German translation: Etikette, Formalität, heikler Punkt
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English to German translations [PRO] Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
English term or phrase:punctilio
"The utmost in punctilio was observed as each side was retired scoreless for two innings." --Red Smith, Red Smith on Baseball
"His godmother, Mary Delany, however, while acknowledging Garret Wesley's musical talents, found him rather deficient in 'the punctilios of good breeding', and had consequently been much gratified when he announced that he was to marry Lady Louisa Augusta Lennox, daughter of the second Duke of Richmond." --Christopher Hibbert, Wellington: A Personal History
Explanation: Ref. Langenscheidt Handwörterbuch:
punctilio: 1. Punkt der Etikette, Feinheit
2. heikler oder kitzliger Punkt
punctilio of hono(u)r -> Ehrenpunkt
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr 5 mins (2004-08-24 20:56:40 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
sie erachtete ihn, was den delikaten Punkt der Fortpflanzung betrifft, eher als ziemlich unzureichend/ungenügend...
sie erachtete ihn in punkto (Ihre punctilios!)
zu 1. Ein Höchstmaß an Etikette blieb gewahrt, da jede Seite ....
Thank you for your qualified suggestion! I think "Etikette" captures the meaning of 'punctilios' the way it was used in the second sentence, in which it may have more to do with 'Erziehung' than 'Fortpflanzung'.
The term 'Etikette' could work in the first sentence as well, though I think 'Formalitäten' might work better. Again, thank you! 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
Punctilio comes from Obsolete Italian punctiglio, from Spanish puntillo, diminutive of punto, "point," from Latin punctum, from pungere, "to prick."
I'm more interested in the contextual meaning in the first sentence, though I'd also be interested in a suggestion for "the punctilios of good breeding" in the second sentence. Thanks for all of your help - I'd rather not check the other forums; the ProZ here are good enough (IMO). :-)
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Answers
24 mins confidence:
puntillo?
Explanation: This term may be a diluted form of the Spanish word "puntillo", which can mean touchniness or sore point (Ehrenpunkt, Empfindlichkeit p.ext. Langenscheidt Span-De Wörterbuch) or wunder Punkt. Maybe you may wish to check out the Spanish Kudoz section. As almost always, the full text allows a more accurate evaluation of the contextual meaning.
xxxFBrinkmann Local time: 14:23 Native speaker of: German
Explanation: Ref. Langenscheidt Handwörterbuch:
punctilio: 1. Punkt der Etikette, Feinheit
2. heikler oder kitzliger Punkt
punctilio of hono(u)r -> Ehrenpunkt
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr 5 mins (2004-08-24 20:56:40 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
sie erachtete ihn, was den delikaten Punkt der Fortpflanzung betrifft, eher als ziemlich unzureichend/ungenügend...
sie erachtete ihn in punkto (Ihre punctilios!)
zu 1. Ein Höchstmaß an Etikette blieb gewahrt, da jede Seite ....
optovision Germany Local time: 14:23 Native speaker of: German PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you for your qualified suggestion! I think "Etikette" captures the meaning of 'punctilios' the way it was used in the second sentence, in which it may have more to do with 'Erziehung' than 'Fortpflanzung'.
The term 'Etikette' could work in the first sentence as well, though I think 'Formalitäten' might work better. Again, thank you!
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +1
