Jul 7, 2005 13:20
19 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term
Austria
in-house translator
Native in: English (Variants: British, Scottish, Irish, UK) 
Works in: German to English, English to German, English, and 2 more.
Feuer am Dach
German to English
Tech/Engineering
Engineering: Industrial
fire alarm system
Sie gibt nur dann Alarm, wenn wirklich „Feuer am Dach“ ist.
is there a figurative meaning of "Feuer am Dach"?
is there a figurative meaning of "Feuer am Dach"?
Proposed translations
(English)
| 2 +1 | in a real emergency |
Nancy Arrowsmith
|
| 4 +1 | All hands to the pumps |
John Bowden
|
| 3 | when the sh1t hits the fan |
Cilian O'Tuama
|
Proposed translations
+1
1 hr
Nancy Arrowsmith
Native in English
literary and scientific translations
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, Italian to English, English, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
in a real emergency
Hate to be a spoilsport, but in the context, it might be better to use a neutral phrase than something labored...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "I think you hit the nail on the head here - sure there is a figurative sense, but it seems inappropriate. Thanks!"
+1
4 mins
All hands to the pumps
"Feuer am Dach" expresses a stressful situtation where there's an almost panicky need to get something done - maybe you could use "when it's a case of 'All hands to the pumps'?
HTH
HTH
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Ken Cox
: Maybe 'all hands on deck'.
12 mins
|
|
Possibly, although "all hands on deck" tends to mean "everybody come here", whereas "all hands to the pumps" means "everybody has to help out"
|
30 mins
Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Germany
Native in English
Germany
Quality Translations since 1986
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, English, German, and 6 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
101
when the sh1t hits the fan
figurative enough?
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