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verschlimmbessern

English translation: to improve for the worse

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:verschlimmbessern
English translation:to improve for the worse
Entered by: Martin Hesse

08:29 Nov 23, 2004
German to English translations [PRO]
Linguistics / Document Life Cycle
German term or phrase: verschlimmbessern
Die Implementierung der Korrekturen hat das Dokument *verschlimmbessert*.

Gibt es im Englischen ein ähnlich treffendes Wort?
Martin Hesse
Local time: 23:29
improved for the worse
Explanation:
another
Selected response from:

Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Local time: 23:29
Grading comment
Kern des Pudels. Qui scribit, bis legit. Danke an alle!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3improved for the worse
Cilian O'Tuama
3 +2the so-called corrections (only) made things worse
Francis Lee (X)
4to make worse
Terence Ajbro
4to make even worse
IanW (X)
4changing the document for the better only served to make things worse
CMJ_Trans (X)
3improved and made worse at the same time
Aniello Scognamiglio (X)
3made things go from bad to worse
writeaway


Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to make worse


Explanation:
not really an exact English word for this, but the above captures the meaning of the German verb.

Terence Ajbro
Sweden
Local time: 23:29
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
improved and made worse at the same time


Explanation:
m.E. gibt es keine 1:1-Entsprechung im Englischen, aber irgendwie sollte man es schon wiedergeben, daher die Idee mit "at the same time". Was sagen die Native Speaker?

Aniello Scognamiglio (X)
Germany
Local time: 23:29
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 4
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7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
made things go from bad to worse


Explanation:
out of the frying pan into the fire

writeaway
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Aniello Scognamiglio (X): that would imply that things were bad (absolutely not).
3 mins
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1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to make even worse


Explanation:
"... made the document even worse" or "made matters even worse"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2004-11-23 08:37:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Martin, ich glaube nicht, dass es so was gibt. In diesem Fall würde ich einfach \"improvements\" (in ironischen Gänsefüßchen, wohl gemerkt!) statt \"corrections\" sagen.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 mins (2004-11-23 08:38:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

My final offering: The \"improvements\" only served to make matters worse.

IanW (X)
Local time: 23:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
improved for the worse


Explanation:
another

Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Local time: 23:30
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 36
Grading comment
Kern des Pudels. Qui scribit, bis legit. Danke an alle!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Beate Lutzebaeck: Creative and gets the semantic clash across.
11 mins
agree  silvia glatzhofer: I like this one best
13 mins
agree  writeaway: bingo (now that you have found it, does remind me of a translation agency I used to work for in Antwerp-this was their speciality :-) )
13 mins
  -> it's actually something I used to hear occasionally from a sports coach when I was young(er); "sure 'tis worse you're improving"
neutral  IanW (X): Include me out!
42 mins
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15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
changing the document for the better only served to make things worse


Explanation:
my threeha'ppence worth

CMJ_Trans (X)
Local time: 23:30
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
the so-called corrections (only) made things worse


Explanation:


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2004-11-23 08:37:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or:
did not have the desired effect
did not necessarily improve things/matters


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2004-11-23 08:40:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

the so-called improvements were anything but.
the so-called improvements were of ambiguous effect.
the so-called improvements had ambiguous results.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 mins (2004-11-23 08:47:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The so-called corrections had mixed results.
(yawn)

Francis Lee (X)
Local time: 23:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Aniello Scognamiglio (X): imo that's pretty close to the original.
1 min
agree  Tamara Ferencak: I like the "...anything but" suggestion best; any of these works imo
15 mins
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