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falsche Weichen stellen

English translation: creating dead-end solutions

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

German term or phrase:	falsche Weichen stellen
English translation:	creating dead-end solutions
Entered by:	Hilary Davies Shelby

Options:
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05:41 Jan 10, 2006

German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Advertising / Public Relations / idiom

German term or phrase: falsche Weichen stellen

Hello all!

This is from an IT service provider's website:

"Unser Angebot zielt darauf, möglichst schnell Systeme einführen zu können, ohne dabei falsche Weichen zu stellen und sich weitere Optimierungschancen zu verbauen."

The client and I have discussed "going off on tangents" and "setting the wrong course", but have otherwise drawn a blank. Anyone feeling creative this morning? ;-)

Many thanks for all suggestions!

Hilary Davies Shelby KudoZ activity Questions: 558 (8 open) (5 without valid answers) (31 closed without grading) Answers: 527
Local time: 07:04

creating dead-end solutions

Explanation:
Suggestion.

Selected response from:

Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 05:04

Grading comment

Hello all, many thanks for all the suggestions! The client has chosen this one.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +4

to set the wrong course

Steffen Walter

3 +3

making inappropriate decisions

Ken Cox

heading in the wrong direction

David Moore

taking any unnecessary detours

Lori Dendy-Molz

laying the wrong foundations

xxxFrancis Lee

without sidetracking

becktrad

creating dead-end solutions

Nicole Schnell

initiate wrong courses

Anne-Barbara Stege

laying wrong tracks

Wenjer Leuschel

Discussion entries: 4

Answers

16 mins confidence:

creating dead-end solutions

Explanation:
Suggestion.

Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 05:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

German
PRO pts in category: 84

Grading comment

Hello all, many thanks for all the suggestions! The client has chosen this one.

9 mins confidence:

laying wrong tracks

Explanation:
I would say, "without laying wrong tracks by doing so."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 28 mins (2006-01-10 06:09:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

... without laying wrong tracks by doing so and thus having further possibilities of optimization spoiled.

Wenjer Leuschel
Taiwan
Local time: 20:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Chinese

1 hr confidence:

initiate wrong courses

Explanation:
noch eine Möglichkeit vielleicht?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 42 mins (2006-01-10 07:23:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

initiating !!! - sorry

Anne-Barbara Stege
Local time: 14:04
Native speaker of:

German

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

to set the wrong course

Explanation:
seems perfectly acceptable to me (see above)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs 5 mins (2006-01-10 07:46:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

to take the wrong route

Steffen Walter
Germany
Local time: 14:04
Works in field
Native speaker of:

German
PRO pts in category: 73

2 hrs confidence:

without sidetracking

Explanation:
Webster

becktrad
Local time: 14:04
Native speaker of:

German

4 hrs confidence:

heading in the wrong direction

Explanation:
Another suggestion...

David Moore
Local time: 14:04
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 35

7 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

making inappropriate decisions

Explanation:
... as a generic translation.

'Setting the wrong course' is possible, but I'm not particularly happy with it in this context. I suppose it has too much of a suggestion that you know where you want to go and you want to avoid taking a wrong turn, and/or that there's a 'best' way to get to your destination, but IMO that's not the general sense here (in combination with the rest of the phrase).

Here I'd be inclined to take a bit more liberty with the translation, along the lines of 'implementing systems as quickly as possible, with design approaches that provide assured upgrade paths and avoid trapping you in dead-end solutions.' (with thanks to Nicole).

Ken Cox
Local time: 14:04
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 50

10 hrs confidence:

taking any unnecessary detours

Explanation:
one more for the pot.

Lori Dendy-Molz
Germany
Local time: 14:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 36

9 hrs confidence:

laying the wrong foundations

Explanation:
"It's essential you get the foundations right"
http://www.microsoft.com/australia/business/casestudy/video_...

but there's still probably a neater and more precise way of saying it ...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs 34 mins (2006-01-10 15:15:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

- or something with "quickly/rapidly outdated/redundant" (systems/foundations)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 hrs 28 mins (2006-01-10 16:09:45 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

- or "premature/counter-productive/rash" measures etc.

xxxFrancis Lee
Local time: 14:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 75

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Changes made by editors

Jan 11, 2006 - Changes made by Ian M-H:
Field	Art/Literary => Marketing
Field (specific)	Idioms / Maxims / Sayings => Advertising / Public Relations

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falsche Weichen stellen

English translation: creating dead-end solutions

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falsche Weichen stellen

English translation: creating dead-end solutions

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KudoZ™ translation helpThe KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

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The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.