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Hosenträger-Image

English translation: geeky, nerdy, square

12:14 Jun 27, 2003
German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing
German term or phrase: Hosenträger-Image
"Das 'Hosenträger-Image' ist zwar noch vorhanden, es dominiert aber die Sicht einer qualitätsorientierten und seriösen Marke."

...talking about a major German car electronics brand, no names, please...

Petit-bourgeois, maybe? Anything more figurative?

Thanks,
Endre
Endre Both
Germany
Local time: 21:31
English translation:geeky, nerdy, square
Explanation:
My translation is influenced somewhat by my personal taste, in that to me, someone wearing braces or suspenders seems kind of square! So I tend to regard a "Hosenträger-Image" as meaning "geeky" or "square", or perhaps better, "uncool". The product is perceived as something that is used by the "uncool", who among other things don't know how to dress properly. This "uncool" image gets in the way of the brand image they are trying to project.

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Note added at 14 mins (2003-06-27 12:29:05 GMT)
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At any rate, even if it doesn\'t exactly mean \"uncool\", it\'s meant to be kind of negative.
Selected response from:

Rowan Morrell
New Zealand
Local time: 07:31
Grading comment
I ended up using square, although I liked most other suggestions. Based on my interpretation of the term, I tried to avoid an emphasis on age (flat cap, old fogey) and class (blue collar). Of course, everyone seems to read the German expression a bit differently...

Thanks to all!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3work-horse image
heikeb
4 +2flat cap
Nicole Tata
3 +3geeky, nerdy, square
Rowan Morrell
5culchie image
Charon
3 +1blue-collar image
Michele Johnson
4The 'straight shooter' image
gangels (X)
4(bread winner / dominant spouse / bossman) image
Roddy Stegemann
4backward
William Stein
4Farmer Jones image
Roddy Stegemann
4homespun image
Beth Kantus
3'down-to-earth image'
Ursula Peter-Czichi
2Woodstock/hippie image
Martin Schmurr
2whitebread image
NGK


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
flat cap


Explanation:
would be the UK equivalent to (Hut und) Hosenträger.

How about something like:

flat-cap(ped) drivers/motorists
the flat cap brigade

This appears to be an invitation to irresponsible elderly drivers of the "flat
cap brigade" to deliberatley slow down their Hondas to inappropriately low ...
www.blackpool.gov.uk/news_comments.asp?NewsID=334

FLAT-CAPPED DRIVERS ON THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY. ... You know when you're behind
one - he'll be wearing a flat cap and is being overtaken by milkfloats and ...
www.togs.org/santa/_grotto/00000034.htm

Speeding drivers should, quite rightly, be hauled up for their dangerous driving.
But, equally, so should these lethargic, flat cap-wearing motorists, who ...
www.sunderlandtoday.co.uk/Custom_Pages/ CustomPage.asp?Page=952

Remove all flat-cap drivers. Add a bunch of fellow petrol-heads to keep you
company. Have a system of alerting you to any hazards beyond your vision. ...
www.benlovejoy.com/driver-development_main.html



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Note added at 2003-06-27 12:24:54 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Perhaps you could rephrase the sentence along these lines:

While trying to shake off the ‘flat cap’ image, …

While still being associated with the ‘flat cap brigade’ (of mostly elderly motorists), …

hope it helps


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-06-27 12:56:38 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

ALTERNATIVE IDEA:

grandad image

Rovers, what can we say? Commonly know as \'grandad cars\', but this one, no chance! I bought this fine example back in Novermber ...
rover200turbo.homestead.com/ChrisRover200.html

the hybrid petrol and electric Toyota Prius that they’ve put one onto their fleet of unmarked cars. Despite the Prius’s beige, grandad image and frumpy ...
www.hoot-uk.com/content/news/archive/ toyota/2001/21092001-1.html


Nicole Tata
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 1326

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  TonyTK: Do Americans have flat caps or trilby hats? "Mom'n'pop cars"
14 mins
  -> I can't speak for US usage but the flat cap wearing grandad behind the wheel certainly is a well know sight here ;-)
agree  Sara Noss: Yes, a fogeyish, fuddy-duddy image. Or, even 'middle-of-road', if we are talking cars. ;-)
1 hr
  -> good ideas - why don't you post them as answers??? ;-)
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
blue-collar image


