bespoke

English translation: that only fits one situation

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

English term or phrase:	bespoke
Selected answer:	that only fits one situation
Entered by:	Mark Nathan

23:17 Apr 5, 2007

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Marketing - Marketing / Market Research

English term or phrase: bespoke

From a brochure about security systems:

"Avoid bespoke solutions, open up the possibilities ..."

"Bespoke", according to the dictionary, means "custom-made", which seems to me to be a positive thing. In the same document, the company is said to provide "customer-based solutions". Why then are customers advised to avoid "bespoke solutions"? Could it mean something like "makeshift" here?

Thanks

Nesrin KudoZ activity Questions: 149 (none open) (7 closed without grading) Answers: 1889 United Kingdom
Local time: 13:43

that only fits one situation

Explanation:
This has been my experience with security translations - these days your site/business is constantly evolving so flexibility is crucial. You don't know what your security requirements will be two years down the line, so don't buy a solution that will only ever serve your current situation; buy one that is flexible, modular, upgradable etc

Selected response from:

Mark Nathan
France
Local time: 14:43

Grading comment

Thank you EVERYONE for all your help! Mark, your answer made most sense in this context, I believe (though I can't say I'm 100% sure that's what they mean). Alexander, you suggested something similar, but in your added note which came after Mark's. Jack, your answer sounded plausible as well. Everyone else, since I'm not 100% sure, you may still be right!! Thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +4

overly customized / developed for specific customers with many custom features

Alexander Demyanov

4 +3

that only fits one situation

Mark Nathan

4 +1

stereotyped

Cagdas Karatas

2 +2

designed for one customer in isolation

Jack Doughty

avoid already-tailored solutions... pre-tailored solutions...

Jairo Contreras-López

To New Customer: Avoid pre-existing tailored solutions, open up the possibilities...

Jairo Contreras-López

Could be: indicating

Anna Maria Augustine (X)

ready-made

Trudy Peters

overly hyped

Charlesp

expensive

Lars Helbig

Answers

5 mins confidence:

Could be: indicating

Explanation:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bespeak

Anna Maria Augustine (X)
France
Local time: 14:43
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English,

French
PRO pts in category: 4

15 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

designed for one customer in isolation

Explanation:
I found the brochure on the web, and having read it, I think it means that this firm can use all or part of systems they have already designed and which have been tested and proved reliable, whereas if a system is put together from the most basic components for one customer in isolation, its reliability will be less predictable.

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:43
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 72

17 mins confidence:

expensive

Explanation:
I have only ever heard bespoke used in the context of having (expensive) suits tailored. Maybe the idea here is that the customer is supposed to buy a cheap but functional solution 'of the rack' so to speak instead of having one expensively custom made. Other then focusing on the associated price I can't really think of any way to interpret bespoke in a negative way.

Lars Helbig
Germany
Local time: 14:43
Native speaker of:

German

56 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

stereotyped

Explanation:
I believe that you are absolutely right in your way of thinking. Bespoke has most probably been used in that phrase to question the good of custom-made, namely order-based solutions. "Opportunities" on the other hand of the sentence has been used to emphasize the contrast between the traditional, custom-made solutions and any innovation to come.

Cagdas Karatas
Türkiye
Local time: 15:43
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Turkish
PRO pts in category: 7

2 hrs confidence:

ready-made

Explanation:
or maybe run-of-the-mill

Would that work?

Trudy Peters
United States
Local time: 08:43
Works in field
Native speaker of:

German,

English

8 hrs confidence:

overly hyped

Explanation:
That is what bespoke has meant to me - something expensive and therefore of exceptional quality, but that is only referring to its reputation, not necessarily in fact.

If that applies in this case, as this word is used in this context, would perhaps be clear from the remainder of the text.

Charlesp
Sweden
Local time: 14:43
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

9 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

that only fits one situation

Mark Nathan
France
Local time: 14:43
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 20

Grading comment

3 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

overly customized / developed for specific customers with many custom features

Explanation:
Avoid bespoke solutions (customer specific features). Customer collaboration. Proactive, Learning and Sustaining. Page 9. 22-Sep-05. Aker Kvaerner. Page 9 ...
events.sut.org.uk/past_events/2005/050914/DerekRobertson.pdf

Lesson number four: avoid bespoke solutions
Things that look great on paper often turn ugly. A home‐grown CMS may enable you to finely tune the technology
to your specific editorial skills and publishing needs, but in reality many such plans never see the light of day. Yet
this is not through want of funding. Dozens of high profile publishers have abandoned this route despite investing large sums in in-house development teams to realise a specific vision. What tends to happen is that development
times are so protracted that the expense cannot be justified, and time pressures and new innovations make them
redundant. Whilst this can work for major publishing houses that have the cash and the will to succeed (such as
the FT), clearly this not an attractive route for the rest of the market
http://www.squiz.co.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/1505/turn...

