Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

jemandem etwas voraus haben

English translation:

to be ahead of the competition

Added to glossary by Claire Cox
Feb 7, 2007 23:35
17 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term

jemandem etwas voraus haben

German to English Bus/Financial Idioms / Maxims / Sayings sales brochure
Can I just check that I've got the right sense for this final sentence of a brochure promoting energy systems for buildings.

"Es ist immer die Summe der Details, die gute Haustechnik zu herausragend guten Anlagen werden lassen. Und so gilt unser Streben nicht allein der Zufriedenheit unserer Kunden, bei ***** muss auch immer ein guter Schuss Begeisterung mit dabei sein. Bevor unsere Kunden nicht begeistert sind, sind wir nicht zufrieden.
**Und das haben wir vielen voraus**.

I've taken it to mean "That's why we're ahead of the game" - but it's not an expression I'm really familiar with.

Any thoughts/alternative suggestions very gratefully received....
Change log

Feb 7, 2007 23:39: Johanna Timm, PhD changed "Term asked" from "UND DAS HABEN WIR VIELEN VORAUS." to "jemandem etwas voraus haben"

Discussion

Claire Cox (asker) Feb 8, 2007:
Sorry, Cilian, it's far too late to be working (as ever!) and I must be getting tired. British audience, not sure about the target client. It seems to be a fairly general, quite waffly sales brochure promoting their attention to detail, innovative, forward-looking approach, etc, etc. No specific technical details. Here's the rest of this final page to give you some idea of the style:

ERFAHRUNG
Zukunft braucht Herkunft
25 Jahre Erfahrung in Forschung, Entwicklung und Ausbildung!
Ein Viertel Jahrhundert Systemlösungen und Produkte aus eigener
Fertigung!
Vertrauen, Perfektion und Erfahrung lassen sich nicht aus dem Boden
schlagen, auch nicht mit noch soviel Kapital!
Es bedarf einer starken Vision und einer hartnäckigen Verfolgung seiner
Ziele. **** hat nie versucht konventionelle Haustechnik anzubieten.
Von Anfang an sind bei uns zukunftsweisende Lösungen mit
einer hohen wirtschaftsethischen und umweltfreundlichen Orientierung
entstanden.
Denn: Was gut für den Einzelnen ist, darf nicht zu einer Belastung für
dessen Umgebung werden.

followed by the section I've already given.

So quite colloquial. Hope this helps....
Cilian O'Tuama Feb 7, 2007:
I don't wish to be awkward, but there are so many, many possibilities - can you narrow it down a bit? e.g. is it British English you're looking for? Is the target audience the Endverbraucher? How colloquial are their other statements? ...

Proposed translations

+5
9 mins
Selected

And that's why we're ahead of the [competition] others!

This is a competitive business, and being better than the competition is very important!!
Peer comment(s):

agree Maureen Millington-Brodie
4 mins
Thanks (-:
agree Cilian O'Tuama : one possibility :-)
7 mins
Thanks (-:
agree Ken Cox : or 'and that's where we stand out from the rest' (so close to your suggestion I'd be embarrassed to suggest it separately)
1 hr
Thanks (-:
agree Francis Lee (X) : or "puts us a step ahead ..."
12 hrs
Thanks (-:
agree Ingeborg Gowans (X)
12 hrs
Thanks (-:
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks Kathleen - I eventually stuck with my own wording (ahead of the game), but I appreciate the confirmation that I had the right sense"
24 mins
German term (edited): Und das haben wir vielen voraus.

And that's what makes us special.

Or maybe use "different" instead of special. If you do a quick check on the Web you'll find that both phrasings have actually been used in comparable documents.
Something went wrong...
33 mins

And we see/use it as our competitive edge

.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 44 mins (2007-02-08 00:19:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

more neutral: And our products are worth it/enjoy deserved attention
Something went wrong...
1 hr

And that's what separates us from the others

... eine weitere von vielen Möglichkeiten...
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

that helps us leave the competition/many competitors behind

or:
that helps us stay ahead of the competition/many competitors
that's how we leave the competition/many competitors behind

http://www.wipro.com/webpages/aboutus/talenttransform/busine... the competition behind
Something went wrong...
+1
8 hrs
German term (edited): Und das haben wir vielen voraus

And that is (exactly) what sets us apart from many other providers/companies

And that is (exactly) what makes us stand out from the crowd.

http://www.relodirect.com/why-relo.aspx
"RELO Direct® is committed to providing an unparalleled service experience to our clients and their relocating employees. We offer the support of an experienced and dedicated staff, focused technology solutions, and broad program options. What else ***sets us apart from*** other relocation companies?"

http://www.katatomic.co.uk/about_us.asp
"From emergence in 1999 the company has been delivering successful web developments to a diverse range of clients throughout the UK. ***What makes us stand out from the crowd*** is not just our enduring technical knowledge but the ability to help our clients understand the varied potential of the Internet and turn this knowledge to their competitive advantage."
Peer comment(s):

agree Diana Loos : I like the second suggestion better - it's snappier - or perhaps "And that's what sets us apart from the others" (the reader knows who is meant!)
1 hr
neutral Francis Lee (X) : Isn't your 2nd suggestion remarkably similar to Ken Cox's?
4 hrs
Something went wrong...
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