This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
doppeltes
Teamfindungstag

Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

das Rennen machen

English translation:

(will be) the team to beat

Added to glossary by jccantrell
Jan 20, 2016 22:08
8 yrs ago
2 viewers *
German term

das Rennen machen

German to English Social Sciences Sports / Fitness / Recreation
Hi folks.

Translating an internal newsletter for a company and they are talking about their company running club. They entered into a 24-hour event and comes this:

Gleich zu Beginn war klar: Das Team der Polizei Baden-Württemberg wird wie in den vergangenen Jahren das Rennen machen.

Are they saying that the police team was the "one to beat?" If not, what are they saying?

Thanks.
Proposed translations (English)
4 +3 (will be) the team to beat
5 +4 will be the winning team
3 +3 (BrE) will be making (all) the running
3 +2 walk away as winners

Discussion

Ramey Rieger (X) Jan 21, 2016:
Adrian Phil has not made the suggestion, so entering a peer comment is not possible. I know the rules quite well, thank you.
Adrian MM. (X) Jan 21, 2016:
Ramey: NB ProZ site rule 3.2 de novo The asker is in the US, but still hasn' t confirmed the target-readership_ the US or UK

3.2 The only acceptable means of commenting on another's answer is by using the peer comment feature. Using the discussion area, the answer posting form or the answer explanation box to comment on another's suggestions is not allowed.
Ramey Rieger (X) Jan 21, 2016:
set the pace as Phil suggested, sounds much more smooth and works in both BE & AE English

Proposed translations

+3
33 mins
German term (edited): (werden) das Rennen machen
Selected

(will be) the team to beat

as in, they're hot favourites, expected to win unless someone can outdo them...

I agree with your own interpretation, jc.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 37 mins (2016-01-20 22:46:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

IOW: They will have a huge say in the outcome of the event (but mightn't necessarily win it).

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 days3 hrs (2016-01-24 01:36:35 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Post-grading:
I'm not so sure you opted for the right answer, jc.
Although I'm certain I've heard "sie werden das Rennen machen" intended as "nur über sie wird das Rennen entschieden", the "actual" meaning does appear to be "sie werden das Rennen für sich entscheiden/gewinnen" (but did our author use the term correctly in the first place?).
Feel free to regrade/redistribute the points and edit the glossary.
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard : "Setting the pace" is another possibility.
27 mins
Post that as an answer, and I'll agree. //(New comments might interest you.)
disagree Michael Martin, MA : Needs to be even more confident than this. "Setting the pace" would be worse, IMO
6 hrs
Indeed, I learnt something new, didn't realise it is restricted to winning (when used correctly). You're right.
agree writeaway
6 hrs
agree Julia Burgess
10 hrs
agree Kristina Cosumano (X)
1 day 11 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks to everyone on this. I had never come across the term before but I do the technical stuff for this company so I guess they thought a translator is a translator is a translator :) These were all good suggestions but I went with this one because it fit with the tone of the article. Thanks again to everyone!"
+3
11 mins

(BrE) will be making (all) the running

a pun both in German and (British) English, meaning to work hard and set the standard.

Perhaps the expression doesn't travel well across the 'Pond', to wit: Transatlantically.
Reference:

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/make-all-the-running

Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard : Funny, I thought this was American too, but it looks like it's not. You learn something new every day.
49 mins
Thanks. Yes, quite odd.
agree writeaway : Pons: [mit etw dat] das Rennen machen fam to make the running [with sth] die Konkurrenz macht wieder mal das Rennen the competition is making the running again
7 hrs
Yes thx, but query for the US.
agree BrigitteHilgner : http://www.dict.cc/?s=make the running
9 hrs
Danke. Vielleicht ist doch nicht in der USA naheliegend...
Something went wrong...
+4
20 mins

will be the winning team

"das Rennen machen" simply means "to win" (a race or competition, NOT in the lottery).
PONS suggests "to make the running" and "to bring home the bacon".

HTH
Reference:

http://en.pons.com/translate?q=das+rennen+machen&l=deen&in=&lf=de&cid=

Peer comment(s):
agree Cilian O'Tuama : Disagree with this interpretation. IMO they're merely expected to be the toughest opponent if anyone else has hopes of winning the competition. Sie werden das R machen. To have a chance of winning, you must be capable of beating them. //Change to agree
35 mins
Hi Cilian, it's not an interpretation. You might have noticed that I'm a native speaker. I use it myself quite regularly. Thanks to everyone else.
neutral philgoddard : If this were the case, it would be a pretty arrogant thing to say.
42 mins
Not if they were the strongest team and this became clear from the outset. That's what the German article implies.
agree Michael Martin, MA : Arrogant or not, that's exactly what it means.The objections are misguided, in my opinion.
5 hrs
agree Alice Bergfeld : This is exactly what it means: to win. Nothing else is implied.
9 hrs
agree barbarameyer : http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Rennen : das Rennen machen (umgangssprachlich: bei einem Wettbewerb, einem Vergleich o. Ä. am erfolgreichsten sein, gewinnen)
15 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
6 hrs

walk away as winners

There's no question about the meaning (https://www.google.de/#q=das Rennen machen bedeutung) but we also might want to use something that is as idiomatic as the German

Example:
"But this time, the Blue Devils were determined to flip the script and walk away as winners.." http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2015/10/duke-volleyball...
Peer comment(s):
agree barbarameyer : http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Rennen : das Rennen machen (umgangssprachlich: bei einem Wettbewerb, einem Vergleich o. Ä. am erfolgreichsten sein, gewinnen)
9 hrs
Thanks, Barbara!
neutral Cilian O'Tuama : (Seeing as we translators are in the hair-splitting business) A possible scenario where this could also be said of a non-winner: dark horse, commendable performance, surpassed expectations, put up a great fight but didn't win. I agree otherwise.
2 days 21 hrs
agree Paul Cohen : A somewhat belated agree (better late than never). In retrospect, you're the "moralischer Gewinner" here.
16 days
Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search