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so klemmt es auch auf der Sachebene

Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

gelingsicher

English translation:

foolproof

Added to glossary by Trudy Peters
Aug 17, 2005 15:46
18 yrs ago
17 viewers *
German term

gelingsicher

German to English Marketing Cooking / Culinary in catalog
Would "foolproof" be a good translation here? It may well be accurate, but the reader (chefs) might conclude that the company thinks they are fools? (The German does not say "idiotensicher" either!!)

In catering, this means that eg. if the cooking instructions for pasta states the cooking time at 5 minutes, the pasta will not go soggy eg. after 3 minutes.

Would be grateful for suggestions that take into account the marketing aspect as well as the professional catering field.
Proposed translations (English)
4 +4 foolproof
4 +5 surefire
3 +1 no risk
4 success guaranteed
2 easy as pie / child's play
1 al dente every time

Discussion

Lori Dendy-Molz Aug 17, 2005:
If the chefs are native-English speakers they won't be insulted by "foolproof," but an international audience might.
BrigitteHilgner Aug 17, 2005:
How about at least one original sentence with the word "gelingsicher"? Might give us a better feeling for its meaning.

Proposed translations

+4
29 mins
Selected

foolproof

I like foolproof!
Peer comment(s):
agree Rachel Ward : "Idiotproof" might be insulting, but this is enough of a set phrase that it should be OK I'd have thought.
1 hr
agree franglish
2 hrs
agree roneill : Foolproof is not an insulting word to a native English speaker
3 hrs
agree Michele Fauble : 'Foolproof' is fine, 'idiotproof' wouldn't be.
5 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks everybody for your reaction - we were able to suggest a few translations to customer, including foolproof - which we could now justify to a non-native speaker of English!"
+1
15 mins

no risk

guaranteed success
works every time
not on the basis of your explanation but based on its use in several google entries.
Peer comment(s):
agree Francis Lee (X) : all of these sound good
29 mins
Something went wrong...
+5
15 mins

surefire

I agree with Brigitte about providing the original sentence, but how about "surefire", meaning "certain to get successful or expected results"?
Peer comment(s):
agree writeaway : is the word that popped to mind immediately.......
49 mins
agree Rachel Ward : Yes, if you don't like foolproof...
1 hr
agree Francis Lee (X) : surefire method
2 hrs
agree Frosty
3 hrs
agree Sabine Tietge
11 hrs
Something went wrong...
1 hr

success guaranteed

or is that risking court action?
Something went wrong...
40 mins

easy as pie / child's play

provided it's not a pie, obviously.

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Note added at 44 mins (2005-08-17 16:30:40 GMT)
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Oh, I didn\'t see the soggy pasta bit. Still, the German original/context would help ...

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Note added at 58 mins (2005-08-17 16:44:52 GMT)
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flop-proof
I thought I\'d just invented a new term, but apparently not:
http://pub25.bravenet.com/forum/2100686704/fetch/163381

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Note added at 1 hr 38 mins (2005-08-17 17:24:50 GMT)
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Looking for a very tasty flop-proof Christmas Cake recipe
http://www.thekitchenchef.com/recipes/index2.asp?id=49

A FLOP PROOF NAAN BREAD FOR ALL
http://shanaazparkercooking.8m.com/ramadaan4.htm
(bookmarked!!!)

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Note added at 1 hr 42 mins (2005-08-17 17:29:23 GMT)
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Flop proof, easy peesy
http://www.recipecottage.com/african/malva-pudding.html

All of the recipes are easy to make and flop proof
http://www.kalahari.net/BK/product.asp?toolbar=mweb&sku=1917...

The recipes are homely and flop-proof
http://www.gaybookshop.co.uk/cookery.htm

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Note added at 2 hrs 15 mins (2005-08-17 18:01:39 GMT)
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\"fail-safe\" would be the more formal option

e.g.
Preparation is easy and nearly fail-safe — provided that one avoids overcooking the pasta
http://www.cybershingle.com/recipes/pages/pasta-fettuccine-s...

... vegetarian pasta cookbook features fail-safe cooking instructions and easy-to-follow preparation tips.
http://isbn.nu/0785803564
Peer comment(s):
neutral IanW (X) : "Flop proof ... gay bookshop", aren't we drifting from the point slightly here ... ?
1 hr
Tja - ob Jamie "Naked Chef" Oliver weiss, dass er (auch) drin ist ...?
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

al dente every time

??
Something went wrong...
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