Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.
You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.
09:03 May 26, 2010
German to English translations [PRO] Marketing - Internet, e-Commerce / business presentation of jewellery shop
German term or phrase:Schönheit mit Köpfchen
*Schönheit mit Köpfchen*: Der Name täuscht: Ohrringe sind Nadelschmuck, denn sie bestehen aus einem kleinen Kopf, der an einem Stäbchen sitzt. Ganz schön verwirrend. Deshalb haben wir uns besondere Mühe gegeben und ein Angebot für Sie zusammengestellt, das Ihnen die Entscheidung einfach macht: Denn jedes Paar Ohrringe ist ein hervorragender Kauf – ob Sie sich nun für schlichte Steckerchen oder reich geschmückte Hänger entscheiden. etc.
Explanation: Yes, I know "piercing beauty" isn't really a common collocation, but may work here, and to get the ball rolling.
I don't think you need to be too fixated on the "cleverness" bit - the text itself isn't very clever in my opinion.
I mean "Ganz schön verwirrend. Deshalb haben wir uns besondere Mühe gegeben... etc".. in what way does their offer remove all confusion? Or maybe it's just me who's confused.
That's O.K., Anna! Thanks for getting back to us. These rules and regulations are sometimes difficult to fathom. No hard feelings on either side, I hope.
Surely the idea is not to decline ALL the answers?
However, I think it is not Anna's fault.Sometimes the instructions are difficult to understand if one is not an insider. For example I'm sure most people don't know the subtle difference between "site members" "members" "paid-up members" " student members" and "guests"
I was told in my "ticket" that "ыite members are the site users who have a current paid membership subscription." and only they are "members" when you restrict your answerers to "members" (which was the problem there)
This option only appears after 24 hours I think, the asker then gets the message: 'You may wait for additional answers. In the meantime, please decline any of the answers so far that have been unacceptable.'. I only recently noticed this and have not seen the point of it yet...
The last person who should have the right to exercise this power is the asker, the person who - by definition- didn't know the answer in the first place.
Some of the suggestions are IMO unnecessarily near the original word play. If the German text is no longer there, why try and retrieve the word play on Kopf and Köpfchen.
And what about "ganz schön verwirrend" Is this going to be rendered with sth like "pretty puzzling"? just to rescue the double meaning of "schön"?
The only word play I can think of that would fit both meanings (Köpfchen=clever / Köpfchen=head of the earring) would be 'to have one's head screwed on'. Can't think of a good way to turn that into a snappy phrase here though...
Explanation: Yes, I know "piercing beauty" isn't really a common collocation, but may work here, and to get the ball rolling.
I don't think you need to be too fixated on the "cleverness" bit - the text itself isn't very clever in my opinion.
I mean "Ganz schön verwirrend. Deshalb haben wir uns besondere Mühe gegeben... etc".. in what way does their offer remove all confusion? Or maybe it's just me who's confused.
Nesrin Local time: 09:39 Works in field Native speaker of: Arabic PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks a lot for your answer, Nesrin!
4 hrs confidence:
A head for beauty
Explanation: earrings beautify the head.
The head of the post.
Ahead of the curve.
I hate trying to be clever in marketing.
Rebecca Garber Local time: 04:39 Native speaker of: English
Explanation: The coy reference to "verwirrend" comes from the fact that these Ohrringe aren't actually rings but pins. The text preens itself for explaining this confusion for us.
For this reason I decided against any attempts to play on the word "Kopf" and tried at least to use "pin" in the title
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 4 hrs (2010-05-26 13:58:55 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
After Rebecca's info, a slight alteration. In the text one would have to refer to "a kind of pin". I doubt a normal reader (like me) knows that they are called "posts", do they? To my mind a post is large, thick and made of wood...
British Diana Germany Local time: 10:39 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 4
The translation workplace 
