abgestaubt

English translation: to rip off

16:05 Aug 2, 2006

German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Journalism

German term or phrase: abgestaubt

Abgestaubt

Wie Druckerhersteller Tonerkartuschen und Kundendaten verwerten

I'm translating a magazine article about how cartridges are recycled and how big IT companies, for example, offer consumers the opportunity to return their used cartridges for free by registering online and printing out a special barcode customers then stick on the box and put in the mail. These IT companies, however, ask said consumers for their address and some more confidential information which they really shouldn`t do. So my problem is in translating the title "abgestaubt" - it means "to dust something off" but also "to scrounge sth." like the IT companies scrounging the customer data. Do you have any ideas of how to translate this title??

Thanks in advance

ciarrai KudoZ activity Questions: 26 (1 open) (1 closed without grading) Answers: 2
Local time: 02:26

English translation:to rip off

Explanation:
is a very common term for this

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Note added at 5 mins (2006-08-02 16:11:05 GMT)
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maybe something like "Ripping them off"

Selected response from:

Stephen Sadie
Germany
Local time: 02:26

Grading comment

thanks but this doesn't get the play on words across
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +6

reuse abuse

HarryHedgehog

to rip off

Stephen Sadie

trick customers into parting with personal data

IanW (X)

skimmed (off)

Lancashireman

data dusting

Eilzabeth Taryn Toro

Discussion entries: 4

Answers

4 mins confidence:

Abgestaubt

to rip off

Stephen Sadie
Germany
Local time: 02:26
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 10

Grading comment

thanks but this doesn't get the play on words across

13 mins confidence:

Abgestaubt trick customers into parting with personal data

Explanation:
How about something like "trick customers into parting with personal data"? The "trick" implies that it's not above board.

Baile Atha Cliatha go brách!

IanW (X)
Local time: 02:26
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 16

6 mins confidence:

Abgestaubt skimmed (off)

Explanation:
Inside that case, a microchip reader could be skimming data from your passport to be used for identity theft.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1209/p12s01-stct.html
the hacker practice of "skimming" data from magnetic strips when credit cards are slid through readers
http://www.banktech.com/aml/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=1758...

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Note added at 13 mins (2006-08-02 16:19:33 GMT)
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Skim – To lift and discard any unwanted foam or fat from the surface of a stock, broth, sauce, or soup.
http://www.newitalianrecipes.com/cooking-terms.html

Literal use comes close to the idea of 'cleaning', figurative use corresponds to the unethical/illegal gathering of data.

Lancashireman
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:26
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 74

28 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +6

Abgestaubt reuse abuse

Explanation:
Way outside the box, but this might make a good headline - it rhymes and gets the point across concisely (it's only one letter longer than the German).

There's even a bit of a cultural element to it - appealing to the US/UK desire to do something for the environment rather than the German passion for orderliness :-)

HarryHedgehog
Germany
Local time: 02:26
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Trudy Peters: Perfect!

23 mins

-> awww... now you're making me blush...

agree

Colette Kinsella: like it

1 hr

-> thanks

agree

Stephen Sadie: very nice harry

1 hr

-> thanks

agree

Steffen Walter: Nice lateral thinking! / Yup, can imagine that it can get quite tight in there :-)

15 hrs

-> we hedgehogs do like to get out of the box, you know

agree

Elizabeth Gahbler: too bad they're not emphasized on the same *sy-LAB-ble* ;-) [in response to the remark below (re USE a BUSE), the commenter is right, *BUT* I do sometimes accent the "re-" (exasperatedly: "Hey! I'm going to RE-use that thing!) ]

15 hrs

-> re USE a BUSE - or am I missing something?

agree

Lancashireman: You wuz robbed. Hope you get the points for this.

5 days

19 hrs confidence:

data dusting

Explanation:
I am coining this based on a combination of data mining, which is when when the US government gets lists of data from companies and enterprises and evaluates it for intelligence purposes ... and your need to have an expression involving cleaning. Since what they're doing is sort of like data mining, and it's based on cleaning up recycled dust ... why not data dusting?

And the meaning of the word abstauben ...which means to dust.
I don't know if that works in your context. Cheers and Good Luck

Eilzabeth Taryn Toro
Germany
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English

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English translation: to rip off

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