Oct 8, 2004 13:20
19 yrs ago
German term

Der gläserne Fahrer

German to English Tech/Engineering Marketing Newspaper article about electronic device
This is quite obviously a reference to a term that is quite well-known in German: "Der gläserne Bürger", which expresses a level of government insight into citizen's privacy that is drastically described in George Orwell's "1984". Total knowledge, if you will.

Here, the author is paraphrasing it to say that their electronic gizmo gives racing teams full insight into every small move their cars make on the race track. One sentence in the translation I have at hand says: "No more excuses: this system will detect all twitches at the steering wheel".

(Background info: Our client needs the translation of this newspaper article for his own marketing purposes.)

The translation I have here for this phrase is "The transparent driver" which is
a) somewhat literal (too literal? Let me know what you native speakers think) and
b) which I have only found (in this particular meaning) on Swiss, German etc...sites, as a direct translation of the German phrase.

I'm looking for feedback on the existing translation and possibly a better way to express the concept without sounding too negative (it's a marketing text after all). Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks a lot!

Discussion

Non-ProZ.com Oct 12, 2004:
FYI I've left "the transparent driver" in the headline now and told the client that it is not very inventive and if he'd like us to, we could put some more thought into it and maybe come up with something better.
Can we? The question is basically still open - there are some good suggestions already, but I'll leave it open for another while in case someone comes up with a brilliant idea.
Non-ProZ.com Oct 8, 2004:
Hmm... I'm thinking about something like "The All-Seeing Eye" right now, but that's the trademark name of a software program. And maybe it's too esoteric. Monitor sounds very much like a TV or computer screen to me, but maybe that's just due to my background in computing - I know it can be a person or an abstract "function", too.
Non-ProZ.com Oct 8, 2004:
Another note I think we're free to deviate entirely from the topic of the driver and his transparency. If we can express the unparalleled level of insight without mentioning the driver at all - and if the headline sounds good afterwards - that would be fine. (Forgot to mention: this is the _headline_ to the newspaper article.)
Non-ProZ.com Oct 8, 2004:
Clarification - their electronic gizmo -> of course not the newspaper reporter's gizmo but rather my client's.
- b) -> I have found "The transparent CITIZEN", not driver. Sorry for being a bit unprecise here.

Proposed translations

+1
17 mins
Selected

The driver monitor

I tend to agree that "transparent" is too literal; it's one of those cases where a diversion from the original may be better, so how about this?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 38 mins (2004-10-08 13:59:24 GMT)
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\"The performing monitor\", perhaps?

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Note added at 39 mins (2004-10-08 14:00:03 GMT)
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\"Your \'spy in the cab\'\"?
Peer comment(s):

agree Leo3 (X) : driver monitor/spy in the cab
4 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Yes, "spy in the cab" is nice. I haven't heard back from the client so I guess the somewhat literal translation was good enough for them...Thanks again!"
+1
14 mins

"transparent driver" / "the visible driver"

...in parentheses. I think that works, perhaps "the visible driver" (a play on those visible man/woman models from back in the day). I don't think "see-through driver" would work as well. ;-)
Peer comment(s):

agree Cilian O'Tuama : I think it'll be hard to find sth. better than transparent
11 hrs
I think so too. What do you think of "Big Brother's Little Brother"? ;-)
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

Better than a crystal ball

Just another idea ... keeps the transparency idea plus the "know all about it" concept and by being "better" shifts from touchy feely to hard science.

Back to my pharma production processes ... :(((
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

the calculable driver

...because you can calculate what he will do next!
Something went wrong...
2 days 20 hrs

All Seeing, all knowing

Full disclosure
Exposure
Sight
Clear view
Revealing all

might work as a headline.

Otherwise, how about Inside Knowledge or even Inside Track?

hope it helps
Something went wrong...
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