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This question was closed without grading. Reason: Answer found elsewhere
Oct 4, 2007 17:39
16 yrs ago
Dutch term

ontbreekt het uw databasebeheerder soms aan kennis?

Dutch to English Marketing Computers: Software marketing flyer
I am having trouble with this term as I find writing something like the DB manager is lacking knowledge is rather derogatory towards the person concerned. If anyone can think of a politer way of putting it, I'd be most grateful!
Proposed translations (English)
3 +4 Can your DB administrator walk on water?
4 +1 Is your database manager not up to scratch?
3 +1 Database management requires excellent knowledge and skills
4 Database management, to be effective, has to be up to date!
4 -1 Are your DB administrator's skills sometimes stretched beyond the limit?
3 Do you feel your DB admin does not always meet your needs?
3 Can your database administrator keep up?
3 -1 Need to replace your database adminstrator?
2 Maybe your database administrator could use some additional knowledge?
Change log

Oct 4, 2007 18:56: Adam Smith changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Oct 5, 2007 07:06: Antoinette Verburg changed "Level" from "Non-PRO" to "PRO"

Discussion

Justine Sherwood (asker) Oct 7, 2007:
Thanks for all your answers. Some of them were not relevant as there were other flyers from the same company about helping out the DBA. In the end I went with "Is your DBA sometimes at a loose end". But, thanks again to everyone who gave it a try!
Margreet Logmans (X) Oct 4, 2007:
To answer your question about being rude: in this case tone of voice is everything. When emphasis is on 'soms', it's just a question; with emphasis on 'ontbreekt' or 'kennis' it is rather rude. The kind of thing a complaining, angry customer would ask.
Justine Sherwood (asker) Oct 4, 2007:
it's a title it's the title of a flyer. The text itself then explains how the company can help you out with database management and maintenance but the DB manager is not further referred to.
Siobhan Schoonhoff-Reilly Oct 4, 2007:
Taking your quiry as it stands will be derogatory whatever which way you put it. Please provide more context.

Proposed translations

-1
38 mins

Are your DB administrator's skills sometimes stretched beyond the limit?

It is still not very polite to the DB administrator - but it may help.
Note from asker:
thx Jonathan, I'm still working on it. Do you (and anyone else reading this) think the Dutch also comes across as rude?
Peer comment(s):
neutral jarry (X) : Not very idiomatic
47 mins
Totally disagree. I think it an excellent advertising heading.
disagree Edith Kelly : with jarry
1 hr
neutral Deborah do Carmo : with Jarry
1 day 20 hrs
I'm trying to work out what is not idiomatic about it. You stretch things to the limit - so why not beyond the limit?
Something went wrong...
58 mins

Do you feel your DB admin does not always meet your needs?

Or something like this - live up to expectations, fulfill. I'm just trying to give you an idea here. This really is a 'native speaker' thing, I trust you'll come up with something good.
Peer comment(s):
neutral jarry (X) : Sounds too personal in the context
31 mins
Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

Database management requires excellent knowledge and skills

Why not leave it up to the reader (potential customer) to ask themselves whether or not their DB manager/administrator satisfy their database requirements. Surely the object of the text is to promote the service offered by the company and not to undermine the ability of (any) DB manager(s).
Peer comment(s):
neutral jarry (X) : I don't think this is what is intended. As Jonathan rightly points out, it is administration and not management. In the IT (database) context, administration and management are two very different things. Just Google :-)
14 mins
Thank you for your comment Jarry, in my opinion in this context (marketing) a translator should look beyond the literal meaning of the words. As for administration v. management, hardly a valid point since these words are synonymous.
agree Tina Vonhof (X) : Not literally what it says, but I think this is nice and avoids any derogatory connotations.
44 mins
Thank you, Tina.
neutral telraam : I think it rather flat. Doesn't make me want to read further.
1 day 21 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

Is your database manager not up to scratch?

Meaning:
If something doesn't come up to scratch, it doesn't meet the standard required or expected.
Peer comment(s):
disagree telraam : beheerder is not manager but administrator.
30 mins
In this context you are quite right. It should be data administrator. The rest of my suggested answer still stands, however.
agree Siobhan Schoonhoff-Reilly : A little bit informal perhaps, but this could work. And, 'database manager' is a job title (77,400,000 hits on google).
13 hrs
Thank you
agree Deborah do Carmo : or "Does your DB Administrator never put a foot wrong?" or "Could your DB Administrator sometimes do with a helping hand?"
1 day 19 hrs
Thanks Debbie
Something went wrong...
-1
55 mins

Need to replace your database adminstrator?

The possibilities are endless. It's negative advertising suggesting that "your" database needs "their" professional touch. Boring, and not at all negative in Dutch.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2007-10-04 19:54:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

This is obviously an advertising slogan.
Peer comment(s):
neutral jarry (X) : Is not really the catch phrase that is wanted here
33 mins
disagree Edith Kelly : that's really derogatory
1 hr
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

Maybe your database administrator could use some additional knowledge?

Could be conceived both very friendly and tersely, so goal-oriented, in my opinion.
Something went wrong...
15 hrs

Can your database administrator keep up?

This may be a little ambiguous, since it could refer to the issue of time as well as skills, but I still think it might work in the given context.

Perhaps you could also insert the word 'always' to address the use of 'soms' in the source.
Something went wrong...
+4
2 hrs

Can your DB administrator walk on water?

Personally, I don't see the Dutch text as rude, but instead as a good opening line to get attention, but this sort of thing is very culture-specific and a direct translation wouldn't go down well everywhere.

As you mention that the DB admin isn't mentioned anywhere else in the text, you could turn it around as per my suggestion, perhaps with a little intro to the effect of 'if he can't, we can help'.

This is PR, and rule number 1 in PR is that it has to work.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 hrs (2007-10-05 09:19:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Further comment: IMO the intention of the Dutch slogan is to provoke the response 'Hmmm, maybe we *could* use a bit of help'. If you simply said 'We can help you with your DB administration', the response would more likely be 'So what?' or 'We don't need any help'', and the flyer would land directly in the waste-paper basket.
Peer comment(s):
agree Edith Kelly : I like it.
9 hrs
agree Deborah do Carmo : or "Does your DB Administrator never put a foot wrong?"
1 day 18 hrs
agree jarry (X)
1 day 18 hrs
agree telraam : Great line
1 day 19 hrs
Something went wrong...
10 hrs

Database management, to be effective, has to be up to date!

Date base is the crucial point.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days17 hrs (2007-10-07 10:51:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Mu suggestion is based on the point that an effective "database manager" is always up to date.
The asker wanted to move away from the "person" and the I believe that the next crucial point is the base.
Peer comment(s):
agree Tina Vonhof (X) : Another option I like .
8 hrs
disagree telraam : Doesn't have the challenging nature of the original
1 day 11 hrs
Something went wrong...
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