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.
German to English translations [PRO] Medical - Medical: Dentistry / Operating Procedure
German term or phrase:Steckerei
This is one of those aggravating words that appears all by itself, so it's a bit hard to provide context. What I can glean however is that it's a department in a dental company and seems to be associated with labelling and otherwise putting identification on products made by the company (dentures and the like). However, I can't find a translation for "Steckerei" anyway and have absolutely no idea how to translate it. TIA for any light you can shed on this very obscure word.
Explanation: This appears to be a non-standard gerund of the word "steck". Instead of "das Stecken" (inserting), the noun here is formed from the verb by adding "ei". In this case, "Inserting" refers to the place where information is inserted into the package, I would say from the context.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 16 hrs (2011-09-21 01:46:43 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Another example sentence: 'Wir brauchen heute mehr Leute in der Steckerei.'
As I explained in the discussion entry, I got an answer from the client, but I'll give you some points anyway for effort and also some interesting comments. Many thanks for a valiant attempt! :-) 3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
The end client (via the agency I'm doing the job for) has provided an answer!
"Steckerei ist eine Abteilung, die Zähne kontrolliert und auf Leisten steckt. Eine sinnvolle und gängige Übersetzung ist 'carding department'".
Looking up "carding" in relation to teeth and dentures, this does indeed fit. Never would have guessed it in a million years though. I've never come across the concept of "carding" in previous dentistry texts I've done.
According to this example it sounds more like teeth are inserted into wax dentures. Maybe if you don't know, you have to settle for something like "Inserting department" .
I don't know if it helps at all, but I have found the word in another file used in a complete paragraph:
"Für die XYZ- Fertigung wird in der Abteilung Steckerei jeder Zahn vor dem Stecken einer optischen Prüfung gemäß den Anforderungen der Spezifikation unterzogen. Werden keine Fehler gefunden, dürfen die Zähne gesteckt werden."
So that confirms it's a department (which I already knew) and has to do with "Stecken", as andyhd was saying.
So, does that inspire any further thoughts for anyone?
Yes, '(rein)stecken der Beipackzettel' for instance, although this is a non-standard/ idiosyncratic form of writing - hence the difficulty. I think they used this term in their documents, just the way the department is colloquially referred to. 'Wir brauchen heute mehr Leute in der Steckerei, es gibt viel zu tun.'
Not really an answer, but would "dental picks" be a failed stab in the dark? It would seem to fit with your context.
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
46 mins confidence:
labelling department/ group
Explanation: This appears to be a non-standard gerund of the word "steck". Instead of "das Stecken" (inserting), the noun here is formed from the verb by adding "ei". In this case, "Inserting" refers to the place where information is inserted into the package, I would say from the context.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 16 hrs (2011-09-21 01:46:43 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Another example sentence: 'Wir brauchen heute mehr Leute in der Steckerei.'
Example sentence(s):
Das Schuften wird landläufig auch Schufterei genannt.
andyhd United Kingdom Local time: 00:03 Meets criteria Native speaker of: English, German PRO pts in category: 3
Grading comment
As I explained in the discussion entry, I got an answer from the client, but I'll give you some points anyway for effort and also some interesting comments. Many thanks for a valiant attempt! :-)
The translation workplace 
