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  3. Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

Erst sehen was sich machen lässt – dann machen was sich sehen lässt

English translation: First see what's worth doing, then do what's worth seeing!

17:19 Aug 14, 2007
German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / Something to get your teeth into ;-)
German term or phrase: Erst sehen was sich machen lässt – dann machen was sich sehen lässt
Say no more - I'm curious to see what our great community ccan come up with!
Marketing-Lang.
Germany
Local time: 10:37
English translation:First see what's worth doing, then do what's worth seeing!
Explanation:
The first part is a tad innacurate, I guess, but I couldn't resist ;-)

What is the context, what is the readership, is this for a translation?

(Nicoles' turn now) ;-))

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Note added at 44 mins (2007-08-14 18:03:24 GMT)
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In view of your added "trumpet" note: "First shoot from the hip, then hoot from the ship?" NOT a serious suggestion, Mike ;-)
Selected response from:

Textklick
Local time: 09:37
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +6First see what's worth doing, then do what's worth seeing!
Textklick
2 +4first we analyze, then we advertise
Jonathan MacKerron
4 +1First see what can be done - then do what can be seen
jhweaver
4First recognize what needs to be done- than do what is worth recognizing
Courtney Sliwinski
3First see what can be done - then do what looks good
Kim Metzger
3First check your options then opt for the one people will want to check out.
Anne-Carine Zimmer
3Let's first see what's possible - then we'll see how to make it fantastic
Susan Zimmer
3First check what's possible - then do the impossible
BrigitteHilgner
3First see what can be done, then do whatever your research has revealed.
Dr. Fred Thomson
2Sound out the territory, then send in the troops
Paul Cohen


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
First see what can be done - then do what looks good


Explanation:
Pretty literal, but a possibility, perhaps.

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 02:37
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 156
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
First check your options then opt for the one people will want to check out.


Explanation:
just a thought :)

Anne-Carine Zimmer
United States
PRO pts in category: 4
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Let's first see what's possible - then we'll see how to make it fantastic


Explanation:
without context (product / service / headline...)

or

then we'll see how to do it even better...

Susan Zimmer
United States
Local time: 04:37
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 62
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
First check what's possible - then do the impossible


Explanation:
ES FEHLT KONTEXT!!

Wenn mein erster Vorschlag zu weit geht:
First check what's feasible - then do something impressive.

BrigitteHilgner
Austria
Local time: 10:37
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 40
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +6
First see what's worth doing, then do what's worth seeing!


Explanation:
The first part is a tad innacurate, I guess, but I couldn't resist ;-)

What is the context, what is the readership, is this for a translation?

(Nicoles' turn now) ;-))

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 44 mins (2007-08-14 18:03:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In view of your added "trumpet" note: "First shoot from the hip, then hoot from the ship?" NOT a serious suggestion, Mike ;-)

Textklick
Local time: 09:37
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 32
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lori Dendy-Molz: With your first suggestion :-]
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Lori
agree  Ken Cox: Tidy and very nice symmetry for people who appreciate that sort of thing. (and I like your second suggestion too, but for different reasons. Probably sounds better after a couple of beers).
2 hrs
  -> Cheers Ken
agree  Nicole Schnell: Better than the original! I like it!!//I like the teaser-approach here because I am convinced that the rest will be explained in the copy. Anything else would be "Duh!" :-)
3 hrs
  -> Thanks Nicole! I wonder what you think of Jonathan's take though?
agree  Lancashireman: V.G.
4 hrs
  -> T.y. :o)
agree  David Moore (X)
17 hrs
  -> Thank you
agree  Kim Metzger: Sounds good, old chum.
8 days
  -> Prost amigo ;-)
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
First recognize what needs to be done- than do what is worth recognizing


Explanation:
This option avoids the use of "see", if you were looking for something a little different.

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Note added at 1 hr (2007-08-14 18:27:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Terribly sorry, that should read "then". This is time, not comparison! Tisk! Tisk!

Courtney Sliwinski
Local time: 10:37
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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45 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
First see what can be done - then do what can be seen


Explanation:
I like the suggestions already given, and my suggestion is really just semantics. However, I think it'd be pretty important to try to maintain the perpendicular structure see/do - do/see. So even though the meaning is pretty much the same as Kim and Karin have suggested, this is how I would formulate it.

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Note added at 1 hr (2007-08-14 18:33:42 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

a slightly less parallel structure that might fit a slogan better
... then do what *will* be seen

jhweaver
Local time: 04:37
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Hilary Davies Shelby: i like this one!!
4 hrs
  -> Thanks!
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
First see what can be done, then do whatever your research has revealed.


Explanation:
One more shot at the golden apple.

Dr. Fred Thomson
United States
Local time: 02:37
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 22

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Francis Lee (X): Sounds like the onus is on the client. Doesn't sound like a "creative marketing agency".
14 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +4
first we analyze, then we advertise


Explanation:
to coin a phrase

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 63

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nicole Schnell: That's a great down-to-earth alternative!
1 hr
agree  Textklick: Proof that trying to translate a play on words is seldom the best way, fun though it may. Better to say what is meant! My only misgiving is that it might not be a purely advertising agncy...
1 hr
agree  Hilary Davies Shelby: nice!
2 hrs
agree  Susan Zimmer
14 hrs
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1 day 5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
Sound out the territory, then send in the troops


Explanation:
I doubt that a direct translation will work here.

(First) sound out the (marketing) territory, then send in the (creative) troops...

Granted, it's somewhat warlike, and it's a mega-stretch in terms of a "translation," but this should grab people's attention. And isn't that what blowing your own horn is all about?

I have no idea if this matches your client's image. It all depends on the context - and since we have virtually none, it's a shot in the dark.





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Note added at 12 days (2007-08-26 17:29:18 GMT)
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Hey Mike, how about this one?...

"Run it up the flagpole, then shout it from the rooftops!"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run_it_up_the_flagpole


Paul Cohen
Greenland
Local time: 07:37
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 32
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