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Dienen ohne bedient zu sein

English translation: Giving support without needing support


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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Dienen ohne bedient zu sein
English translation:Giving support without needing support
Entered by: Jeux de Mots
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12:54 Aug 2, 2011
German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Marketing / Market Research / Personal development course
German term or phrase: Dienen ohne bedient zu sein
This is the title of a workshop aimed at secretarial support staff. I can't get the English to sound anywhere near as good as the German. At the moment I am thinking along the lines of "providing a service, without being subservient", but that doesn't roll off the tongue at all well. Does anyone have any better suggestions please?

"Dienen ohne bedient zu sein - warum souveräne Assistenz so wichtig ist"

Many thanks in advance.
Jeux de Mots
Germany
Local time: 00:55
Giving support without needing support
Explanation:
just another suggestion...
Selected response from:

Roger Matthews
Germany
Local time: 00:55
Grading comment
Thank you to everyone for such great suggestions and lively discussions. There were some great ideas and I feel all fitted in one way or another. However, a decision has to be made and I thought that this answer was the most appropriate for my particular text. Thanks to all!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +1How to assist without burn-out
susan rose
4 +1Provide Support with a Smile
Wortschmied
3 +1Serving without getting fed up
Stefani Harper
4secretarial services with a smilecasper
3How to make the Customer feel like a Queen / King without you feeling like a serf ?kasrav
3Be of service without having your hand heldHorst Huber
3serving not servilepolyglot45
3Giving support without needing support
Roger Matthews
3serene service
Ramey Rieger
2Supply support without suffering
Sarah Swift


Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
serving not servile


Explanation:
service without servility

to get things going......

polyglot45
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks polyglot


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Ramey Rieger: Hi polyglot! This was my first thought as well, but the servility cuts to close to what often truly happens. A cans of worms, so to speak. Still, I think it's quite clever!
2 days3 hrs
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7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Serving without getting fed up


Explanation:
"Bedient sein" in the sense of "being fed up". I like the word play in the German source text.

While my suggestion does not roll off the tongue as smoothly as the German version, I think it may just capture the meaning and word play.



Stefani Harper
Local time: 17:55
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you Stefani


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Amanda A
1 day22 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Giving support without needing support


Explanation:
just another suggestion...

Roger Matthews
Germany
Local time: 00:55
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you to everyone for such great suggestions and lively discussions. There were some great ideas and I feel all fitted in one way or another. However, a decision has to be made and I thought that this answer was the most appropriate for my particular text. Thanks to all!
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
How to assist without burn-out


Explanation:
This is an interesting translation problem! I would go with a more literal translation. My guess is that the intension of the 'bedient zu sein' is avoiding burnout, which is like 'getting fed up'. Serving without getting fed up, however, really plays towards restaurant service so I'd avoid that since it's secretarial. In fact, 'serving' for secretarial support is, to my mind, a bit old-fashioned. I think my suggestion comes closest to what the intended audience should get out of it

susan rose
United States
Local time: 15:55
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Stefani Harper: I like this, too
19 mins
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
Supply support without suffering


Explanation:
not as snappy as the German, just my 2 cents...

My first idea was:
"Supporting the big cheeses without getting cheesed off."

I think service(s) or support should be provided rather than given - Susan already pointed out that it's not about charity.

I don't read "bedient sein" as servility - I think it either relates to somebody being either fed up with a situation or simply swamped with work / not really on top of things. Suffering might work for that.

Alternatives:
drowning in detail, being driven to distraction... Maybe somebody can come up with an image that works for both parts of the sentence. I played around unsuccessfully with swimming and sinking.

Sarah Swift
Local time: 00:55
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
secretarial services with a smile


Explanation:
"secretarial services with a smile"
http://tinyurl.com/3npxxld



bedient sein (umgangssprachlich ) = überdrüssig sein

jds/einer Sache (gen ) überdrüssig sein to be weary of sb/sth
jds/einer Sache (gen ) überdrüssig werden to (grow) weary of sb/sth
http://dictionary.reverso.net/german-english/überdrüssig


It would be a good idea to express 'ohne bedient zu sein' as something positive: with a smile

casper
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 11
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Provide Support with a Smile


Explanation:
aid = support = help. Happiness sounds more positive than "without getting fed-up". Or "Provide Support with a Smile".

Wortschmied
United States
Local time: 18:55
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Trudy Peters
37 mins
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Be of service without having your hand held


Explanation:
Neds work, this just to make sense of the German. "Bedient sein" in the meaning of "being fed up" is so crude it could not remotely be intended. My idea for "sovereign" would be "selbstsicher", which is exactly what I would hope for as the"client".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2011-08-03 00:22:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Honi soit qui mal thus puns (Lionel Trilling).

Horst Huber
Local time: 18:55
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
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22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
How to make the Customer feel like a Queen / King without you feeling like a serf ?


Explanation:
I know it is rather long. I am using the standard phrase "The Customer is King".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 hrs (2011-08-03 11:47:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The Customer IS King, but you DON'T have to be a serf !
thinking of variations...

kasrav
Local time: 04:25
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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2 days3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
serene service


Explanation:
why souvereign assistance is vital/so valuable

Ramey Rieger
Local time: 00:55
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 30
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