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coordinating

English translation: efforts to coordinate


11:39 Feb 16, 2003
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English to English translations [PRO]
English term or phrase: coordinating
So let your coordinating efforts be directed towards tax cuts for businesses, reform of the labour market, and reform of our social security systems.

This is part of a speech delivered by a MEP. The last person he addressed directly was Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission, hence the "your" could refer to him. Now, I don't know whether to read "coordinating" as a noun (and then it'd mean efforts to ensure coordination) or as an adjective (and then it'd mean coordinated efforts). First one would make more sense, right?
Rubén de la Fuente
Local time: 22:21
English translation:efforts to coordinate
Explanation:
I don´t know if it´s a noun or a bird or a synechdoche, but I understand this as being equivalent to "direct your efforts to coordinate...", which is pretty much your first version, "efforts to ensure coordination".
Selected response from:

Chris Rowson
Local time: 22:21
Grading comment
a bird, a plane... thanks indeed
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +6efforts to coordinateChris Rowson
5 +2a present participle used as a noun modifierFuad Yahya
4 +1commentsKardi Kho
4 +1It's a gerund
Arthur Borges
5NounAntonio Camangi
3all / combined
jerrie


  

Answers


30 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Noun


Explanation:
In the context coordinationg is a noun.

Antonio Camangi
Local time: 22:21
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in pair: 3
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35 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
all / combined


Explanation:
So / therefore direct all your efforts towards ....

Direct your combined efforts towards...

Pull all your efforts together towards...

Is my understanding
hth

jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:21
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 773
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +6
efforts to coordinate


Explanation:
I don´t know if it´s a noun or a bird or a synechdoche, but I understand this as being equivalent to "direct your efforts to coordinate...", which is pretty much your first version, "efforts to ensure coordination".

Chris Rowson
Local time: 22:21
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 243
Grading comment
a bird, a plane... thanks indeed

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: Hear, hear! --- "coordination efforts" --- as CR says, your FIRST idea works best to my ears
15 mins
agree  Arthur Borges: This is indeed the meaning of "coordinating efforts."
22 mins
agree  Kardi Kho: absolutely agree. it's the meaning that matters.
52 mins
agree  Teresa Goscinska
1 hr
agree  Lucy Phillips
3 hrs
agree  Christopher Crockett: Could be a bird, I suppose, but the meaning is clear, nonetheless.
1 day3 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
It's a gerund


Explanation:
Looks like a verb, works like a noun.

FROM: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/gerund.htm

Recognize a gerund when you see one.

Every gerund, without exception, ends in -ing. Gerunds are not, however, all that easy to pick out. The problem is that all present participles also end in -ing. What is the difference?
Gerunds function as nouns. Thus, gerunds will be subjects, subject complements, direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions. Present participles, on the other hand, complete progressive verbs or act as modifiers. Read these examples:

Since Francisco was five years old, swimming has been his passion.
Swimming = subject of the verb has been

Francisco's first love is swimming.

Swimming = subject complement of the verb is

Francisco enjoys swimming more than spending time with his girlfriend Diana.

Swimming = direct object of the verb enjoys

Francisco gives swimming all of his energy and time.

Swimming = indirect object of the verb gives

When Franciso wore dive fins to class, everyone knew that he was devoted to swimming.

Swimming = object of the preposition to

One day last summer, Francisco and his coach were swimming at Daytona Beach.

Swimming = present participle completing the past progressive verb were swimming

A great white shark ate Franciso's swimming coach.

Swimming = present participle modifying coach

Now Francisco only practices in swimming pools.

Swimming = present participle modifying pools



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Note added at 2003-02-16 13:07:36 (GMT)
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Lastly, your author might have written \"coordination efforts\" if s/he only knew the translation problems this form generates for translators of many languages. :-)

Arthur Borges
PRO pts in pair: 23

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Christopher Crockett: Neither Fish nor Foul, Adjective nor Noun. Gerund it is, that's for sure, acting here as a modifier, as K notes below.
1 day2 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
comments


Explanation:
Ruben, actually you can't use the word 'coordinating' as an adjective here because when present participles (-ing forms) are used like adjectives, they have similar meanings to active verbs.

a waiting train: a train that is waiting
a sleeping child: a child that is sleeping
working women: women who works
coordinating efforts: efforts that are coordinating(??)

About your second idea, coordinated efforts, the word 'coordinated' is indeed used as an adjective and the meaning is efforts that are coordinated (past participles have meanings similar to passive verbs). As the phrase here is 'coordinatING efforts, not 'coordinatED efforts; which are two different things, I'm afraid that your second idea is not a possible option here.

In your context, 'coordinating' is a gerund (noun-like -ing form) and it is used as a modifier to the noun 'efforts'. While present participles have meanings similar to active verbs, gerunds that used as modifiers have meanings that usually can be described in other ways using the word 'for'.

a waiting room: a room for waiting
a swimming pool: a pool for swimming
working conditions: conditions for working.
coordinating efforts: efforts for coordinating

So I think here you've got only one possible meaning, which is 'efforts to coordinate' (as suggested by Chris). According to Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, when there's a noun which has a similar meaning to an -ing form, it's better to use the noun. And I'm sure coordination effort, as suggested by Arthur, will clears up all the confusion here.

HTH

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Note added at 2003-02-17 00:02:35 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

typo
clear for clears


    Practical English Usage, Michael Swan
Kardi Kho
Indonesia
Local time: 04:21
Native speaker of: Native in IndonesianIndonesian
PRO pts in pair: 35

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Christopher Crockett: A very good explanation of something which shouldn't be as complicated as it is --but then, it's a Rubén Question...
1 day1 hr
  -> glad to have your agree, Christopher. Thank you.
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
a present participle used as a noun modifier


Explanation:
"Coordinating" is the present participle of "coordinate." That goes without saying.

It is used here as a noun, but this noun itself is used as a modifier of another noun, "efforts."

If "coordinating" modifies a noun, why do we than not call it an adjective?

To explain the concept, let me for a moment introduce the phrase "walking stick." The word "walking" certainly modifies "stick," but is it a noun or an adjective? If it were an adjective, it would mean that the stick itself does the walking, which is not the intended meaning. The intended meaning is that the stick is to aid walking.

another example: Think of the difference between a safe procedure and a safety procedure. In both constructions, the word "procedure" is modified, but the modifiers function differently. A safe procedure is one that is of relatively low risk. A safety procedure is one that is for the purpose of ensuring safety.

Likewise, If we think of coordinating efforts as efforts for the purpose of coodinating, which is the intended maning, then the word "coordinating" is a noun modifier. If, on the other hand, we think of the efforts themselves as performing an activity called "coordinating," which would be an odd meaning, then the word would be an adjective.

I know this is hair-splitting, but you asked for it.


Fuad

Fuad Yahya
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 893

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Kardi Kho: a very good point, and nice explanation, too.
3 hrs
agree  Christopher Crockett: Rubén has an endless supply of hairs which need splitting.
19 hrs
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