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Wozu Abenteuer? Wenn\'s E-Mobilität Made by [Firma] gibt!\" (to US English)
English translation: Who needs adventure when you have e-mobility from xyz?
GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:
Wozu Abenteuer? Wenn\'s E-Mobilität Made by [Firma] gibt!\" (to US English)
English translation:
Who needs adventure when you have e-mobility from xyz?
21:16 Nov 27, 2017
The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2017-11-30 22:54:10 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
German to English translations [PRO] Marketing - Automotive / Cars & Trucks / E-mobility
German term or phrase:Wozu Abenteuer? Wenn\'s E-Mobilität Made by [Firma] gibt!\" (to US English)
"Wozu Abenteuer? Wenn's E-Mobilität Made by [Firma] gibt!"
This is from a marketing flyer that needs to be in US English. I haven't been stumped like this in a while. I can't quite make out the sense of this statement...
The "Wozu Abenteuer" part needs to be kept to two words if possible.
My best guess:
"Why Adventure? Because of e-mobility Made by [Company]!"
Abenteuer and adventure have the same Latin root. http://www.fremdwort.de/suchen/bedeutung/abenteuer Bei einem Abenteuer existieren Risiken und Gefahren, die den Verlauf spannend und den Ausgang ungewiss gestalten. In diesem Sinne gelten und galten Expeditionen ins Unbekannte zu allen Zeiten als Abenteuer.
I also don't know who the market could be. College students on the West Coast?
I wasn't offended; hope you weren't either. Definitely agree with your last sentence, although I can point you to a lot of ad fails in the States these days...
I didn't mention the Duden, but responded to the interpretations given in this thread. E.g., Lancashireman: "[...] does not have to be a risky affair [...] Otherwise, the client would have chosen another word to lead off on."
Then, they should have done so; it's being interpreted in the same way (negatively) by four Germans. The Duden (see below) does address the issue: "(auch abwertend) riskantes Unternehmen"
Also, EVs aren't more than a niche market everywhere, except for Norway and possibly NL. In both the States and Germany, their share isn't above 1%. Despite Tesla's lofty announcements, progress is slow--you'll end up with: "As always with this industry, much of the news was aspirational, and when examined closely the actual facts were unimpressive." https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenrwald/2017/10/04/electric-...
We agree on the most likely interpretation--reliability/tried and proven--but it makes little sense to tout this at present.
No offense intended. Yes, more context would have been very helpful and yes, 'made by' is beyond awkward, and as it stands, it doesn't communicate well at all. I'm just going by the phrase at face value and basing my views on long years in the advertising world, where sometimes inane lines actually had an impact.
adventure: 1. That which happens without design 2. A chance occurrence 3. A trial of one's chance; a venture or experiment 4. Chance of danger or loss; risk, jeopardy 5. A hazardous enterprise 6 A pecuniary venture, speculation
Thus all the 'subtleties' contained within Abenteuer are precisely mirrored by the English. Who needs to rephrase when you have confirmation from the Shorter OED? (BTW, I think the 'Shorter' element in the title is a joke - there are two volumes each of 1,000 pages plus.)
But this has a completely different meaning. The line's just really bad and it's not ironic. Add in the "made by" and it's a pretty odd statement. The context I was asking for: What does the company do? Is there something else that will give you a hint as to the meaning of the phrase?
Additionally, I did not say anything about translating "Abenteuer" as "risk" (Although something like this here was my first thought: "Why take the chance of missing your turn and wasting precious time, gas, and causing undue stress wondering if you're going to be late?" https://blvdcaraudio.com/video-navigation/ ).
It's a bit puzzling that three ENS seem to insist on "Abenteuer" incorporating the idea of "excitement," while 4(!) German native speakers seem to believe that this has nothing to do with it, don't you think? This tells me that the writer has already failed in his or her attempt to get a message across.
