May 27, 2022 10:06
1 yr ago
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Dutch term
niet schrapen maar laten
Dutch to English
Other
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
"Het uitgangspunt 'niet schrapen maar laten' werkt alleen als je respecteert dat de ander ook nog iets over mag houden onder aan de streep. "
It's in a text talking about why a specific business deal between two shipping companies has been so successful, but I'm curious to know if anyone's come across this idiom? I can't find any translations for it.
It's in a text talking about why a specific business deal between two shipping companies has been so successful, but I'm curious to know if anyone's come across this idiom? I can't find any translations for it.
Proposed translations
(English)
3 +1 | Not being greedy / Don't be greedy; Not being a money-grubber / Don’t be a money-grubber | Michael Beijer |
1 -1 | don't talk yourself hoarse | Brian Quigley |
Change log
May 27, 2022 13:21: philgoddard changed "Field (write-in)" from "It\'s a maritime text, but this seems to be an idiom" to "(none)"
Proposed translations
+1
1 day 4 hrs
Selected
Not being greedy / Don't be greedy; Not being a money-grubber / Don’t be a money-grubber
I've never come across the phrase "niet schrapen maar laten" used like this. It is definitely not a well known idiom in Dutch.
Schrapen is probably related to these senses (from Van Dale):
schrapen:
figuurlijk bij kleine beetjes bijeenbrengen, m.n. uit hebzucht
• geld bij elkaar schrapen
• rapen en schrapen
and/or:
de pot uitschrapen
----
or Juridisch-Economisch Lexicon:
schraper =
(gierig persoon) money-grubber
----
Oxforddictionaries.com:
• money-grubbing
(also money-grabbing)
Overeager to make money; grasping.
SYNONYMS:
acquisitive, avaricious, grasping, money-grabbing, greedy, rapacious, mercenary, materialistic
North American informal grabby
• grasping:
Avaricious, greedy
SYNONYMS:
avaricious, acquisitive, greedy, rapacious, grabbing, usurious, covetous, venal;
mercenary, materialistic, money-oriented;
----
re "onder aan de streep"
I'm assuming this refers to this (lifted from Van Dale):
"(figuurlijk) hoeveel blijft er onder (aan) de streep over?
how much money will it bring in, what will be the profits"
----
I think I prefer using the term "greed(y)" instead of "money-grubbing", so, putting all this together, I ended up with something like:
Het uitgangspunt 'niet schrapen maar laten' werkt alleen als je respecteert dat de ander ook nog iets over mag houden onder aan de streep.
=
The principle of ‘Not being greedy’ only works if you respect the other person’s right to some of the profits at the end of the day.
The principle of ‘Not being greedy’ only works if you respect the other person’s right to a share of the profits at the end of the day.
The principle of ‘Not being greedy’ will only work if you respect the other person’s right to a share of the profits at the end of the day.
"at the end of the day" is optional
maybe change "person" to "party"
see e.g.:
"Alex’s second piece of advice is to not be greedy. He wishes that he had followed this piece of advice when he first started investing in real estate because he has gotten greedy on multiple occasions, which has cost him a lot of business. Alex believes he has made many more mistakes than most investors and greed was the main catalyst. Therefore, adopting a non-greedy principle as one of your business values will help you avoid making many mistakes." (https://www.bestevercre.com/blog/set-goals-dont-be-greedy-cr... )
+
"Not being greedy (to put it negatively) is, perhaps, first and foremost among the business virtues." (https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Companion_to_Busine... )
Schrapen is probably related to these senses (from Van Dale):
schrapen:
figuurlijk bij kleine beetjes bijeenbrengen, m.n. uit hebzucht
• geld bij elkaar schrapen
• rapen en schrapen
and/or:
de pot uitschrapen
----
or Juridisch-Economisch Lexicon:
schraper =
(gierig persoon) money-grubber
----
Oxforddictionaries.com:
• money-grubbing
(also money-grabbing)
Overeager to make money; grasping.
SYNONYMS:
acquisitive, avaricious, grasping, money-grabbing, greedy, rapacious, mercenary, materialistic
North American informal grabby
• grasping:
Avaricious, greedy
SYNONYMS:
avaricious, acquisitive, greedy, rapacious, grabbing, usurious, covetous, venal;
mercenary, materialistic, money-oriented;
----
re "onder aan de streep"
I'm assuming this refers to this (lifted from Van Dale):
"(figuurlijk) hoeveel blijft er onder (aan) de streep over?
how much money will it bring in, what will be the profits"
----
I think I prefer using the term "greed(y)" instead of "money-grubbing", so, putting all this together, I ended up with something like:
Het uitgangspunt 'niet schrapen maar laten' werkt alleen als je respecteert dat de ander ook nog iets over mag houden onder aan de streep.
