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  3. General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

sonst haben sie hier nichts verloren

English translation: otherwise they are worse than useless

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:sonst haben sie hier nichts verloren
English translation:otherwise they are worse than useless
Entered by: Ventnai

05:55 Jan 21, 2010
German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / marketing
German term or phrase: sonst haben sie hier nichts verloren
Die Lösungen müssen exakt den Anforderungen der einzelnen Bereiche entsprechen und sich intuitiv bedienen lassen, sonst haben sie hier nichts verloren.

I am translating a brochure which describes security systems in hospitals and other health care facilities. Can anyone help with a good phrase here? Thanks.
Ventnai
Spain
Local time: 12:57
otherwise they are worse than useless
Explanation:
Might be too colloquial for your text, but it brings over the emphasis.
Selected response from:

British Diana
Germany
Local time: 12:57
Grading comment
Thanks for everybody's input.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +5otherwise they are worse than useless
British Diana
4 +2otherwise they don't belong here
NGK
3 +1otherwise they are redundant
Andrea Garfield-Barkworth
3...or else they don't have any business here
ArnoTranslat (X)
3... that's a must (have)
BrigitteHilgner


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
otherwise they don't belong here


Explanation:
*

NGK
United States
Local time: 05:57
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 75

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rosa Foyle: This has the right register (tone) for your sentence.
1 hr
agree  Rolf Keiser
2 hrs
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27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
...or else they don't have any business here


Explanation:
since you are in a business context, I thought this idiom would fit.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 28 mins (2010-01-21 06:23:25 GMT)
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or shorter:
...or else they have no business here.

ArnoTranslat (X)
United States
Local time: 04:57
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 8
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

58 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +5
otherwise they are worse than useless


Explanation:
Might be too colloquial for your text, but it brings over the emphasis.

British Diana
Germany
Local time: 12:57
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Thanks for everybody's input.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Krikor: I agree, but it seems an odd construction. Just by itself I would have translated, or rather interpolated, the target phrase in colloquial or advertizing American English as: 'What do you have to lose?'
1 hr
  -> No, it's not about encouraging someone to risk sth.: "What do you have to lose?", the point is that the equipment is not only useless if it is not accurate etc., it might even be harmful. That is why the text says, "Sie haben hier nichts verloren!"
agree  Daniela Gieseler-Higgs: Very good in this context
2 hrs
  -> Thanks a lot, Daniela !
agree  Michele Johnson: Or a waste of time.
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Michele !
agree  mill2: If the solutions aren't xxx they are useless
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, mill !
agree  Harald Moelzer (medical-translator)
14 hrs
  -> Thanks, Harald !
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
... that's a must (have)


Explanation:
that request must be met
I would try to rephrase and not opt for a fairly literal translation.

BrigitteHilgner
Austria
Local time: 12:57
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 23
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
otherwise they are redundant


Explanation:
redundant adj 1 not needed; superfluous. 2 said of an employee: no longer needed and therefore dismissed. 3 said of a word or phrase: superfluous; expressing an idea or sense already conveyed by another word or phrase, and therefore able to be removed without affecting the overall meaning of the sentence, etc. redundantly adverb.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from Latin redundare to surge.

Andrea Garfield-Barkworth
Germany
Local time: 12:57
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Peter Manda (X)
19 hrs
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