The sentence

English translation: GE is innovative

22:41 Nov 11, 2003

English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Marketing

English term or phrase: The sentence

GE has always been about the future
P.S. GE is the company name

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Selected answer:GE is innovative

Explanation:
GE is innovative, works towards goals, looks toward tomorrow, doesn't dwell on the past.

This is what is intended by this opening statement of their 2001 annual report to share holders customers and employees.

Selected response from:

Maria-Jose Pastor
Local time: 20:50

Grading comment

Graded automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

5 +4

GE is innovative

Maria-Jose Pastor

4 +3

...I think here "future" is meant in an optimistic science fiction sense ....

Dorene Cornwell

3 +2

primary concern

Tobias Ernst

4 +1

The future has always been GE's main focus.

NGK

4 +1

The activities or plans of GE have always been related to the future

Jörgen Slet

past to future

Daniel Mencher

Answers

4 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

primary concern

Explanation:
I'd understand this as: "Our company has always been concerned about the future". That could mean something like "making a better future for everybody", but also "creating a solid financial basis for its own future" or "being innovative". The good thing about the "has always been about" formulation is that it does not precicely say WHICH relation the company has to the future, only that it is a strong one.

Attention: I'm not a native speaker.

Tobias Ernst
Germany
Local time: 02:50
Native speaker of:

German

6 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

the sentence The future has always been GE's main focus.

Explanation:
*

NGK
United States
Local time: 19:50
Native speaker of:

English,

German
PRO pts in pair: 379

7 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

GE has always been about the future The activities or plans of GE have always been related to the future

Explanation:
or "directed towards the future"

Jörgen Slet
Estonia
Local time: 03:50
Native speaker of:

Estonian
PRO pts in pair: 106

15 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

GE is innovative

Maria-Jose Pastor
Local time: 20:50
Native speaker of:

English,

Spanish

Grading comment

Graded automatically based on peer agreement.

16 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

...I think here "future" is meant in an optimistic science fiction sense ....

Explanation:
GE, General Electric, is a HUGE US company involved in the production of everything from lightbulbs to high technology especially related to the energy, telecommunications, and defense sectors.

Any company wants to look out for its own bottom line, its financial future, but I think here "future" is meant in an optimistic science fiction sense where technology is supposed to solve many many problems and lead to a bright clean energetic times ahead.

The trick is, this text could be used both in ads about, say, investing in the company and in general to create a positive association with the company name.

Dorene Cornwell
Local time: 17:50
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 16

7 hrs confidence:

past to future

Explanation:
This sentence is somewhat of a paradox. The use of the present perfect (has been) represents continuous action that began in the past and is still continuing in the present. However, they discuss the future.

What they are saying is that since they first began (we know that this is since they first began because of the word "always"), GE has been concerned about what WILL BE. Back when they began, they were thinking about what WAS GOING TO BE the case; not what WAS the case, and not what HAD BEEN the case. Then, the same attitude continued, and even now in the present, they focus on what WILL BE. They don't focus on what IS or what WAS. They never have; only on what WILL BE in the future.

The use of "has been" indicates that this attitude is a continuous thing, that since the beginning through present day, they have always had this focus on the future, and it is implied that this attitude will continue for a while, if not forever, into the future itself.

On a more basic level, GE is trying to tell us that they put the past behind them and design their products to be useful in the time when they will be used, which is the future, because there is some time that elapses between the design phase of a product, and the marketing phase of a product.

Daniel Mencher
United States
Local time: 20:50
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 19

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