First of all - format is a flyer as per the question. You are absolutely right. Andrew's suggestion mirrors the ironic "adventure"... as in unknown but possibly tantalizing... so go for reliable - and maybe boring. But risk ? Agree again - where did that come from? That misses the point of the line entirely. It's about tried and true vs. unknown (which can be positive and negative) but the concept of risk destroys the line by dissecting it and taking it too literally. It's advertising, and that is known to make use of 'poetic' license. I don't think it's horrible German in that context. It's "augenzwinkernd' attention getting. Not the greatest line I've seen, but it does the trick.
Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Hi herbalchemist
15:05 Nov 28, 2017
We can assume just about anything. Andrew's suggestion perfectly reflects the German, inferring the risk aspect as well. Who needs adventure? = Why go out on a limb? We don't know: Why 'Wozu Abenteuer' needs be kept to two words What is being promoted/sold Who the target audience is Also good to know would be the format (website? brochure? app?).
I wouldn't rule out Definition 4. Why have a transportation fling when... doesn't make less sense than the other suggestions.
Can we assume that this was written for the US market and is not being regifted?
Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Abenteuer = Risk
13:58 Nov 28, 2017
Is a viable possibility. That we must repeatedly ask for context is nearly as embarrassing as the source text and (asker's) attempted translation. Pity. Kudoz used to be fun.
Fifth, Brigitte and Klaus have a point, IMO, because the typical German collocation is "Abenteuer eingehen" = taking (unnecessary) risk. Now you have three Germans interpreting this statement in the same way. While what Lancashireman says about "good advertising practice" is true, it is not uncommon for German-based companies to say: Hey, why do you want to risk trying out something that may not even work? Choose us and get proven and reliable technology or something. In this sense: Wozu Abenteuer = Keine Experimente.
First, this is horrible German. Even if you're willing to give people more leeway in advertising in regard to punctuation and what not, the person who wrote this should be chased around town by an angry mob carrying pitchforks.
Second, Lancashireman is right that "made by" should be omitted--unless we're talking specifically about a manufacturer.
Third, I agree with Phil and Ramey about "mobility." You can find it: "Electromobility, or e-mobility, is a word that has been coined to mean clean and environmentally friendly electric vehicle transportation." https://www.anl.gov/sites/anl.gov/files/es_ev-smartgrid-ctrs...
Fourth, I also agree with Phil that this should be more specific. Is this a rental company? It may be as simple as "EVs."
[...]
Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Short form
13:27 Nov 28, 2017
Who needs adventure? Safe (driving) and secure (investment) with xyz electric mobility. I agree with Phil, that e-mobility is a German coinage and not all that common in the States.
You stated below that you would translate 'Abenteuer' as 'risks'. This not only casually discards the client's choice of lead concept but also adds a negative, downbeat tone to the text, thereby running counter to good advertising practice.
Please read the definition provided by Duden: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Abenteuer In my opinion, in the sentence in question, definition 3 (riskantes Unternehmen) is the appropriate one. This is not about an exciting adventure, this is about a company offering e-mobility which the customer can trust and rely upon (i.e. it does not involve any risk).
Where does this come from? The source text clearly states 'Abenteuer' (indeterminate singular or plural). 'Risks' could refer to the investment as opposed to journeys into the unknown. An 'adventure' in a vehicle does not have to be a risky affair. Abenteuer > adventure. Otherwise, the client would have chosen another word to lead off on.
Thank you guys. I know I included too much information in the header. I should have called it "Wozu..? Wenn..." And I know my translation is faulty, otherwise I wouldn't ask :)
Next time, just enter only the term you need help with in the header. The rest is context. But your translation of the second part is faulty. Wenn's xx gibt - when you have xx or something similar.
Daniel Arnold (X)
Australia
21:20 Nov 27, 2017
If you're happy with three words I'd offer "Why venture far"..... which pretty much is what the "Wozu Abenteuer" means. It's not really about adventures.
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Answers
11 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +8
Who needs adventure when you have e-mobility from xyz?
Explanation: OR for the US market: Who needs adventure, pardners, when y'all have e-mobility from xyz? Yeehah!
I would not go down the 'made by' route, as this is EN used for special effect by the German copywriter.
Lancashireman United Kingdom Local time: 01:18 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 395
Grading comment
Thank you for the help, couldn't have done it without you!