Secondly, through a mixture of catseyes, reflective paints, resin bonded glass beads and more orthodox pin lights. A star route through the estate will contribute an effervescence to the experience of moving through and around at night. This will require that a number of more specialist light fittings will need to be considered at different locations across Fiveways. Where possible we will avoid bespoke solutions for the light units. Rather, we will exploit the potential of the light fittings to install the constellation.
http://www.hightideproductions.co.uk/constellations/location...

The above examples work nicely with the 1st meaning of "bespeak" in the M-W dictionary:

1 : to hire, engage, or claim beforehand

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2007-04-06 03:00:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Custom-made" is often not a positive thing. For example, a software company selling its products directly to other companies (an example close to me would be a medical information systems software house selling to hospitals and medical centers), in order to boost sales, may fall into the trap of accomodating every request of a big client (as hospitals tend to be) for customizing the product. As a result, the product requires more and more human and financial resources to properly maintain and support it. Releasing each next version becomes a nightmare, because the same enhancements often have to be applied separately to each individual custom version of the product.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2007-04-06 03:04:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Avoid bespoke solutions, open up the possibilities ..." will then mean something like "Instead of developing different highly customized solutions, develop flexible solutions that would let customers themselves tune the product/service to their specific needs"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 hrs (2007-04-06 12:42:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

After following Richard's example and looking at what is possibly your original (http://www.boldcommunications.co.uk/news/bsiauksecurity.asp)... I see that this is addressed to (prospective) customers.
Still "custom-made" can be bad for the customer for basically the same reasons: custom-made solutions are less flexible (hence the last part of the phrase: "open the possibilities") and requuire much more effort to adjust to changing needs, even if the "custom-made" solution was developed for the particular customer.

Alexander Demyanov
Local time: 08:43
Native speaker of:

Russian
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Richard Benham: I have followed Jack's lead and Googled up the original text, and decided you are probably right. My original disagree was based on the context available at the time.

5 hrs

-> Richard, if BOTH the author and I were using "bespoke" the SAME wrong way, shouldn't you then "agree" w/my interpretation and send your "disagree" to the author?//Thanks, Richard.

agree

cmwilliams (X): I disagree with Richard. Bespoke is being used correctly - it's just that bespoke solutions may not be right for every company.

7 hrs

-> Thanks cmwilliams, exactly my point

neutral

Fan Gao: It's strange you disagree with SpanishMDs and Trudy yet agree with Mark when they're all saying the same thing.

9 hrs

-> 1.They are not saying the same thing. "Ready made", "pre-tailored" are opposites of "custom-made". 2. How is it relevant to my suggested explanation?//1.Love your reasoning! 2.This is about interpreting the author's meaning, not yours or anybody else's

agree

Buck

9 hrs

-> Thanks, Buck.

agree

danya: +1

14 hrs

-> Thanks, danya.

1 hr confidence:

avoid already-tailored solutions... pre-tailored solutions...

Explanation:
Another alternative... Best Wishes.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs (2007-04-06 15:35:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"AVOID PRE-EXISTING TAILORED SOLUTIONS ( to PREVIOUS Clients)"

Jairo Contreras-López
United States
Local time: 06:43
Native speaker of:

Spanish

16 hrs confidence:

To New Customer: Avoid pre-existing tailored solutions, open up the possibilities...

Explanation:
A clarification to my previous translation... Greetings to you all !!!

Jairo Contreras-López
United States
Local time: 06:43
Native speaker of:

Spanish

Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:

ProZ.com term search

Search millions of term translations

bespoke

English translation: that only fits one situation

Answers

KudoZ™ translation help

Your current localization setting

Select a language

bespoke

English translation: that only fits one situation

Answers

KudoZ™ translation help

You have native languages that can be verified

Your current localization setting

Select a language