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Thanks to all of you for your advice and explanations. I'm going to go with "alternative technology" and award points to Angela for her efforts. 3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
To Mariusz: Thank you for kind words. I was under impression that I am trying to defend only option 2 according to your schematic. Can't claim anything more than that. Thanks again, gentlemen.
I love your explanation, Angela - OT as an understatement :-) Well, an English equivalent of this understatement would be very much a "non-standard", or even "a non-orthodox technology". Thanks to both of you for this stimulating discussion.
Mariusz, by "got it right the first time," do you mean the proposed translation, "interim, non-standard, or alternative technology" given in a previous KudoZ answer? Or do you mean "bypass technology." When I hear "bypass technology" I think "muffler bypass" -- which is something else entirely. But maybe the other KudoZ answer just leads me in that direction :-).
Ouch, I still think... 1) small batch/standard, 2) small batch / non standard, 3) mass manufct/ standard, 4) mass manufct/non standard. I understand ОТ as both option 2 and option 4. Angela's approach seems to cover both option 1 and option 2.
Mariusz and James, we all seem to talk about the same in different words. My choice of words may not have been the best, but what I mean is that обходная технология is used when mass production is not possible or feasible. Обходная does mean “roundabout” and it does mean that you don’t have all the means to produce smth in a standard manufacturing process, so you have to assemble/design/manufacture/etc. whatever you are trying to make as a single unit or a small batch almost кустарным способом. That IS how prototypes are made. In the Russian reality I can even envision them welding this railcar together by hand. :-)
James, I'm very happy to help but I still thing that you got it right the first time. Please imagine two axes: Y: standard - non standard, X: small batch - mass manufacturing. You obtain four logical possibilities: small batch/standard,
I've been racking my brains to try and figure out how best to translate the term. Mariusz, I think you hit it with "small batch technology." It's just ambiguous enough to fit. And prototypes are typically made in small batches -- often a batch of one.
an essential raw material, you need to find out a roundabout way to manufacture your product, think rubber and Саксаул зайсанский. But the main point is that a non-standard, alternative technology and small batch technology operate in different dimensions
My apologies, Angela, as regards Rolls Royce, because I genuinely confused these mufflers with these in cars. I think, however, that the rest of my argument stands. If you design a factory for one type of a manufacturing process and you cannot get
James, I'm absolutely certain you are right and your client is wrong - if that is any consolation. And BTW, I used to be a science and technology correspondent for some 15 years.
What it basically means that they are going to custom make this thing (and most probably put it together by hand), because no production line exists yet.
The proposed translation that wasn't accepted was "interim, nonstandard, or alternative technology." No justification was given for that answer. Considering that they're making prototypes at that stage, I wonder if "interim technology" might not be about right? What do you think?
Обходные технологии. При производстве кованых колес в России используется технология объемной (горячей) штамповки. В других странах применяют метод раскатки....
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 22 hrs (2008-09-26 20:22:42 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
smth like "alternative manufacturing", and not always one-of-a-kind or handicraft
The translation workplace 
