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ein Ohr am Band haben

English translation: being tuned into customers' needs

10:48 Apr 29, 2008
German to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / description of car production plant
German term or phrase: ein Ohr am Band haben
Die Module werden aus der Montage direkt ans Band geliefert. "Wenn die Mannschaft von Interiors ein Ohr am Band hat, dann ist es bei uns eine Hand" schmunzelt X.
Also: "Man kann sagen, wir haben immer ein Ohr am Band des Kunden", erklaert Schmidt.
stephkg (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:40
English translation:being tuned into customers' needs
Explanation:
.
Selected response from:

Chris Pott
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:40
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +1being tuned into customers' needs
Chris Pott
3lending an ear to the needs at the assembly line
Eike Seemann DipTrans


  

Answers


21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
being tuned into customers' needs


Explanation:
.

Chris Pott
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:40
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  GeorginaW (X): except: 'in tune with' might be better
1 hr
disagree  Eike Seemann DipTrans: this would more or less convey the meaning of the last phrase, but what about the same expression in the phrase above?
4 days
agree  euglena (X): exactly, 'in tune with' is a much greater translation to capture the meaning. the first phrase, i would probably use "tuned in" or simply ".. if they are in tune"
7 days
  -> I chose "tuned into" because it picks up the radio imagery in the original, whereas "in tune with" is a musical image.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
lending an ear to the needs at the assembly line


Explanation:
'lending an ear‘ would keep the same image

in this context, 'Band' is probably the assembly line, in the second part of the phrase I think he talks about assembly lines at clients' sites...

Eike Seemann DipTrans
Local time: 23:40
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 7
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