Explanation:
... or

working-class image

are what immediately come to my mind. Those are fairly "charged" words however; depending on context, you might prefer something more neutral like

low-end
low-brow
humble
commonplace
undistinguished


Michele Johnson
Germany
Local time: 21:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 581

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  gangels (X)
34 mins
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
geeky, nerdy, square


Explanation:
My translation is influenced somewhat by my personal taste, in that to me, someone wearing braces or suspenders seems kind of square! So I tend to regard a "Hosenträger-Image" as meaning "geeky" or "square", or perhaps better, "uncool". The product is perceived as something that is used by the "uncool", who among other things don't know how to dress properly. This "uncool" image gets in the way of the brand image they are trying to project.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2003-06-27 12:29:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

At any rate, even if it doesn\'t exactly mean \"uncool\", it\'s meant to be kind of negative.

Rowan Morrell
New Zealand
Local time: 07:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 1459
Grading comment
I ended up using square, although I liked most other suggestions. Based on my interpretation of the term, I tried to avoid an emphasis on age (flat cap, old fogey) and class (blue collar). Of course, everyone seems to read the German expression a bit differently...

Thanks to all!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jack Doughty: Thanks for your explanation. I hid my answer as soon as it became apparent from other answers (which were not visible when I entered mine) that I had the meaning wrong.
3 mins
  -> No worries, Jack. We all make mistakes from time to time.
agree  TonyTK: I like "square"
6 mins
  -> Thanks Tony.
agree  Klaus Herrmann: Too much brain in a nerd or a geek (compared to Hut & Hosenträger), but I do like square.
59 mins
  -> That's a good point. Thanks Klaus.
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42 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
The 'straight shooter' image


Explanation:
or the 'regular guy' image in the US, but 'blue collar' is also very good, though it implies an absence of sophistication which you may not want associated with electronics

gangels (X)
Local time: 13:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 5559
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53 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
(bread winner / dominant spouse / bossman) image


Explanation:
Wenn dieser Ausdruck eine Vergermanisierung des amerikanischen Englisches ist, dann lieber einen von den obig geschriebenen Ausdrücken wählen bitte. Der Hosenträger im amerikanischen Englisch ist der Boss!





--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-06-27 14:24:43 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Well, at least now I know that Hosenträger aren\'t a special kind of clothes hanger for trousers....

Roddy Stegemann
United States
Local time: 12:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 285

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Eckhard Boehle: "Hosenträger" is not somebody who wears trousers, but those are braces or suspenders
18 mins
  -> I've never worn suspenders. A thin waistline makes a tight buckle unnecessary!
neutral  Rowan Morrell: Agree with Eckhard.
24 mins
  -> How about you? Is your midsection bigger than your hips?
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54 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
Woodstock/hippie image


Explanation:
If it's about Opel or Ford, the others' proposals are okay (though I have my doubts about "blue collar": I don't see which brand of car would be typical for them).
But if it's Citroen, maybe the writer was thinking of "Latzhosen", i. e. hippies.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-06-27 13:12:33 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I\'m backed by Endres confirmation \"trousers wearer\", nicht \"ohne Gürtel\", and the opposition to \"seriös\": old people wearing hats when driving are rarely reproached of being \"nicht seriös\".

Martin Schmurr
Local time: 21:31
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 161

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Klaus Herrmann: Hippies kommen ja langsam in die Jahre, aber Rentner mit Hut werden die eher nicht. DAs ist ein komplett anderes Image als diese politisch korrekte Rentnerschleuder-Umschreibung. Tschulliung an alle, die noch weniger Haare haben als ich.
18 mins
  -> ich meinte Original-Hippies, keine zu Rentnern gewordenen. Aber jetzt hat Endre seine Frage ja präzisiert, und es spricht nun mehr für Opel = Rentner als für 2CV.
agree  Roddy Stegemann: Yeah! Like a laid-back economics professor I once knew. There are such you know.
1 hr
  -> thanks, but I'm afraid my 2CV interpretation is now obsolete.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
'down-to-earth image'


Explanation:
This may work. Seems to me that they (think they)are moving to 'better class' of customer.
Of course, there are no more 'classes'. Anyway, that is how I read the text.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-06-27 13:40:09 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

correction: ....that they (think they) are moving to a \'better class\' of customer.
Sorry!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-06-27 14:47:47 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

correction: ....that they (think they) are moving to a \'better class\' of customer.
Sorry!

