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unless

English translation: Use 'untill' here, not 'unless'

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:unless
Selected answer:Use 'untill' here, not 'unless'
Entered by: Ramesh Madhavan

06:27 Jun 25, 2004
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Linguistics
English term or phrase: unless
The operator presence & safety interlock system prevents the engine from starting unless the operator is not in the seat.
[when will the engine start - when the operator is or is not in the seat?].
kgas (X)
Local time: 23:05
I think it is wrongly worded
Explanation:
May be it should be "Untill the operator is in the seat" rather than "Unless the operator is not in the seat"
Selected response from:

Ramesh Madhavan
Local time: 02:35
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +9in the seat
Julie Roy
2 +9I think it is wrongly worded
Ramesh Madhavan
4 +5Should definitely be "unless the operator *is* in hte seat"...
John Bowden
5 +3when the operator is in the seat
airmailrpl
5 +2IF
rangepost
4 +2Contact your client
vixen
3Taken for granted that :
giogi
3has to be when the operator IS in the seat
nataliero


  

Answers


15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
when the operator is in the seat


Explanation:
when will the engine start - when the operator is or is not in the seat?

when the operator is in the seat

The operator presence & safety interlock system prevents the engine from starting if the operator is not in the seat.

The operator presence & safety interlock system prevents the engine from starting unless the operator is in the seat.

airmailrpl
Brazil
Local time: 18:05
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 32

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Antje Harder: This is my interpretation, too. I'd contact the customer, though, or add at least a "translator's note" - they might want to correct the original document.
2 hrs
  -> thank you
neutral  Tony M: It would certainly be LOGICAL --- but this is the OPPOSITE of what it actually says! INDEED, pointing out errors to clients seems to be an increasing part of a translator's duties!
2 hrs
  -> thank you - sometimes the original text contains errors - usually my clients thank me for pointing them out
agree  Jörgen Slet: and with Antje and Dusty
6 hrs
  -> thank you
agree  Jamie Richards
6 days
  -> thank you
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16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +9
I think it is wrongly worded


Explanation:
May be it should be "Untill the operator is in the seat" rather than "Unless the operator is not in the seat"

Ramesh Madhavan
Local time: 02:35
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in TamilTamil
PRO pts in category: 7
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: Yes, I'm sure that the 'not' is redundant after the 'unless', otherwise it makes nonsese of the whole thing!
2 hrs
  -> Thank you Dusty
agree  cmwilliams (X)
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Williams
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
3 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Jörgen Slet: and with Dusty
6 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Tahir
7 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Rajan Chopra
8 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  A-Z Trans (X)
1 day 10 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  PRAKASH SHARMA
3 days 13 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
6 days
  -> Thank you.
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
in the seat


Explanation:
I think they meant "... unless the operator is in the seat."


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 mins (2004-06-25 06:44:31 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Imagine that! It may not be such a bad gimmick: a presence & safety interlock system that waits for the operator to become absent from his seat in order to perform its safety duties :-) The injury-reduction rate might even be 100%!

Oh.... I must be tired; time for me to get some sleep.

Julie Roy
Canada
Local time: 17:05
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: Yes, I think logic requires that this is what they REALLY mean, but it's not what the actually say!
2 hrs
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
3 hrs
agree  Jörgen Slet
6 hrs
agree  Rajan Chopra
9 hrs
agree  sarahl (X): le machiniste est peut-être le plus grand danger !
10 hrs
agree  Sophie Raimondo: ça fait très Monty Python
14 hrs
agree  A-Z Trans (X)
1 day 10 hrs
agree  PRAKASH SHARMA
3 days 13 hrs
agree  Eva Olsson: I'm with you and Dusty.
4 days
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41 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Taken for granted that :


Explanation:
1)an interlock system prevents particular operations happening (... the engine from starting...)
2) the verb is "prevents" and not "prevent" therefore the subject should be one....I think that it means that whenever the operator is not in the seat the interlock system prevents the engine from starting.
Whenever the operator is in the seat she can prevent the engine from starting. When the operator is not in the seat, the interlock system starts working.


giogi
Local time: 22:05
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Contact your client


Explanation:
I assume that the author has mixed up two ways of saying the same thing:
... prevents the engine from starting unless the operator is in the seat
and
... prevents the engine from starting when the operator is not in the seat

To me that seems to be the whole point of installing an operator presence & safety interlock system.

The only way to be sure, though, is by contacting the client.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs 29 mins (2004-06-25 09:57:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

See the reference below for a sample of how a safety interlock system usually works.
... enclosed area, where open pilot lights or heat appliances are present. ... 2.4.6 Safety
Interlock System: Operator must be positioned in the seat with cutting ...
http://www.exmark.com/pdfs/850665.pdf

vixen
Greece
Local time: 00:05
Native speaker of: Dutch
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jörgen Slet
3 hrs
agree  A-Z Trans (X)
1 day 7 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
has to be when the operator IS in the seat


Explanation:
not so obvious this one and very ambiguous

nataliero
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
Should definitely be "unless the operator *is* in hte seat"...


Explanation:
Could it have been translated form German or another language which sometimes uses an "illogical" double negative? For example, it's common to hear in colloquial German "ich mache nichts, bis er mich nicht angerufen hat" - literally "I'm not doing anything until he *hasn't* phoned me" - when of course the meing is quite the opposite!

John Bowden
Local time: 22:05
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jörgen Slet: but I disagree with "hte" and "meing" :)
32 mins
  -> oops, me too - not what I "meint" to write!
agree  RHELLER: I don't know German but we should try to avoid these confusing double negatives
44 mins
  -> Multiple negatices are very common in some languages: in Russian you say "Nobody didn't never see nobody" for English "Nobody saw anybody"!
agree  Tanja Abramovic (X): The same applies to Serbian - some types of negative sentences may not function without multiple negatives (e.g. literally: "I don't know nothing about nobody").
16 hrs
agree  A-Z Trans (X)
1 day 6 hrs
agree  Eva Olsson: Yes, many languages do that. Definitely a possible reason.
4 days
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19 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
IF


Explanation:
The operator presence & safety interlock system prevents the engine from starting if the operator is not in the seat.

The engine will start only if the operator is in the seat.

I grew up on a farm.

rangepost
Local time: 14:05
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tanja Abramovic (X)
3 hrs
  -> Thank You
agree  A-Z Trans (X)
15 hrs
  -> Thank You
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