=
The principle of ‘Not being greedy’ only works if you respect the other person’s right to some of the profits at the end of the day.
The principle of ‘Not being greedy’ only works if you respect the other person’s right to a share of the profits at the end of the day.
The principle of ‘Not being greedy’ will only work if you respect the other person’s right to a share of the profits at the end of the day.
"at the end of the day" is optional
maybe change "person" to "party"
see e.g.:
"Alex’s second piece of advice is to not be greedy. He wishes that he had followed this piece of advice when he first started investing in real estate because he has gotten greedy on multiple occasions, which has cost him a lot of business. Alex believes he has made many more mistakes than most investors and greed was the main catalyst. Therefore, adopting a non-greedy principle as one of your business values will help you avoid making many mistakes." (https://www.bestevercre.com/blog/set-goals-dont-be-greedy-cr... )
+
"Not being greedy (to put it negatively) is, perhaps, first and foremost among the business virtues." (https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Companion_to_Busine... )
Example sentence:
Not being greedy (to put it negatively) is, perhaps, first and foremost among the business virtues.
Therefore, adopting a non-greedy principle as one of your business values will help you avoid making many mistakes."
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Barend van Zadelhoff
: yes about non-standard idiom; yes about 'onder de streep'; yes about 'greedy'; you ignore 'laten', but this may also be expressed in 'you respect the other person's etc.'. In that case no omission. Overall, it seems a workable solution to me.
37 mins
|
Bedankt!
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
-1
5 hrs
don't talk yourself hoarse
As in 'let the other get their say'. Just a guess.
Peer comment(s):
disagree |
Barend van Zadelhoff
: Has nothing to do with persuasion. It's about greed. Michael was on the right track. // This reading is also not reconcilable with the rest of the sentence and it would be impossibly far-fetched anyway.
5 hrs
|
agree |
Barbara Schmidt, M.A. (X)
19 hrs
|
disagree |
Michael Beijer
: Not quite sure how you arrived at either of your suggestions.
23 hrs
|
As in: kuchen en schrapen — ever negotiate with somone who just won't stop talking in an attempt to sell their deal? Negotiating is listening/acknowledging. Thus, "don't talk yourself hoarse, let them speak". It was just an intuited guess!
|
Discussion
Also ,'not being greedy' is readily reconcilable with the rest of the sentence, unlike Brian's suggestion.
https://www.google.com/search?q="kuchen en schrapen"&rlz=1C1...
Does this also have the connotation of greed when the context allows for it?
In dat opzicht is er dus geen verdere context nodig.
Wat de algehele interpretatie betreft, is meer context natuurlijk altijd welkom
'schrapen' is niet het probleem.
'laten' laat een ruimere interpretatie toe, maar binnen de gegeven context moet er iets van te maken zijn, iets in de richting van wat ik en Tina hebben aangegeven.
Zoals reeds door Michael geciteerd:
van Dale
schrapen
3 (oneig.) bij kleine beetjes bijeenbrengen, met name uit hebzucht
Voorbeeld: geld bij elkaar schrapen
Take it from a Dutch native speaker.
No need to ask for further context.
Could schrapen mean to haggle?
Like
The principle of not grabbing but ...
in a way that it works within the specific context?
It is not completely clear to me what the expression (which is no standard idiom) in its entirity (niet schrapen maar laten) means, but perhaps, instead of playing a zero-sum game (schrapen), being prepared to give up some wishes of your own (laten)
If you look at it this way 'schrapen' is the opposite of 'laten': 'grasp all' vs 'granting the other party their fair share'
"Het uitgangspunt 'niet schrapen maar laten' werkt alleen als je respecteert dat de ander ook nog iets over mag houden onder aan de streep. "
=
“The principle ‘don’t be a money-grubber’ only works if you respect the other person’s right to some of the profits at the end of the day.”
?
"(figuurlijk) hoeveel blijft er onder (aan) de streep over?
how much money will it bring in, what will be the profits"
money-grubbing
(also money-grabbing)
Overeager to make money; grasping.
SYNONYMS:
acquisitive, avaricious, grasping, money-grabbing, greedy, rapacious, mercenary, materialistic
North American informal grabby
rare quaestuary, Mammonish, Mammonistic
(gierig persoon) money-grubber
figuurlijk bij kleine beetjes bijeenbrengen, m.n. uit hebzucht
• geld bij elkaar schrapen
• rapen en schrapen
and/or:
de pot uitschrapen