English translation: are treated/taught/guided individually, according to their knowledge
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08:57 Nov 5, 2011
German to English translations [PRO] Bus/Financial - Education / Pedagogy / Manager training
German term or phrase:auf dem Wissensstand abgeholt.
Description of training programme for future managers (Nachwuchsführungskräfte). Jeder Teilnehmer wird auf seinem Wissensstand abgeholt. I find plenty of references to this phrase or variations of it in a number of training contexts, but am still not sure what it means.
Explanation: Hi Patricia!
This phrase is often used in schools, where the children should be taught on the level they are, and not on a level they should be. It is vital to the translation, to take the tone of the text into account as there are several options:
taken/taught from where they are/stand
taken as they are
guided further with the knowledge they have
The expression reflects the idea of picking students up at the station they're waiting at, and not making them run to catch the bus further down the road. It's a nice allegory. I didn't think you wanted to post "pick up" as a suggestion, otherwise, you would have. My association wasn't meant derogatorily. I think you know that, don't you? Sweet dreams.
I just put that there to show the "literal" meaning of the word "abholen" here but didn't mean to suggest that as an answer. I think a less literal solution works best.
Nothing's really wrong with Bernhard's idea. "The trainees are taken up/picked up at their current level of know-how.", puts me in mind of factory workers plucking products from the conveyor belt, turning them from all sides, looking for defects and discarding those products which don't meet their inspection standards. Don't ask me why - and I'm opening myself wide for flying darts, but that's my NS association. Have a good Sunday.
given the apparently correct understanding of the meaning, we have to resort to explanations instead of translation? What is wrong with using Berhard's "pick up" or "take up" --- if necessary, adding "their training" at their current level or something similar?
the example for which you provided a link seems to mean "equivalent to/"are"/"correlate to" - or literally, "pick up" at your level of knowledge. For the training programme for future managers, I'd go with Ramey's suggestion.
Here's a similar example: http://www.sah-be.ch/bereiche-und-angebote/bildung-und-kurse...
that's the basic idea, "individuelle Förderung" is the school-reform slogan. The phrase in question is quite common in alternative schools.
Be well, or good, or whatever strikes your fancy!
I would say it means that the starting point for the training is the prior knowledge each person has when they begin the training. The alternative would be to start somewhere in the middle for everybody, where some would have to catch up and others would be bored until the others had caught up. No idea how this actually works out in practice, though!
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Answers
26 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +2
are treated/taught/guided individually, according to their knowledge
Explanation: Hi Patricia!
This phrase is often used in schools, where the children should be taught on the level they are, and not on a level they should be. It is vital to the translation, to take the tone of the text into account as there are several options:
taken/taught from where they are/stand
taken as they are
guided further with the knowledge they have
happy translating, hope this helps
Ramey Rieger Local time: 00:42 Works in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 31
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +2
