Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
sich überlegen
English translation:
figure out
Added to glossary by
Orla Shanaghy
Jun 26, 2007 11:28
16 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term
sich überlegen
German to English
Science
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Context: student exercises in documentation for a training course in systems engineering. The source sentence is an instruction to the students: "Überlegen Sie sich die notwendigen Systembausteine, um X zu erzielen." I don't think "Think about ..." or "Consider..." is right here. It's referring more to the result than the process, e.g. "Come up with / create / think up..." - but these all seem too informal to actually use. Anyone any ideas?
TIA
Orla
TIA
Orla
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +4 | figure out |
Nicole Schnell
|
| 3 +6 | determine |
Jim Tucker (X)
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| 4 | contemplate |
Stephen Sadie
|
| 2 +2 | carefully consider |
Jonathan MacKerron
|
| 3 +1 | devise |
Francis Lee (X)
|
| 3 | plan, compile |
Anne Schulz
|
| 3 | find |
Max Masutin
|
Change log
Jun 27, 2007 09:04: Steffen Walter changed "Field" from "Other" to "Science"
Proposed translations
+4
5 mins
Nicole Schnell
United States
United States
Native in German
Specializes in field
United States
Award winning Advertising/Marketing
Native in: German 
Works in: English to German, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
64
Selected
figure out
Is what I would say here.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Francis Lee (X)
: Nail on the head!
1 min
|
|
Thanks, Frank!
|
|
| agree |
Sandra SAYN (X)
4 mins
|
|
Thanks, Sandra!
|
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| agree |
Jim Tucker (X)
: // Ah I see thanks. Asker should probably not be looking for something more classical then. //Still seems to me that "sich überlegen" is more formal than "figure out" by at least two notches.
8 mins
|
|
It was the highly informal German term "Überlegen Sie sich" that made me choose this particular term. Thanks, Jim!/Thanks, Jim! Please have a great Tuesday!/I agree, look at all the great suggestions coming in!
|
|
| agree |
Ken Cox
: For a nice, friendly tone...
48 mins
|
|
Thank you, Ken!
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks Nicole, this hit it on the head! Thanks also to everyone else for the great suggestions."
6 mins
Stephen Sadie
Germany
Germany
Native in English
Germany
Practical business experience, reliable
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, English to German
Related KudoZ points
:
56
contemplate
or give some thought
8 mins
plan, compile
may work for your text
+2
8 mins
Jonathan MacKerron
Native in English
Retired as of Jan 2019!
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
63
carefully consider
yet another
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Note added at 11 mins (2007-06-26 11:40:00 GMT)
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"think about" - a generic approach
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Note added at 14 mins (2007-06-26 11:43:09 GMT)
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put your heads together
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Note added at 11 mins (2007-06-26 11:40:00 GMT)
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"think about" - a generic approach
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2007-06-26 11:43:09 GMT)
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put your heads together
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Rebecca Garber
: For a slightly less formal tone than Jim Tucker's.
3 hrs
|
| agree |
erika rubinstein
: think about
6 hrs
|
+1
15 mins
devise
I was stuck for a while, but then this occured to me.
- Your task is to devise ...
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Note added at 15 mins (2007-06-26 11:44:30 GMT)
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And your own "Come up with" is fine IMO.
- Your task is to devise ...
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Note added at 15 mins (2007-06-26 11:44:30 GMT)
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And your own "Come up with" is fine IMO.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Jim Tucker (X)
: yes agree devise is probably the best - "come up with" might not be formal enough.
2 mins
|
27 mins
Max Masutin
Ukraine
Ukraine
Native in English
Ukraine
Years in Software & Automotive
Native in: English 
, Russian
Works in: English to Russian, English to Ukrainian, German to Russian, and 4 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
find
establish, obtain
+6
9 mins
determine
originally used for math problems ( Determine a value of x such that), but applicable here.
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-06-26 12:33:25 GMT)
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"design" for the more practical technology
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-06-26 12:33:25 GMT)
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"design" for the more practical technology
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Courtney Sliwinski
: This sounds more formal, and I think suits your purposes.
11 mins
|
| agree |
Maudarg (X)
: Agree with Courtney
19 mins
|
| agree |
BrigitteHilgner
: Good suggestion, I think.
31 mins
|
| agree |
Ken Cox
: Entirely consistent with my experience, if the asker wants to maintain a relatively formal tone.
43 mins
|
| agree |
Rebecca Garber
: Determine the components you need to solve the problem. step 1.
3 hrs
|
| agree |
Nadine Kahn
21 hrs
|
Discussion