Ursula Peter-Czichi
United States
Local time: 15:31
PRO pts in pair: 242
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
backward


Explanation:
Meaning 3:
Main Entry: 2backward
Function: adjective
Date: 14th century
1 a : directed or turned backward b : done or executed backward
2 : DIFFIDENT, SHY
3 : retarded in development

or even "Backwoods" (meaning two):
Main Entry: back·woods
Pronunciation: -'wudz
Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction
Usage: often attributive
Date: 1709
1 : wooded or partly cleared areas far from cities
2 : a remote or culturally backward area


William Stein
Costa Rica
Local time: 13:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 1734
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Farmer Jones image


Explanation:
One of the Jones but not an arrogant city dweller -- a kind of rural petty bourgeois, if you will.

Roddy Stegemann
United States
Local time: 12:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 285

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Ursula Peter-Czichi: Amazing how prejudiced we all once were. However, the German equivalent would be "Kleinbuerger".
29 mins
  -> What makes you think we are still not prejudice? Read some of the answers! Effi Briest wasn't a Kleinbürger was she?
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
culchie image


Explanation:
a very Irish expression used to describe simpleton farmers, the crude rural aspect of them (wellingtons, brogue and all)

Charon
Germany
Local time: 21:31
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 42
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
homespun image


Explanation:
Even though they use the term Hosenträger, I'm not sure the English equivalent suspenders/overalls will work to get the intended meaning across.
I think what they are trying to say is that even though a bit of the rookie/country bumpkin/start-up/bit player - or homespun - image remains, the brand is gaining recognition as (or the predominant image is that of) a serious, quality-driven (or quality oriented) brand.
Hope this helps!



Beth Kantus
United States
Local time: 15:31
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 924
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
whitebread image


Explanation:
or:
fuddy-duddy
square
stuffy
uncool
unhip
buttoned down

NGK
United States
Local time: 14:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 2954
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
work-horse image


Explanation:


Andere Google-Beispiele für "Hosenträgerimage" deuten an, dass es sich eher um funktionenalen Design als um eleganten oder trendigen Design geht.

cf:
Opel habe ein "Hosenträgerimage", dichten sie; und sie meinen damit, dass die traditionsreichen Hessen Fahrzeuge fabrizieren, die zwar so zweckdienlich und vernünftig sind wie Hosenträger, aber auch ungefähr so erotisch. www.opelclub.de/opel0101/comm.htm

Als Design Kulturbeauftragter der AUDI AG promotete er auf internationaler Ebene die "Design-Softfactors". Der Automobilhersteller mit dem "Hosenträgerimage" avancierte vom Underdog auf Platz eins des "Designranking".
http://www.fh-muenchen.de/home/common_fhm/pressestelle/km/d_...

KIB-JC43
1990-1992


Ascona C, BJ 1996, 2,0i GL 115PS
letze Serie des Asconas und damit sehr ausgereift, trotz Hosenträgerimage sehr spritziger Wagen mit Fahrleistungen auf GSI-Niveau, außer Eibach Federn und CD-Radio keine größeren Umbauten
http://hometown.aol.de/joschydiehl/


The pickup of the '90s has made a nearly clean break with its work-horse image of the past. It doesn't seem that long ago that my father and I went truck shopping and got a little carried away. We bought a pick-up and had an AM radio installed. My uncle, a no-nonsense, salt-of-the-earth type, remarked that a radio in a pickup truck, to paraphrase it delicately, is about as useful as something on a boar hog. His was typical of the no-frills attitude most farmers had toward pickups.
http://www.recordernews.com/1997/0829/opinion/farn/farn.html

Places such as Indianapolis, Columbus and even Detroit will continue their slow, steady rise. They will never reach the height of West Coast "glamour" markets, but will continue to live up to their work-horse image in the months to come.
http://www.pinnaclerealty.com/Main/Newsroom/the_new_order__i...




heikeb
Ireland
Local time: 20:31
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 904

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Сергей Лузан: Seems to be the best here!
20 hrs
agree  gangels (X): like it best
21 hrs
agree  David Moore (X)
1 day 21 hrs
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