Translation

Tricky translations

How do you say “connection” in German?

In transport, a “connection” is a plane, train or bus that is scheduled to leave at a time that allows passengers to continue their journey. Here, it is ⋅ translated as Anschluss:

“I missed my connection.” — Ich habe meinen Anschluss verpasst.

In electronics, a “connection” is a wire that joins two parts of an electrical system. It is translated as Verbindung or

Anschluss. A “loose connection” ⋅ means Wackelkontakt:

“The technician checked the connection.” — Der Techniker hat die Verbindung überprüft.

“Connections” are people you know who can help you, especially if they are in a position of power. It is translated as

Beziehung(en) or Vitamin B:

“We have good connections in the media.” — Wir haben gute Beziehungen in der Medienbranche.

“In connection with” is tranlated as im/in Zusammenhang mit:

“He was interviewed in connection with the fraud case.” — Er wurde im Zusammenhang mit dem Betrugsfall verhört.

How do you say Probe in English?

In the arts and culture, a Probe

is a performance of a play or piece of music without an audience. It is translated as rehearsal or practice, and a Generalprobe is a dress rehearsal:

+ Wir haben vor der Premiere gewöhnlich drei weitere Proben.

— “We usually have three more rehearsals before the premiere.”

Probe is also used in science or medicine to refer to a small amount of something, such as food, blood or urine, which is tested to find out about the contents. Here, we translate it as ⋅ sample:

Wir haben über 1000 Proben getestet, aber keine Giftstoffe gefunden. — “We tested more than 1,000 samples but didn’t find any toxins.”

Finally, when employees join a company, there is often a

Probezeit they have to pass before they are given a permanent contract. This is their probationary ⋅ period:

Karen ist erleichtert, dass sie ihre Probezeit bestanden hat.

— “Karen is relieved that she has passed her probationary period.”