Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
Ethik tut Not?
English translation:
Is/ Are ethics necessary?/ Do we need ethics?
Added to glossary by
David Hollywood
Dec 6, 2004 20:03
19 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term
Ethik tut Not?
German to English
Art/Literary
Philosophy
Wenn Ethik verloren geht, dann ist alles erlaubt. Deshalb: Ethik tut Not? ist keine Frage sondern eine permanente Aufgabe, der wir uns alle stellen müssen.
What exactly does "Not tun" mean in German? TIA.
What exactly does "Not tun" mean in German? TIA.
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
13 mins
Selected
Are ethics necessary?/ Do we need ethics?
"not tun" means "to be necessary"
ist ja noch eine Weile, aber Frühjahrsputz tut not. ... its quite a while, but spring
cleaning is necessary. ...
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Note added at 16 mins (2004-12-06 20:19:19 GMT)
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I would put \"Are ethics necessary?\" like this and say something like.... Consequently: \"Are ethics necessary?\" is not an issue/ question but an ongoing obligation/ task etc
Good luck :)
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Note added at 16 mins (2004-12-06 20:19:46 GMT)
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and \"Not tun\" of course :)
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Note added at 1 hr 31 mins (2004-12-06 21:34:16 GMT)
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and \"Not tun\" of course not .... just checked with the \"Dudenstilwörterbuch\" to be sure and it\'s definitely \"not\" as in \"etwas ist/tut not\" (i.e. etwas ist nötig/ erforderlich) but I will will still go with my rendering :)
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Note added at 1 hr 33 mins (2004-12-06 21:37:08 GMT)
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this is certainly among the the most interesting questions we\'ve had for a while :)
ist ja noch eine Weile, aber Frühjahrsputz tut not. ... its quite a while, but spring
cleaning is necessary. ...
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Note added at 16 mins (2004-12-06 20:19:19 GMT)
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I would put \"Are ethics necessary?\" like this and say something like.... Consequently: \"Are ethics necessary?\" is not an issue/ question but an ongoing obligation/ task etc
Good luck :)
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Note added at 16 mins (2004-12-06 20:19:46 GMT)
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and \"Not tun\" of course :)
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Note added at 1 hr 31 mins (2004-12-06 21:34:16 GMT)
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and \"Not tun\" of course not .... just checked with the \"Dudenstilwörterbuch\" to be sure and it\'s definitely \"not\" as in \"etwas ist/tut not\" (i.e. etwas ist nötig/ erforderlich) but I will will still go with my rendering :)
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Note added at 1 hr 33 mins (2004-12-06 21:37:08 GMT)
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this is certainly among the the most interesting questions we\'ve had for a while :)
Peer comment(s):
disagree |
Marnen Laibow-Koser
: "Ethics" is singular.
5 hrs
|
I very much doubt that my dear :)
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agree |
Francis Lee (X)
: for what its worth; my ethics is (oooouuuuuch!!!!!) not to be doubted
12 hrs
|
can be used with a singular according to Random House but do you really want to go there?
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions."
-1
9 mins
ethics are important / necessary
"Tut Not" means "ist notwendig", "muss sein", "ist wichtig"
44 mins
‘the need for ethics’
‘the need for ethics’ is not the title of a debate but a constant challenge to which we must all respond
just trying to find a way to keep the same phrase as question and statement, as in the original
maybe '...not a matter for debate but...'
just trying to find a way to keep the same phrase as question and statement, as in the original
maybe '...not a matter for debate but...'
-1
51 mins
Ethics are a must?
I would humbly suggest here this version and point out that the question would look better if it stands alone as an argument as well. The German sentence has this, both "Ethik tut Not?" as question and "Ethik tut Not." as an argument are correct in syntax and I infer that the style of the sentence would require it this way.
Peer comment(s):
disagree |
Marnen Laibow-Koser
: Not really, at least to me. As a native speaker, I would be willing to write "'Do we need ethics?' is not merely a question but a constant ***".
4 hrs
|
you're right about the singular use, unless it's about a profession (which doesn't seem to be the case here) even in that case singular can be used as well.
