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engage

English translation: focus on or put your energy into


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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:engage
English translation:focus on or put your energy into
Entered by: Stephanie Ezrol
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15:15 Dec 19, 2011
English to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Other
English term or phrase: engage
the meaning here is it "to use" or "to practice"?

Engage your ability to package ideas and present them in a turnkey way, not an abstract one.
ionutzavram
focus on or put your energy into
Explanation:
There is an important difference in meaning in engage rather than use or practice.

Engage calls on the mechanical sense of the meaning like to engage a gear. If you are engaged in a project, you are strongly focused on that work to the exclusion of other work; or perhaps even a better said you are engaged in a approach to some kind of work or activity to the exclusion of other approaches or ways of doing it.

Selected response from:

Stephanie Ezrol
United States
Local time: 22:08
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4focus on or put your energy into
Stephanie Ezrol
5 +1Use
Ty Kendall


  

Answers


51 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
focus on or put your energy into


Explanation:
There is an important difference in meaning in engage rather than use or practice.

Engage calls on the mechanical sense of the meaning like to engage a gear. If you are engaged in a project, you are strongly focused on that work to the exclusion of other work; or perhaps even a better said you are engaged in a approach to some kind of work or activity to the exclusion of other approaches or ways of doing it.



Stephanie Ezrol
United States
Local time: 22:08
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 60
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tina Vonhof
2 mins
  -> Thanks Tina !

agree  eski
34 mins
  -> Thanks eski !

agree  NancyLynn
2 hrs
  -> Thanks NancyLynn !

agree  Phong Le
1 day7 hrs
  -> Thanks Phong Le !
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Use


Explanation:
No question about it.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2011-12-19 19:08:30 GMT)
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en·gage (n-gj)
v. en·gaged, en·gag·ing, en·gag·es
v.tr.
1. To obtain or contract for the services of; employ: engage a carpenter.
2. To arrange for the use of; reserve: engage a room. See Synonyms at book.
3. To pledge or promise, especially to marry.
4. To attract and hold the attention of; engross: a hobby that engaged her for hours at a time.
5. To win over or attract: His smile engages everyone he meets.
6. To draw into; involve: engage a shy person in conversation.
7. To require the use of; occupy: Studying engages most of my time.
8. To enter or bring into conflict with: We have engaged the enemy.
9. To interlock or cause to interlock; mesh: engage the automobile's clutch.
10. To give or take as security.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/engage

I think in the above context, any of the definitions which include "use" above (1,2 & 7) - especially 2 & 7 - more accurately point to the meaning of "engage" here.

Colloquially, in this context - it just means "use" as in the oft quoted phrase:
"Engage your brain before you open your mouth".

Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:08
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Katalin Horvath McClure: I think when it is together with "your ability", it is indeed "use", or "take advantage of", or if we want to use some management buzzwords, "leverage".
8 days
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Changes made by editors
Jan 3 - Changes made by Stephanie Ezrol:
Created KOG entryKudoZ term => KOG term


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