May 2, 2012 11:12
12 yrs ago
German term

Kopierschlampe

German to English Other Idioms / Maxims / Sayings Derogatory term
A derogatory term supposedly spread on the Internet about someone in business in Germany.

Discussion

TechLawDC (asker) May 13, 2012:
Settle for: Low ranking female employee (derogato Settle for: Low ranking female employee (derogatory).
Nicole Schnell May 2, 2012:
Kopier"schlampe" This term is exclusively reserved for women. Think: "dumb / mini-skirt / blonde"
TechLawDC (asker) May 2, 2012:
"tantamount to a gofer" "gofer" is USA slang for a person who performs trivial tasks for others.
Nicole Schnell May 2, 2012:
Kopierschlampe A derogatory term for a secretary at an office. Good for nothing but to make photocopies and to serve coffee.
Lonnie Legg May 2, 2012:
More context, please. Is the disparagement with regard to a current activity or to a position the person once held?
Ramey Rieger (X) May 2, 2012:
@TechLawDC Plagarist? Aper? Imitator? Parasite? Freeloader? Slime ball? Scumbag?
HOW ABOUT SOME CONTEXT????? How derogatory? Obscene? Ironical? Spiteful? Envious? Blasphemous?

I throw the ball to you............

Proposed translations

+4
1 hr
Selected

file bitch

Suggestion.

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Note added at 1 hr (2012-05-02 12:49:00 GMT)
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file bitch

A derogatory term for a secretary, assistant, or intern that does the most demeaning and menial office work. This person is almost always at the bottom of the company ladder, making them a living target for all their coworkers.
Jim: God, I really don't want to have to copy all of this crap. Then it's got to get filed. It's gonna take all night.

Mike: Well, just give it to the file bitch. She's not a real person anyway.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=office slave
Peer comment(s):

neutral philgoddard : This may well be the perfect answer, but we don't have any context.
56 mins
neutral Max Hellwig : I agree with Phil...
1 hr
agree Michael Martin, MA : Weighing the "evidence", that seems to be the best bet!
4 hrs
agree Usch Pilz : brutal term - but yes!
5 hrs
agree Johanna Timm, PhD : perfect
11 hrs
agree Dipl.-Kfm. Bernhard Aicher MBA
11 days
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
-1
49 mins

wannabe

As Ramey says, we need more info, but I'm going to throw this out there anyway.

"Wannabe" suggests someone unable to come up with anything original and who therefore resorts to merely copying those with more imagination. At the same time, though, "wannabe" suggests that the person is not actually successful and probably never will be.

Is this "Kopierschlampe" successful? If so, don't use "wannabe"... history is full of successful copycats and unsuccessful first-movers.
Peer comment(s):

disagree Lonnie Legg : wide of the mark
12 days
Something went wrong...
1 hr

lackey/yes-man/groveller

to name a few, take your pick

OR

low man/woman on the totem pole
Something went wrong...
+1
57 mins

office slave

I could be mistaken of course but I have a feeling that this is more of a reference to poorly paid office personnel assigned to "lowly" copying duties.. Seems to be used in blogs a lot.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2012-05-02 13:48:34 GMT)
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That's an evolving term with context being even more key than usual. Also, with "Schlampe", sexual connotations could play into it.
Peer comment(s):

agree Robin Salmon (X)
1 hr
Thanks but I am not sure that I agree any more..
Something went wrong...
2 mins

copy-cat

suggeestion, though not quite as derogatory

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Note added at 3 hrs (2012-05-02 14:21:42 GMT)
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jsut shows you how important context is. Depending on what is meant, copy-cat may be completely wrong,as Phil suggests
Peer comment(s):

agree Michael Martin, MA : A native speaker suggested that use in this sense is becoming more popular whereas my suggestion seems to reflect a more "traditional" use of that expression....
1 hr
thanks!
disagree philgoddard : This doesn't work - copycat means something quite different.
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
3 hrs

dogsbody (UK)

I like the emphatic sound of "file bitch", but have never heard it in the UK.
The British equivalent of a "gofer", i.e. someone who performs menial or trivial tasks for others, would be a "dogsbody".
For an office-specific context, it can also be qualified: "the office dogsbody".
This term is not specific to females, however, and can be applied equally to men or women.

Examples:

"She basically is the office dogsbody – making the tea; doing the filing; fixing the photocopier etc. But however lowly and menial her office tasks may be at the ..."

http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q="office dogsbody" "pho...

"It's all very well putting yourself forward for the odd task, but do it all the time and you risk becoming the office dogsbody.

http://www.microsofttraining.net/article-1126-how-say-no-and...

"The trials and tribulations of an office dogsbody"

http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q="office dogsbody"&sour...

"He was gofer and general office dogsbody for the first year, coming in at around five and leaving at around ten."

http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q="office dogsbody"&sour...

Peer comment(s):

agree Wendy Lewin
6 hrs
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

office slut

Schlampe used to be someone who can't keep order, but with time became 'slut'. If the context suggests something sexual, that's the way I'd go.
Something went wrong...
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