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an etwas herumdoktern

English translation: tinker with/fiddle around

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:an etwas herumdoktern
English translation:tinker with/fiddle around
Entered by: Kim Metzger

01:37 Aug 22, 2007
German to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Slang
German term or phrase: an etwas herumdoktern
Nach dem "Columbia"-Absturz am 1. Februar 2003 hatte die US-Weltraumbehörde zweieinhalb Jahre an der Problematik beim Start herabfallender Schaumstoffteile herumdgedoktert und 1,4 Milliarden Dollar in die Verbesserung der Sicherheit investiert. Doch schon der erste Shuttle-Start nach dem "Columbia"-Unglück zeigte im Juli 2005, dass die Nasa-Ingenieure das Problem nicht in den Griff bekommen hatten - und das gilt bis heute.
Jianming Sun
Local time: 23:47
fiddled around
Explanation:
This might be strictly American English usage. Herumdoktern is to tinker with something - try to fix it.
Selected response from:

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 09:47
Grading comment
Thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +7fiddled around
Kim Metzger
4 -2to tamper/ an etwas herumdoktern: to meddle with sth. (UK standard)
Frauke Schroeder


  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +7
herumdgedoktert
fiddled around


Explanation:
This might be strictly American English usage. Herumdoktern is to tinker with something - try to fix it.

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 09:47
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
Grading comment
Thanks!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Trudy Peters: fiddled was my first thought, too, but maybe tinkered is a little less colloquial? // I knew that was coming :-) I thought of that, too, as soon as I hit the send button.
28 mins
  -> Isn't herumdoktern pretty colloquial?
agree  Dr. Fred Thomson: Either tinker or fiddle should work just fine
1 hr
agree  Lori Dendy-Molz: I'd go with 'tinker' here.
4 hrs
agree  Andrew Morgan: One more vote for "Tinker"
6 hrs
agree  Ken Cox: also 'tinker' -- expresses exactly the idea that they tried to fix the problem by making small changes without altering the basic concept/design
8 hrs
agree  Paul Cohen: with 'tinker'
8 hrs
agree  Julia Lipeles
10 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -2
herumgedoktert/herumdoktern
to tamper/ an etwas herumdoktern: to meddle with sth. (UK standard)


Explanation:
to tamper is probably the better version keeping is slightly more formal than to meddle with something (although herumdoktern is not exactly formal) - these are the UK versions

Frauke Schroeder
Local time: 16:47
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Andrew Morgan: Tamper has a very negative feel to it that isnt covered by "herumdoktern". The implication is that you dont really know what you are doing but might get it right, whereas "tamper" implicates a defintely erroneous act to me.
5 hrs
  -> he|rum|dok|tern [zu →Doktor] (ugs.): 1. auf dilettantische Weise zu heilen versuchen; di|let|tan|tisch : a) nicht fachmännisch; als Laie; b) (abwertend) stümperhaft; unzulänglich: der Bankräuber hat ... herumdoktern is negative
disagree  Ken Cox: from the Oxford dico: tamper (verb). Interfere with (something) in order to cause damage or make unauthorized alterations
7 hrs
  -> hm, yes, I agree, but accroding to the source text, the problem had not been improved
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