begeistern

English translation: sell on the idea of

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:begeistern
English translation:sell on the idea of
Entered by: David Williams

14:52 Jan 14, 2010
German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Marketing / Market Research
German term or phrase: begeistern
Context:

"Nach einer Studie* des Bundesverbandes XYZ ist es der Branche in den 80er Jahren gelungen, 2,5 – 3% eines jeden Jahrganges für ein eigenes (Sportartike) zu begeistern."

I'm not sure how best to put this so that it doesn't sound like the industry was persuading, cajoling or forcing people to buy their products. Also, I'm not too sure about "eines jeden Jahrganges" since this has nothing to do with school/university leavers, for example, as most owners of this type of item buy their first one by the time they have reached an average age of about 40 (but any time before that really, though not often later).
David Williams
Germany
Local time: 16:40
sell
Explanation:
The industry was able to sell its products to x% of...

or x% of x bought products from...
Selected response from:

mill2
Local time: 16:40
Grading comment
Many thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2to enthuse
Thayenga
3 +3inspired
Jeanie Eldon
3 +3sell
mill2
4 +1the branch persuaded 3% of the age group to buy their own (equipment)
British Diana
3 +1to get excited, age-group
akaishian
3 +1...generate so much interest that...
Johanna Timm, PhD
2to instill the desire to own a [product]
Thomas Pfann


Discussion entries: 17





  

Answers


25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
to enthuse


Explanation:
to fill a person with enthusiasm/ardor

Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 16:40
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  melindak
16 mins
  -> Thank you, melindak. :)

agree  robin25
16 hrs
  -> Thank you, Robin. :)
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25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
inspired


Explanation:
"According to a study by the Association of XYZ * , in the 80s the industry succeeded in inspiring 2.5 - 3% of each class year of its own (sports articles?)."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 26 mins (2010-01-14 15:19:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Is it Sportartikeln in brackets?

Jeanie Eldon
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:40
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: No, I have just replaced the name of the organisation and the actual item in question for reasons of confidentiality.

Asker: As I mentioned above, this has nothing to do with class years. @ TonyTK: I had the same problem, but you can certainly "inspire someone to buy".


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Helen Shiner: Whoops, just overlooked your answer and put the same thing - now deleted./Succeeded in inspiring them to buy ...
17 mins

neutral  TonyTK: "Inspiring ... of" doesn't sound right to me. Can you inspire somebody of something? Or have I misread your sentence?
23 mins

agree  philgoddard: Your suggested translation doesn't quite work, but this is a good word to use. "Inspired ... to buy"
2 hrs

agree  Kevser Oezcan
4 hrs
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29 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
sell


Explanation:
The industry was able to sell its products to x% of...

or x% of x bought products from...

mill2
Local time: 16:40
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Many thanks!
Notes to answerer
Asker: You're right, I think it's as simple as that. Thanks!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lancashireman: or even 'sold them on the idea of' // By adding the extra word, you appear to have 'set up an Aunt Sally to knock down yourself'.
47 mins
  -> sold them on the idea of buying...sounds a bit bulky to me//ah, so you meant: sold them on the idea of their products? hmm, okay, guess so.

agree  Ingeborg Gowans (X): w/ Andrew: I like: sold them on the idea of ...
1 hr
  -> see my note to Andrew...

neutral  philgoddard: I know this is what it basically means, but this is a bit of a colorless translation for begeistern.
1 hr
  -> you're right but none of the others sound right (to me anyway)

agree  TonyTK: with Andrew. "Begeistern" is often a tricky one, and none of the others work for me. "Enthuse" is a dead give-away that it's a translation ...
2 hrs
  -> enthuse certainly doesn't work, indeed!

neutral  Bernhard Sulzer: "selling" is what happened, but the phrase expresses "persuading/ getting people to buy" the stuff. Just my thoughts.
1 day 13 hrs
  -> I agree my suggestion is pared down
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41 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
to get excited, age-group


Explanation:
I think "jahrgang" means age-group here, given the limited context.

"In the 80ies xxx could exite xxx % of any age-group enought about xx so that they would purchase their own. " Or such

akaishian
Local time: 10:40
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  William Murphy: XXX age group(ing) would get excited about XXX
1 hr

neutral  mill2: your suggestion is not idiomatic English
15 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
für ein eigenes [Produkt] begeistern
to instill the desire to own a [product]


Explanation:
Something along these lines might work. In marketing lingo the phrase "to instill the/a desire to own" is often used.

The industry managed to instill a desire in 2.5-3% of each [Jahrgang] to own a [product XY]... / to own their own XY.

In 2.5-3% of each [Jahrgang] the industry succeded in instilling a desire to own...


Well, I'm not sure how this sounds to you as a native speaker - probably not very elegant. Just take it as another idea to build on.

Für "Jahrgang" könnte "age group" passen, auch wenn das etwas weiter gefasst ist.

Thomas Pfann
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:40
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 12
Notes to answerer
Asker: Yes, sounds good (sorry, hadn't read this before posting my second discussion entry) but I think age group is too wide, isn't it?

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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
the branch persuaded 3% of the age group to buy their own (equipment)


Explanation:
I agree that it is a question of getting these people to buy the stuff for themselves.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2010-01-14 16:15:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Thanks, Andrew, "Branch" is indeed not the right word, it should be "industry" I was concentrating too much on how to render the term "begeistern", sorry about that.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2010-01-14 16:33:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Well, David, with you it is kinda difficult to hit the "goldene Mitte" not too weak, not too strong....;-)

However, I must say that I think "begeistern" is actually pretty strong, because if the potential buyers had not been made enthusiastic about this sport somehow they wouldn't have bought their own equipment.
You could of course simply say "get the people to buy" as in my exploanation. Let's see if I get any peer support....

British Diana
Germany
Local time: 16:40
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: As I said above, persuaded sounds too strong/forceful/negative. This isn't anything like insurance policies or other products that make use of power-selling.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Bernhard Sulzer: agree with your explanation. If "persuaded" is too strong, maybe "motivated" or maybe "wowed". :)
1 day 12 hrs
  -> Thanks, Bernhard, altrhough I would draw the line at "wowed" ("Furchtbares Englisch");-)
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1 day 3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
...generate so much interest that...


Explanation:
...they managed to generate so much interest during the 1980s that 2.5-3% of each age-group decided to treat themselves/ buy/purchase /invest in their very own XXXX

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day3 hrs (2010-01-15 17:59:32 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://www.student-online.net/woerterbuch.shtml?q=begeistern...

Johanna Timm, PhD
Canada
Local time: 08:40
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 48

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Bernhard Sulzer: the long way home :)
10 hrs
  -> danke, Bernhard :))
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