
Especially in a legal context, if something is required/mandatory, I challenge anyone to show me that "ist geboten" is what is usually used. You will rather find: ist vorgeschrieben, ist Pflicht, ist verplichtend vorgeschrieben.
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peer agreement (net): +1
