Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Was nicht sein darf, kann auch nicht sein

English translation:

there's no need to worry about the unthinkable

Added to glossary by Douglas Arnott
Jan 14, 2009 16:48
15 yrs ago
German term

Was nicht sein darf, kann auch nicht sein

German to English Bus/Financial Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Die vorsichtigen Schweizer waren übrigens die einzigen, die bereits im letzten Frühjahr ihre Kunden mit Krisen-Szenarien vertraut zu machen versuchten. „Wir erarbeiten schon für eine Reihe von Kunden Alternativ-Szenarien: Was machen wir bei einem 30-prozentigen Umsatz-Einbruch?“ Aber, so XY heute, viele wollten davon nichts wissen, nach dem Motto: Was nicht sein darf, kann auch nicht sein.

Appears in an article on the current crisis.

Discussion

Douglas Arnott (asker) Jan 14, 2009:
For some reason this did not come up in my search, thank you!

Proposed translations

3 hrs
Selected

there's no need to worry about the unthinkable

since we're taking another run at this, here's another prosaic rendering
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "This fits perfectly, thank you!"
+3
17 mins

"For, he reasons pointedly, that which cannot, must not be"

Already answered by Michael Walker

Answer for Weil nicht sein kann was nicht sein darf
Peer comment(s):

agree BrigitteHilgner : This sounds really good. ;-)
16 mins
agree Sabine Lenz : For sure.
57 mins
neutral Ken Cox : This may be OK in UK English, but it simply doesn't work in contemporary US English.
2 hrs
disagree Aziz Hashmi : with ken: this is very difficult to understand for the reader who lives in the 21st century. Sounds like bad Shakespeare to me. Absolutely inappropriate for the text given.
8 hrs
agree Anne Schulz : "Weil - so schließt er messerscharf - nicht sein kann, was nicht sein darf." No bad Shakespeare, but good old Morgenstern.
14 hrs
agree Ulrike Kraemer : Disagree with Aziz here.
15 hrs
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