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-1
1 hr
ehtics are mandatory
(without ethics life would not be civil) would it?
Peer comment(s):
disagree |
Marnen Laibow-Koser
: "Mandatory" is perhaps the wrong shade here. Also, "ethics" is as much a singular noun as "mathematics".
4 hrs
|
23 mins
ethics in jeopardy?
If we don’t have ethics, anything goes. Therefore: Are our ethics in jeopardy? This should not be a question but rather a constant appeal.
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Note added at 1 hr 17 mins (2004-12-06 21:20:47 GMT)
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BTW, the phrase \'...tut Not!\' used today in different variations originally dates back to the novel \'Seefahrt tut Not!\' written by Gorch Fock in 1913; Just google for \"tut Not!\"
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Note added at 1 hr 17 mins (2004-12-06 21:20:47 GMT)
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BTW, the phrase \'...tut Not!\' used today in different variations originally dates back to the novel \'Seefahrt tut Not!\' written by Gorch Fock in 1913; Just google for \"tut Not!\"
1 hr
Does ethics oblige?
"Does ethics oblige?" is no question but a permanent task, which we shall/must put upon all of us.
Also, lieber, daß Ethik not tut, als, daß sie weh tut.
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Note added at 1 hr 43 mins (2004-12-06 21:46:48 GMT)
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\"Aufgabe\" can be translated as \"duty.\"
But I prefer \"task\" in this context with the same reason as Walter Benjamin\'s \"Die Aufgabe des Übersetzers\" is translated as \"The Task of the Translator.\"
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Note added at 1 hr 59 mins (2004-12-06 22:02:45 GMT)
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Eigentlich wollte ich sagen: Lieber, daß Ethik not tut, als, daß wir uns ohne sie gegenseitig weh tut. Dann ist es völlig in dem Sinn des befragten Satzes.
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Note added at 2 hrs 44 mins (2004-12-06 22:48:07 GMT)
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Ach, Quatsch!
Manchmal rede ich wie der Salvatore in \"Der Name der Rose\".
Was ich meine ist eigentlich das Folgende:
Lieber, daß Ethik not tut, als, daß wir uns ohne sie weh gegenseitig tun.
Oder, lieber, daß Ethik not tut, als, daß es uns ohne sie weh tut.
Also, lieber, daß Ethik not tut, als, daß sie weh tut.
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Note added at 1 hr 43 mins (2004-12-06 21:46:48 GMT)
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\"Aufgabe\" can be translated as \"duty.\"
But I prefer \"task\" in this context with the same reason as Walter Benjamin\'s \"Die Aufgabe des Übersetzers\" is translated as \"The Task of the Translator.\"
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Note added at 1 hr 59 mins (2004-12-06 22:02:45 GMT)
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Eigentlich wollte ich sagen: Lieber, daß Ethik not tut, als, daß wir uns ohne sie gegenseitig weh tut. Dann ist es völlig in dem Sinn des befragten Satzes.
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Note added at 2 hrs 44 mins (2004-12-06 22:48:07 GMT)
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Ach, Quatsch!
Manchmal rede ich wie der Salvatore in \"Der Name der Rose\".
Was ich meine ist eigentlich das Folgende:
Lieber, daß Ethik not tut, als, daß wir uns ohne sie weh gegenseitig tun.
Oder, lieber, daß Ethik not tut, als, daß es uns ohne sie weh tut.
+1
5 hrs
Do we need ethics?
Or "is (not "are"!) ethics necessary?", but I think "do we need ethics?" fits better into the syntax here.
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Note added at 8 hrs 22 mins (2004-12-07 04:25:51 GMT)
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Regarding the grammatical number of \"ethics\", see http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/e/e0227900.html (from the American Heritage Dictionary).
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Note added at 8 hrs 22 mins (2004-12-07 04:25:51 GMT)
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Regarding the grammatical number of \"ethics\", see http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/e/e0227900.html (from the American Heritage Dictionary).
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Wenjer Leuschel (X)
: Do we need ethics? It is out of question and ethics is surely singular.
5 hrs
|
Discussion