why use 'afnemen/afnemer'

English translation: use / user or client

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Dutch term or phrase:	why use 'afnemen/afnemer'
English translation:	use / user or client
Entered by:	Lucy Spring

17:41 Jan 8, 2003

Dutch to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial

Dutch term or phrase: why use 'afnemen/afnemer'

The authors of this text on e-government have made liberal use of the term afnemen/afnemer when talking about government services. The following sentence is typical:

Op de website van X kunnen ondernemingen (een beperkt aantal) overheidsdiensten afnemen.

Well, I've just visited the site, and you don't have to pay for any of the information, so it's not 'afnemen' in the sense of purchase.

You simply access it, and make use of it/benefit from it. So what would be the pithiest translation of afnemen/afnemer? Consumer sounds weird in this context.

Lucy Spring

use / user

Explanation:
might be a solution.

Greetings,

Nikolaus

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Note added at 2003-01-08 17:46:07 (GMT)
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but probably different translation according to the context within the sentence may be most appropriate

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Note added at 2003-01-08 17:46:35 (GMT)
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make use of

Selected response from:

Elisabeth Ghysels
Local time: 14:25

Grading comment

I liked Henk's explanation, too. Not being a native speaker of Dutch I don't 'hear' whether afnemer sounds nicer than gebruiker, so it was interesting to learn that.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +7

use / user

Elisabeth Ghysels

5 +1

client

LouisV (X)

customer

Marijke Mayer

use/user

Henk Peelen

Answers

2 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +7

use / user

Elisabeth Ghysels
Local time: 14:25
PRO pts in pair: 168

Grading comment

I liked Henk's explanation, too. Not being a native speaker of Dutch I don't 'hear' whether afnemer sounds nicer than gebruiker, so it was interesting to learn that.

5 mins confidence:

use/user

Explanation:
Eigenlijk gewoon gebruiken/gebruiker. Dat klinkt echter zo consumptie-achtig, dat men liever afnemen/afnemer gebruikt. Ten tweede hoeven ze misschien niet per afname te betalen, maar zijn er waarschijnlijk wel abonnementskosten, kosten voor aanschaf van een pasje of zoiets.

Afnemer klinkt gewoon netter.

Henk Peelen
Netherlands
Local time: 14:25
Native speaker of:

Dutch
PRO pts in pair: 756

4 hrs confidence:

customer

Explanation:
Although user is adequate, customer would have coined it here.

Marijke

Marijke Mayer
Netherlands
Local time: 14:25
Native speaker of: Dutch
PRO pts in pair: 525

6 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

client

Explanation:
modern beaurocrats and their departments are increasingly referring to citizens who use their services as clients.

LouisV (X)
Australia
Local time: 22:25
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 166

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