Dienen ohne bedient zu sein
English translation: Giving support without needing support
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| 12:54 Aug 2, 2011 |
| German to English translations [PRO] Marketing - Marketing / Market Research / Personal development course | |||||||
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|  Selected response from: Roger Matthews United Kingdom Local time: 14:23 | ||||||
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| Discussion entries: 6 | |
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Answers
7 mins confidence: 
serving not servile Explanation: service without servility to get things going...... |
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7 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1Serving without getting fed up Explanation: "Bedient sein" in the sense of "being fed up". I like the word play in the German source text. While my suggestion does not roll off the tongue as smoothly as the German version, I think it may just capture the meaning and word play. |
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Notes to answerer
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1 hr confidence:
Giving support without needing support Explanation: just another suggestion... |
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Grading comment
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2 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1How to assist without burn-out Explanation: This is an interesting translation problem! I would go with a more literal translation. My guess is that the intension of the 'bedient zu sein' is avoiding burnout, which is like 'getting fed up'. Serving without getting fed up, however, really plays towards restaurant service so I'd avoid that since it's secretarial. In fact, 'serving' for secretarial support is, to my mind, a bit old-fashioned. I think my suggestion comes closest to what the intended audience should get out of it |
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3 hrs confidence:
Supply support without suffering Explanation: not as snappy as the German, just my 2 cents... My first idea was: "Supporting the big cheeses without getting cheesed off." I think service(s) or support should be provided rather than given - Susan already pointed out that it's not about charity. I don't read "bedient sein" as servility - I think it either relates to somebody being either fed up with a situation or simply swamped with work / not really on top of things. Suffering might work for that. Alternatives: drowning in detail, being driven to distraction... Maybe somebody can come up with an image that works for both parts of the sentence. I played around unsuccessfully with swimming and sinking. |
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3 hrs confidence:
secretarial services with a smile Explanation: "secretarial services with a smile" http://tinyurl.com/3npxxld bedient sein (umgangssprachlich ) = überdrüssig sein jds/einer Sache (gen ) überdrüssig sein to be weary of sb/sth jds/einer Sache (gen ) überdrüssig werden to (grow) weary of sb/sth http://dictionary.reverso.net/german-english/überdrüssig It would be a good idea to express 'ohne bedient zu sein' as something positive: with a smile |
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3 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1Provide Support with a Smile Explanation: aid = support = help. Happiness sounds more positive than "without getting fed-up". Or "Provide Support with a Smile". |
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4 hrs confidence:
Be of service without having your hand held Explanation: Neds work, this just to make sense of the German. "Bedient sein" in the meaning of "being fed up" is so crude it could not remotely be intended. My idea for "sovereign" would be "selbstsicher", which is exactly what I would hope for as the"client". -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 11 hrs (2011-08-03 00:22:06 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- Honi soit qui mal thus puns (Lionel Trilling). |
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22 hrs confidence:
How to make the Customer feel like a Queen / King without you feeling like a serf ? Explanation: I know it is rather long. I am using the standard phrase "The Customer is King". -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 22 hrs (2011-08-03 11:47:01 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- The Customer IS King, but you DON'T have to be a serf ! thinking of variations... |
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2 days 3 hrs confidence:
serene service Explanation: why souvereign assistance is vital/so valuable |
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