Mandatspolitik

English translation: mandatory policies (formal)/ mandated requirements (colloquial English)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

German term or phrase:	Mandatspolitik
English translation:	mandatory policies (formal)/ mandated requirements (colloquial English)
Entered by:	TrueBaller

22:38 Jul 27, 2007

German to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Business/Commerce (general) / policy

German term or phrase: Mandatspolitik

General context:

This term occurs in the introductory chapter of a German book on RFID technology aimed at non-technical users (or better put, potential users) of RFID devices and systems.

The foreword devotes a fair amount of attention to the current European debate on RFID technology and recent developments in putting the technology to practical use in commercial environments, and the introductory chapter begins with a very general description of RFID technology and its potential uses.

Then we have :

Im Wesentlichen gibt es zwei Interessengruppen, die sich mit der Anwendung der RFID-Technologie auseinandersetzen. Zum einen sind das die Innovatoren, die Befürworter der neuen Technologie, die wertschöpfende Argumente im Sinne eines über kurz oder lang eintretenden Nutzens anführen. Sie nehmen die RFID-Technologie in ihre strategischen Pläne auf und beginnen frühzeitig mit der Erprobung. Andere Unternehmen sehen sich eher gezwungen, RFID einzuführen, weil ihre Kunden dies verlangen, zum Beispiel wegen der Mandatspolitik der großen Handelskonzerne. Überdies befürchten sie, gegenüber Konkurrenten zurückzufallen und Wettbewerbsvorteile zu verpassen.

Further on in the same chapter, we have:

Wir wollen mit diesen Darstellungen [regarding logistical aspects] besonders auch mittelständische Unternehmen (KMU) unterstützen, damit sie die prozessbezogenen Zusammenhänge verstehen und sich rechtzeitig in die RFID-Verfahren der Großen einbringen können. Die großen Handelskonzerne müssen ihrerseits die Mittelständler einbeziehen, wenn ihre RFID-Strategien am Ende aufgehen sollen. Sie werden dieses Ziel mit mehr oder weniger sanften Zwängen („Mandaten“) verfolgen. Für Mittelständler ist es deswegen wichtig, auf die RFID-Einführung vorbereitet zu sein, anstatt Gefahr zu laufen, Kundenbeziehungen mangels technischer Innovationsfähigkeit zu verlieren.

That's the context.

From browsing the Proz glossary, I was initially thinking along the lines of 'customer relations policy' (by analogy to 'client relations policy'), even though supplier relations would seem more appropriate in the context, but the second instance of 'Mandat' in the text gave me pause. Now I have the feeling the word is being used in a sense borrowed from (or at least analogous to) the English idea of 'mandating something', which means imposing a requirement (such as the government mandating better car safety, to take the example from the Oxford dico). In that case, 'Mandatspolitik' would be something like 'compulsion policy' or 'policy of imposing requirements on their suppliers and customers' (as a player that dominates a market can do to a certain degree).

I look forward to your ideas, interpretations, and suggested translations.

Ken Cox KudoZ activity Questions: 232 (none open) (1 closed without grading) Answers: 4219
Local time: 22:09

mandatory policy/policies

Explanation:
You are right. Based on the context you offer, the term "Mandatspolitik" means "mandatory policy/policies" (obligatory policies)... of the large commercial companies who fear their competitors.

While:
'Mandat(en)" is used as a noun and the corresponding English term would be "mandate(s)" meaning "approved policy(ies)" or rule(s) considered obligatory - which in this context I would sum up in one word as "obligations".

I hope you agree.

Good luck!

Selected response from:

TrueBaller
Local time: 16:09

Grading comment

Thanks. A bit more googling seems to confirm my suspicions that this is eingedeutscht usage -- googling the terms Wal-Mart and mandate yields hits that show that 'mandate' is used in the sense of 'mandated requirements' in colloquial English.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +2

mandatory policy/policies

TrueBaller

Answers

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

mandatory policy/policies

TrueBaller
Local time: 16:09
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Albanian
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

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